Epc Partners
Top 10 tips for a selling your home without a traditional estate agent
More home owners than ever are choosing to sell their properties with online estate agents, but what is making the public turn their backs on conventional estate agents? My Online Estate Agent is a new online property portal giving you the power to sell your own home, saving you thousands of pounds in commission fees.
The rise of the internet has meant that you no longer need to rely on estate agents as the only method for selling your home. If you have sold through an estate agent before then you may have experienced some of the frustrations and high costs involved. These can include having to conduct your own home visits, your property being over valued and paying several thousands of pounds in commission fees.
Could online estate agents be a better and more feasible alternative?
Accurately value your property
A common misconception is that estate agents have a special tool or qualification for valuing your property. In reality estate agents do not actually value your property; they provide an informal opinion of what they believe it to be worth.
Estate agents will base their valuation on what similar properties in your area have sold for; you too can research this same information. Use the Land Registry or sites such as Zoopla to see the actual prices people have paid for properties sold in your area. These tools can be found on the websites of all good online estate agents.
Your local estate agents will often offer a free home visit providing you with their opinion of your property value. You could make use of this service with no obligation to sell through their agency.
It is vital you do not over value your property; you may be tempted to think as you are selling your own home you can increase the price. The fact is your property is only worth what the public are willing to pay for it, so researching accurate prices is the key to a successful sale.
For more information on valuing your property we recommend you visit our advice page.
1. You must order your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
It is now law in the UK and Wales that you MUST have ordered an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before you advertise your home for sale. The law does however state you only have to have ordered your certificate; you can still legally market your property immediately after placing the order for your EPC.
Do not confuse your Energy Performance Certificate with the now abolished Home Information Pack. Your EPC is a report which will show the official energy rating for your property.
Estate agents often charge up to £200 for an Energy Performance Certificate, you can order the same EPC with online estate agents from £40 to £60. For more information on EPC’s and how to order yours, My Online Estate Agent have provided a detailed advice page on Energy Performance Certificates.
2. A photo speaks a thousand words
Digital cameras have come a long way in recent years and with basic editing packages you can create professional property photos. You should take down pictures and keep rooms as clean and empty as possible. Take your pictures though the day and get as much natural light in to each room as possible. Take pictures of all the rooms in your home including the front of your home and garden if applicable. Never feel the urge to be part of the photos, pictures should be of your home and your home only.
3. Write a detailed description
This is your chance to write a compelling description of your home. Start by listing all of your properties key selling points; imagine you only had several seconds to sell your home, what would you say? E.g. sought after destination, local transport, close to schools, newly fitted bathroom and kitchen.
Try to describe each room in as much detail as possible. Pay special attention to your bedrooms as these are often major deciding factors when buying a home.
Lastly check your grammar, it is important your description sounds professional and simple spelling mistakes could lead to potential buyers choosing to not contact you.
If you are still unsure what to say in your property description then research similar homes on My Online Estate Agent for ideas.
4. Create your own floor plan
Floor plans are the easiest and best way to show a potential buyer the exact dimensions of your property. Home buyers are more interested in homes with a floor planner so it is worth taking the time to set one up.
First you must measure and take note of the dimensions of every room in your home. My Online Estate Agent partners with the UK’s number 1 floor planner provider. Use their simple online tools to accurately create your own floor plan in minutes, click here to create your online floor plan today.
5. For sale boards are more powerful than you may think
Do not under estimate how powerful a well presented for sale board can be. You have probably noticed a for sale board outside a property within the past week? A well placed board can attract an additional 40% of your local property market. When selling with online estate agents it is your responsibility to erect your own board, this simply means placing it in a highly viable location outside of your home.
My Online Estate Agent provides professional double sided water proof boards and bespoke private numbers. To find out more and order yours click here.
6. Where will your advert be seen?
90% of home buyers find their own property by searching online, so it is vital your home advert gets maximum exposure. Check with your online estate agent or property portal where your advert will appear. Many websites will list hundred if not thousands of locations your home will appear in, but, unless these are credible and well visited sites potential home buyers may not find your advert.
Well established online estate agents and property portals will clearly list on their site where your adverts will appear. We strongly recommend you research this list and visit the key sites they claim to advertise on. Also, use your common sense, if you have not heard of the sites listed then there is a good chance others haven’t either.
Good online estate agents and property portals will advertise your home on Rightmove, Prime Location, Zoopla and Find a Property just to name a few.
7. A good home visit is the key to a good home sale
No one knows your home better than you, making you the best person to sell it. Some useful advice to remember is: A. Never conduct a viewing on your own, we always recommend you have someone in your home with you at all times. B. De clutter. You want a potential buyer to visualise them living in your home, seeing photos of your family holidays or favourite ornaments can distract the viewer. C. If you believe you have a strong selling feature e.g. a Jacuzzi bath and then take the time to really show it off, we are not however recommending you ask the potential home buyer to join you for a bath!
8. Show me the money!
So a buyer has made you an offer, what should you do next? Before you have even put your home up for sale you must have decided on a realistic price you are willing to go to. The buyer will want to get the best deal and you will want the best price, so the key is to meet in the middle.
Regardless of you selling your own home, the buyer will usually expect you to drop in price to some level. It is important you remain professional and detached at all times, do not let the buyers personal life or circumstances effect your sale. You can tell the buyer what you are willing to accept and leave them to decide.
We recommend you look at for the following:
A. Is the buyer in a chain? If they are you may have to wait several months before you can sell.
B. When does the buyer actually want to move in?
C. In the same way as above, how soon do you want to move out?
D. Is the buyer a cash buyer or do they still need to negotiate a mortgage?
E. Are they a first time buyer?
All of the above can affect the price you are willing to accept, a cash buyer is far more appealing than and could mean you are willing to accept less.
Never feel rushed or pressured to accept an offer immediately as this can result in you underselling your home. Once you are happy with the offer you can agree on the sale.
9. Instructing a solicitor
Whether you are selling with online estate agents or with estate agents you by law must instruct a solicitor. Solicitors will conduct the necessary tasks for completing your sale on your behalf. Prices for solicitors do vary so get prices from several solicitors before choosing which one to use.
The legal process your solicitor (also known as a conveyancer)will handle are:
Stage 1: Handle the agreement of sale
Stage 2: Exchange of contracts
Stage 3: Completion
In Scotland, sellers may instruct a solicitor before they even market their home. We recommend if you are selling in Scotland to seek advice from a solicitor before you advertise your property.
These are our top 10 tips for selling your home, we hope you have found them useful and from us all we wish you a successful and enjoyable home sale.
About the Author
This article was written by http://www.myonlineestateagent.com/
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