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 VALUATION CORRECT
- The absolute Holy Grail. 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.
MAKE SURE YOUR BUYER HAS FUNDS
- If your house buyer is purchasing your property with a mortgage, ask to see a “mortgage in principle” letter from their lender as proof that they can indeed afford your house. 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!
GOOD PRESENTATION IS EVERYTHING
- 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 well in advance. That way, key information can be with their solicitors within 24 hours of an offer being accepted. Also, get your solicitors to prepare a draft contract before a buyer is found, so you are in a position to exchange within 10 days.
MAXIMISE THE POTENTIAL
-If you think your property has development potential then I strongly advise you to apply for outline planning consent prior to putting your house on the market. This will add considerable value to your property without you have to actually pay for (or do) the work. Obtaining consents with the right architect on board isn’t vastly costly and could add a lot of value.
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.
