Selling a home is something we may only do once or twice in our lifetimes, so many people aren’t sure where to start. Read on for our top tips.
Research and select an estate agent: Once you know you want to sell your house, chances are you’ll notice the ‘for sale’ boards in your local area a lot more – and all will display the names of estate agents for you to research online. Many will have independent reviews from Trustpilot or on their social pages so use this alongside peer recommendations to help you choose who to approach for a valuation (there’s no harm in getting a few estate agents to do this for you).
Getting a realistic valuation: Your estate agent will visit and value your home, but you can compare it with similar properties in your area through the likes of Zoopla to give you a rough idea of sale price. Your estate agent should have insights on how much homes like yours have been selling for, as well as an overall assessment of the current market, which will affect what people will be willing to pay.
Preparing your home for sale: During the home visit, your estate agent may suggest some decorations or repairs that can make it look more attractive to potential buyers. Some of this might just be down to simple room layout changes which will improve the photography that they will arrange.
Marketing: Sharing property listings and photography is part of the package with most estate agents. This usually includes them sharing your property listing on their website, in social media, in their shop window and on various third party property listing sites such as Zoouka.
Some estate agents like to hold open house events to drive demand, but they will advise on what’s best depending on the property, the area and the current market.
Review the offers: When considering the ideal buyer, as well as taking their offer into account you should also look at their situation. They might have no chain which means they can move quicker, or have already sold their property which again, will help things to run more smoothly.
Completion and paperwork: You should have a trusted party of experts to work with you here which in addition to your estate agent will include a solicitor. There will be a lot of back and forth to get all the necessary paperwork signed from both sides but all of this will be getting you closer to the completion of your sale.
An expert from Zoouka said: “There’s a lot more that goes into selling a house than trying to achieve your ideal sale price. Finding an estate agent that you are happy with is key, since you’ll be working with them throughout the process. Putting in some time to research and meet estate agents at the outset should be one of your first action points.”
