Border Lines

March, April & May are the best months of the year to sell a house fast, so spend these months preparing your property for sale.

GET THE VALUE CORRECT

- This is your most important job as a house seller. Estate agents have a habit of using valuation appointments as an opportunity to win instructions and as such their valuation is usually just a reflection of what they think you want to hear. As such, you need to do some research, form your own opinion of what your property is worth and then ask at least 3 estate agents to come and give their opinions. Before you ring any estate agent I would recommend that you get a free online house valuation from one of the leading AVM (Automated Valuation Modeling web-services). Trying to put your finger on what your house is worth in the current market is a tough job. Some prices are exactly where they were 18 months ago and some are considerably down, there does not seem to be any particular logic to it, as some properties attract considerable attention while others hang around not selling. Listen to what the market is telling you. As a general rule, if your property came to the market in the last quarter of 2009 and you haven’t received any offers, it’s clear that you need to reduce the price.”

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CURRENT SELLERS MARKET

- Remember there is a huge shortage of good houses for sale at the moment. The National Association of Estate Agents reports that on average there are five buyers for every house. You only have to catch one.

CHECK YOUR BUYERS MORTGAGE STATUS

- Insist on a financial reference from buyers to confirm they have the necessary funds to complete the purchase. Beware of so-called “cash house buyers”. Some buyers are under the illusion that just having nothing to sell makes them a “cash buyer” even though they are still getting a mortgage. True “cash buyers” have nothing to sell and the cash in the bank!

GET YOUR PROPERTY PRESENTING WELL

- Clean it, paint it, fix it and ruthlessly remove clutter, think about first impressions. Don’t paint your front door neon yellow, it may not be to everyone’s taste.

HAVE YOUR SALE CONTRACT READY

-Once you have an offer on the table you need to be able to strike while the irons hot and move exchange of contracts as soon as is possible. Instruct your conveyancing solicitor or licensed conveyancer as soon as your house is put on the market. That way, key information can be with their solicitors within 24 hours of an offer being accepted. Also, get your conveyancing solicitor to prepare a draft contract before a buyer is found, so you are in a position to exchange within 10 days.

PROVE DEVELOPMENT POTENIAL

-Think positive, you can add value to your property by obtaining planning consent for a loft extension or rear extension, then it may be worthwhile having the drawings done and getting the consent in place. This will appeal to buyers who would be keen to do work but are concerned about whether they would get consent. Another option is to investigate the Permitted Development Rights that are attached to your property. Permitted Development Rights detail the work / extensions that can be done to your property without the need for formal planning consent. A great company to take a look at is Betternest, they are the UK’s leading experts in quantifying and revealing Permitted Development potential.

CONSIDER SELLING QUIETLY

-Off-market or under-the-counter sales are becoming popular among the country house set – so, for a top price and posh brokering, take the quiet route.

YOU CAN ALWAYS LET

-The drop in rental values is now over and prices are inching upwards again, renewed confidence in the high-finance world of corporate lets is already being felt as big family houses in leafy roads are being snapped up again.

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