If you wish to find a buyer yourself, you must first decide what price you want to ask for the property. Many estate agents do free valuations so it is always possible to arrange for two or more local estate agents to provide this information. If you want a formal valuation, you could arrange for an estate agent to provide this but you would have to pay a fee. In addition, you can find out about the cost of houses locally by looking at local papers, estate agents’ windows and similar houses in the area.
Before deciding on a price, you may wish to consider:-
- doing any repairs or decorating if this would make it easier to sell the house
- arranging for a survey if you think there are any major problems that might
affect the value of the house, for example, a roof in a bad state of repair.
You should also decide in advance if you are prepared to include any extras in the sale, for example, curtains and carpets. These are known as fittings. A price for these can be included in the asking price or a separate price can be asked in addition.
There are some items that you must sell as part of the house unless you make it clear to the buyer that such items are not included in the sale. These are known as fixtures and include such items as fireplaces and a central heating system. However, in some cases it is not always clear whether something is a fixture or fitting so it would be useful for you to draw up a list of any items you intend to remove or are prepared to sell to avoid problems later. We will ask you to fully complete a fixtures and fittings list indicating which items are included or are for sale separately, or simply do not exist at the property.
It is normal practice for a potential buyer to offer a lower price for the house than the seller is asking. You might therefore want to allow for this by setting your price a little higher than the amount you would like to get.
However as stated above, we do recommend using a local agent to help you rather than try and sell your home yourself. Sometimes our emotions block sensible actions! Estate Agents can handle all negotiations on price and additional items which is easier than trying to negotiate these yourself.
Once the buyer confirms their lawyers details, we will issue contracts to them and matters will progress from there. We will handle enquiries that we are able to and refer any that you need to assist with direct to you.
Once your buyers lawyer is satisfied on all legal aspects and the buyers funds are in place matters can progress to exchange. This process usually takes around 4-6 weeks in a freehold transaction and a bit longer in leasehold transactions. We have to liaise with the management company or landlord for information on leasehold transactions, and this will slow down the process and will incur additional costs to you which we will advise you of once known.
