Advice to help you sell your current home:

If you are selling an existing home you will need to make it as attractive as possible to potential buyers. This may sound obvious, but many people do not realise how their home is presented to strangers seeing it for the first time. Follow the tips below to give yourself the best chance of finding a buyer quickly.

Photographs

Part Exchanging

When to sell your home

Fixtures and fittings

De cluttering

DIY jobs

Instructing an Estate Agent

Gardens

Kerb appeal

Keeping the home clean

Viewing advice

If you set the price too high there will be little interest. If you then reduce the price it could look like you are desperate and may attract even lower offers. Check out what similar homes sold for in your road using Zoopla or OurProperty websites.

Photographs

The first time buyers will see your home is in a picture in an estate agent’s window or on the internet. Make sure you have good pictures, taken on a sunny day. Include some internal pictures and those of good views if you have them.

Consider Part Exchanging

Get the house builder to Part-Exchange. This will save you all the trouble and expense of selling your current home yourself. However, some builders offset this benefit against other incentives or discounts that may be available.

Market in the Spring

Ensure that your property is on the market in the Spring in time for the Easter and May Bank Holidays. You will have the best chance of selling at this time. The weather is better, people have additional free time to view and it is before the traditional summer holiday season. People do not generally want to view homes during the dark cold winter months.

Instructing Estate Agents

Despite the ease and cost-effectiveness of selling your home yourself by marketing it online, it is surprising how many people still use a traditional local estate agent. You need to be mindful that you negotiate the commission rate in advance and get at least three independent valuations before deciding the asking price. Commission rates vary geographically with a national average of 1.5% according to the National Association of Estate Agents. All agents will claim they do not negotiate on fees, but most will! The Office of Fair Trading has published a useful a guide for selling your home.

Ideally, they will be after a 2%-2.5%, Sole Agency agreement for six months. However, there is no reason why this could not be for six weeks or less. If you then discover the agent is not performing you are free to switch without cost. It is probably best not to tie yourself to one "Sole Agent". It is worth paying a bit more commission so you can change agents if necessary. A good way of ensuring your agent works for you is to agree say a 1.5% commission up to the guide price and 2% for anything above that.

Selling your home yourself without using an estate agent

With local estate agents charging an average of 2% of the sale price, (a total of £6,000 (including vat) for a home selling for £250,000), many people are choosing to sell their home themselves, marketing their home online and saving thousands of pounds by using one of the online agents charging a flat fee between £200 and £900 depending on the services provided. Sellers should not be taken in by anything local estate agents say to justify their sky-high fees and you have nothing to lose by using an online agent.

sellahouseonline.co.uk for example offers three ways to do this:

A flat one-time £399 ‘all inclusive’ fee. This includes measuring and floor plans, photographs, for sale board, valuation, arranging viewings, feedback, negotiating offers, and progressing the sale. Most importantly, the property is posted on major property portal sites such as Rightmove, Zoopla and PrimeLocation until it is sold. In fact everything is included with the exception of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which is £85 extra.
No sale no fee - with £899 (incl vat) fee only payable if the property is sold.
Pay as you go - An initial £99 fee and then £599 on completion

With housesimple.co.uk Prices start at £114 (or £21 per month). For this you get photographs, measurements, floor plan and viewings organised. If you want your property listed on property websites including Rightmove and Zoopla it costs an additional £150 for 6 months. With all the necessary ‘extras’ added the overall cost equates to £474 including vat. For more information on selling your house yourself

New home owner’s forum

This is a link to a popular forum that not only enables you to share your experiences with others, but we also have a place where you can advertise your home for sale FREE for 6 months.

Include fixtures and fittings

Decide what fixtures and fittings you are going to sell with the house. Include some at an additional cost; these can then be given as part of the deal during negotiations. Most people do not want to take carpets with them so always include these with the sale. You will not want to be taking up and dumping old carpets on moving day.

Maintain gardens tidy and green up the lawn

Ensure the gardens are tidy and attractive. You can apply a lawn fertiliser to ensure your lawn is green and healthy. Cut the lawns (especially at the front) before each viewing if possible. Clear any tools, toys, swings, slides or bikes away. Make your garden look bigger by pruning shrubs and trees and cutting back hedges. Ensure paths are clean and free of algae and weeds. Remove washing from the washing line prior to a viewing.

Kerb appeal

A lot of people will ‘drive-by’ view from the outside before making an appointment to view. You do not get a second chance to make a first impression. Pay particular attention to your front door. Clean or re paint it if necessary and polish any brass fittings. If your front door looks in pristine condition, your buyer will think the whole house is. Consider adding some planted tubs. Make sure your door bell works!

De personalise

People need to imagine themselves living in your property. It is a good idea to pack away photos, personal items and any collections or hobbies

Get rid of clutter

You will have to do this before moving anyway. Clear your home of clutter. Remove papers, magazines and dirty or drying laundry. Empty any bins and put them out of site. De cluttering can make a room look bigger.

Keep your home clean

Make sure your house is clean and tidy at all times. Pay particular attention to bathrooms, toilets and the kitchen. It is usually women who make the decision to buy in most cases! Do not leave washing up in the sink or on the draining board. Ensure the windows are spotless for each viewing, especially patio doors or picture windows.

Finish any DIY jobs.

Unfinished DIY will put off buyers, encourage them to make lower offers and a survey or Home-buyers report will highlight all work that needs doing.

Avoid trying to market an empty property

House builder’s always furnish their show homes! People will find it more difficult to imagine how a room will look furnished.

Never under estimate the power of psychology and body language. Use it to your advantage when preparing and showing potential buyers around your home.

Viewing advice:

Make sure your home is warm but not too hot.
Keep any pets you have out of sight. Remove their bedding and feeding bowls. Non pet owners may be put off with concerns about fleas and possible pet smells - even if there aren’t any.
Open the windows to air your house regularly and for at least half an hour before a viewing. Do not use air fresheners. It is advisable to close the windows before the viewing to reduce any outside noise.
Keep furniture to a minimum and position it at the edges of the room to give the impression of space.
Put fresh flowers in the principal rooms and in the main bedroom.
Leave the internal doors open as this will give a greater impression of space and let extra light into hall and landing areas. You can close doors after the room has been viewed to avoid the buyer becoming distracted.
Keep children under control!
Offer your prospective purchasers a cup of tea or coffee. If you can, find out if they have sold their property and whether they have a mortgage arranged. This will show you how serious they are. The professionals call this 'Qualifying'.
Put together a folder giving information about the local area. Include details of clubs, restaurants, schools, shops, leisure centres, and local services.
Give information on the running costs of your home. Council tax, utility bills, insurance and any service charges.
Start the viewing upstairs. Invite the buyer into each room but do not enter the rooms unless asked to. This will help make the room appear much bigger and you will not crowd the prospective purchaser.
It is advisable the end a viewing in the kitchen or lounge, these are normally the most attractive rooms and will be the lasting impression taken away.
Do not offer information on the property. Let people look for themselves, but do answer any questions truthfully and feel free to mention any unique selling points such as views, or clever storage space for example.