Making your house market ready for valuation
Before you get ready to put your house on the market, it’s a good idea to make it as appealing as possible to potential buyers – increasing it’s value. This could be something as small as redecorating the rooms with neutral colours or simply making sure the weeds have been pulled up from the back garden.
Once that has been done and your home is looking in good shape, then you should organise with an estate agent like ourselves to get your home valued. You’re not just looking for the highest priced valuation, but one that takes into account the prospective buyer needs, and trends that are currently in the market. A good estate agent will also let you know things you can do to improve the chances of a successful sale.
Marketing your property
When it comes time to market your property, you need a qualified and knowledgeable estate agent on your side to guide you through the process. Here at Charles & Derby Estates, we can not only value your home but we can also assist every step of the way from marketing the property to potential buyers, all the way through to assisting with completion contracts.
Just some of the things that an experienced estate agency like ourselves can help with when it comes to getting your property in front of the eyes of buyers are: taking high-quality images and videos, creating visually appealing floor plans, providing you with a sales board for your home, adding your home to internet property sites like Zoopla and Right Move, as well as sharing your property details on social media such as our Instagram and Twitter.
Arranging viewings
Once your property is visible to the public, you can expect that potential buyers will want to arrange viewings for the property. You can either take the viewing yourself and show them round, however we have found there is much less pressure on both parties when one of our agents is able to display the property with the viewer. As a general rule, it’s appropriate to have a tidy up just before your viewing takes place to make sure the property is presented in the best possible light. Sometimes buyers will view but not move forward with an offer due to certain issues, and we advise that you take this feedback on board and make the appropriate changes to satisfy buyer demands if an issue is continually popping up.
Offers made and accepted
Thankfully when you choose to sell with an estate agent like ourselves the boring yet important legalese parts of the deal are taken care of for you. You may receive multiple offers on your property, and we’re here to help you choose the best offer for you, and it many include details such as whether the buyer is already in a chain or if they are cash buyers or have to wait for their own mortgage to complete. We’ll always provide you with the best information to help you make this important, informed decision.
When the sale has been negotiated and agreed, solicitors step in and assist the process through to completion. Detailed memoranda are drawn up for both sides, and solicitors for both sides can then make contact to move the sale onwards. Conveyancing and surveys can also take place at this point, where everything is taken care of: from structural inspections to more detailed property assessments, and also mortgage valuations if applicable. We will always be able to recommend a trusted solicitor or conveyancer if required.
The exchange and final completion
The exchange takes place once the conveyancing is completed and the party buying the property has their mortgage offer sorted out. At this stage a deposit is made, often 10%, and then contracts can be given to both parties, whereupon the sale becomes legally binding – you’ll also know the final completion date at this point to allow you to prepare to move out. On the final day, funds will be transferred and the whole process completed. You can drop the keys off at our office and the new buyer can pick them up later in the day.
