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That old cliché – first impressions count – has never been truer than when it comes to selling your home, which is why getting your property ready for market is crucial if you want to secure a quick sale. Kerb appeal is always high on buyer wish lists so it’s important to make the front of your property as attractive as possible. Removing unappealing objects such as waste and recycling bins, mowing the lawn, jet-washing the driveway and cleaning windows should all be on your to do list. You might even want to consider giving the front door a fresh lick of paint. Similarly, it will pay to cast a critical eye over the inside. A good de-cluttering will always help, as will undertaking all those niggling DIY jobs you’ve been meaning to do for ages.
When you’re ready to sell your home, the first thing you need to do is learn how much your current property is worth. To do this you need to organise a valuation with a good local estate agent who will decide on a fair asking price based on different factors such as location, size, condition etc. Good comparable evidence and an understanding of the target audience should also support the valuation. At Butler & Stag, if we think you could increase the value or saleability of your home by making certain changes, then we will tell you – it could be as simple as sprucing up the garden or replacing cupboard doors in a dated kitchen. It can be tempting to blindly choose the estate agent who’s given you the highest valuation; after all, you want the best price for your home! But if a property is priced too high for the market, it won’t sell. If a home remains on the market for an extended period of time, buyers might start to think there’s something wrong with it, and the more likely you are to have to drop the price.
Choosing to sell your property through an estate agent, as opposed to privately, will not only reduce stress levels but also help you avoid big risks. At Butler & Stag, we bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to the process of selling, from the initial valuation right through to completion, with our friendly team on hand to guide and advise you every step of the way. Keeping the sale on track and acting as a safety net if something does go wrong, is all part of the service because we know that selling your home is probably one of the biggest transactions you will ever deal with in life and that achieving your desired result is vital.
The marketing of your property is the next stage in the process, which at Butler & Stag includes the following component parts:
Prior to viewings, the Butler & Stag sales team will preview the property to ensure everyone involved knows exactly what’s on offer and can speak to potential buyers with knowledge and confidence.
Marketing material complete and your property now live, the viewing process can begin in earnest. We will accompany each viewing and while you are welcome to be present, we suggest you leave the prospective buyer to wander freely with us while making them aware that you’re available to answer questions if necessary (we do, however, provide a seller’s questionnaire form which asks you questions buyers may raise before, during or after viewings). At the end of a viewing we will give you honest feedback. Please don’t take this personally, but rather see it as an opportunity to make changes and/or adjustments.
When it comes to negotiating an offer, we as your estate agent, will handle the process, going back and forth until a bid is hopefully accepted. This may not always be the highest one, however, especially if you have more than one offer and one of the prospective buyers is cash or perhaps chain free. A mortgage Agreement in Principle or the ability to work to your preferred timescales can also swing a sale.
It’s important to us that a seller never feels pressured or forced into accepting an offer, and it’s worth remembering that as your estate agent, we are acting on your behalf, not the buyer’s. We will therefore work with you to ensure you get the best possible price from someone in the best possible position for you. We want your decision to be made on an informed and well-educated basis, and as such we will always advise on other interest, viewings, feedback, general market conditions and comparable properties that have sold.
You have accepted an offer and the sale has been agreed, now both parties need to instruct a solicitor. If you know one with glowing references, then great, but if not, we know plenty that specialise in conveyancing that we’d be delighted to recommend. Once we have both sets of solicitors in place, we send out a Memorandum of Sale to all parties involved, detailing the agreement and enabling the solicitors to make contact.
Once the solicitors begin the conveyancing process, your buyer will be required to get a survey on behalf of their mortgage lender (unless a cash buyer of course), which could be just a basic mortgage valuation, a more detailed Homebuyers Report, or depending on the type of property you’re selling, an extensive building survey. Providing the survey shows the property is a suitable purchase at the agreed price, then the mortgage offer will be honoured. If there are any concerns about the initial report, for example damp or gas safety, the buyer may choose to get further independent surveys. We would suggest, however, that if you suspect there could be a potential issue with your property you get it surveyed before going to market as this information can then be shared with a future purchaser, potentially saving time and renegotiations further down the line.
Conveyancing complete and your buyer’s mortgage offer agreed, now contracts can finally be exchanged. Before exchange, however, your purchaser will need to lodge their deposit (usually ten per cent of the purchase price) and a completion date needs to be agreed with everyone in the chain, after which the transaction becomes legal and binding for both parties.
The big day has arrived and it’s time to load up the removal van, that’s if you haven’t done so already. Before that, however, your buyer’s solicitor must transfer the remaining amount due on the purchase price. Once your solicitor has received monies outstanding then that’s it – completion has taken place. This will be confirmed via a phone call to both you and us, after which we will arrange for the new owner to collect the keys. Completion monies will be transferred to you, usually minus your solicitor and estate agent fees.
“ The service provided by the entire team at Butler and Stag is fantastic. From purchasing a plot, to the sale of the properties was run fantastically. Very professional outfit and a pleasure to work with. We certainly will be using Butler and Stag again in the near future. ” Matthew Hammond
★★★★★ 4.9 Bow (London Office)
★★★★★ 5.0 Theydon Bois (West Essex Office)
★★★★★ 5.0 Buckhurst Hill Office
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