Six Steps to Successfully Selling Home

At Marriotts we genuinely love helping people to successfully move home, our job is not complete until the keys are handed over on completion day.

It is a myth that moving home is always a stressful experience, it can be at times but with proper planning, a good selling agent and excellent professional services, such as a good solicitor, your move should go well, and if something out of the ordinary does crop up, we are here to help smooth things along for you.

Here’s to a happy move!

View our Selling Guide

Choosing an Exceptional Agent

So, you’ve made the decision to sell your property. What next?

When selling your home, there are four things that are critical –

 

The Price, The Agent, The Property, The Location

Of these four things, you are in control of three of them, the FIRST three.

Before the dawn of the internet, you only really had one option – to use an estate agent. Today, there are other choices, such as using an online-only agent or taking the even bigger step of marketing the property yourself.

Both alternatives offer savings on fees. BUT, and it’s a big but, there’s a huge difference between cost and value.

We suggest you ask us to visit your home, along with one or two other agents, so you can compare approaches and valuations, and to discuss your personal circumstances and needs.

What kind of contracts do they offer? Ask the agents about the length of their standard contracts. They are normally between three to six months.

Here are our tips on what to look out for when choosing an agent to market your property.

  • Do they have a track record in selling properties like yours? Ask for evidence of homes similar to yours that they have sold and achieved a good price on.
  • Do they have client testimonials? A good agent will always have previous clients who will vouch for them or have positively reviewed them.
  • Do you like them? You’ll be working closely with the agent you choose, so it’s important that you like and trust them. If in doubt, go with your instinct.
  • Fees and costs. Remember the old saying, ‘If you pay peanuts you get monkeys? Well, it’s never truer than in the world of estate agency. Some agents offer very low fees and work on the basis of gaining a large volume of instructions, so they advertise a very low fee to win your business. Ask agents what support they offer you pre and post agreeing a sale on your property, you won’t necessarily know this but be aware that not all agents work in the same way.
  • Where do they advertise? Most buyers begin their property search on the internet. So, ask the agents which portals they advertise on. It’s also worth asking an agency how its marketing strategy differs from its competitors. What makes it stand out from the crowd? How will they ensure your property achieves a premium price?
  • Do your homework. Check how the agents are currently presenting properties. Are the photos of exceptional quality and eye catching? Are they offering a 360 tour?

Preparing your property to Sell

Once you’ve chosen the agent you are comfortable with and confident in, it’s time to prepare your property to go on sale.

You might have heard much of what we’re about to say already. BUT it’s definitely worth having a read, as what follows could be the difference between a quick sale at a great price or finding your property gets ‘stuck’ on the market.

At Marriotts we will always advise you how to prepare your property in the best way, giving you straight forward and honest advice.

Our top tips:

  • De-clutter. Get organised and make sure anything that you no longer need or use is out of sight. It’s time to be ruthless, so whether you are going to put it in storage, sell it or give it to charity, make sure you do it before you market your home.
  • Clean every corner. A tidy, clean, fresh smelling home has an instant appeal. If you can’t face doing a major clean yourself, call in a cleaning company to do it for you.
  • Lighten up. Unless your home is blessed with natural light beaming in through floor-to-ceiling windows, there’s a chance your home could benefit from some light therapy. Paint heavily marked walls or dark walls in light, neutral colours; this will make any property feel more spacious.
  • Think outside. A common mistake people make when preparing their property for sale is to focus all their attention on the interior, overlooking the outdoor areas. So, with that in mind, make sure your garden lawn is cut, weed paths, the barbeque is tidy and that the outdoor space is neat and tidy in general. Depending on the time of year it could be worth some bright flowering pots to make the outside area appealing.
  • Repair and replace. Whether it’s a dripping tap, a crack in the plaster or a wonky blind, get it repaired or replaced. Try to look at your property from the perspective of a potential buyer.

Strangers in YOUR house

Your home is now ready to sell, and you’ve chosen an agent to market and sell it for the best possible price. That agent, we hope, is us!

At this stage what we would do is visit your home, take the full marketing details along with room measurements, photograph your property taking clear high-quality photographs, create a detailed colour floor plan, along with a 360 tour or video. We will also discuss with you how viewing appointments will be conducted and work around what you feel comfortable with.

Once the marketing details are prepared, we will let you know, and your property will be ready for our marketing to begin.

It’s quite an odd feeling having strangers turn up at your door and walk through your home. A warm welcome goes a long way. The more comfortable a person feels in your property, the more time they will take to look around to see if it is the one they are really interested in.

We will arrange viewings in conjunction with you so that you have the minimum of disruption and we can accompany any viewers if you prefer not to meet them yourself. Do remember, these ‘strangers’ are all potential buyers.

Top tips:

  • The first impression is the only impression. Make sure the front of your property is tidy. Even take a look near your home and ensure there’s no windswept litter sending out the wrong message.
  • It’s always worth having a tidy up when you know people are coming to view. Dirty dishes in the sink or a pile of laundry on the floor won’t help any property’s appeal.
  • At Marriotts we love pets! However not everyone does – if you have pets, make sure they are somewhere safe when viewers come round. You want them to focus on the appeal of your home, not your dog bowl or cat litter tray.
  • If you are selling in the winter, make sure your home is kept warm. If you are selling in the summer the opposite applies; keep your windows open and make sure the property is cool.
  • Remember, we are here to help so call us with any questions, suggestions, or concerns you might have.

An offer you can refuse

You’ve followed all the steps so far and people are coming through your door to view.

An accurately priced property in an excellent location will likely receive offers very quickly. It’s not how long your home has been on the market, but how long the buyer has been in the market looking for a home just like yours.

The ideal scenario is for people to want your property so much that they offer the asking price. If buyers are competing for your property, this can sometimes drive the price up further.

However, there are several factors to consider aside from which buyer is willing to pay the most.

  • What’s their situation? Your agent needs to give you as much information as possible about the people making the offer. Do they have a property to sell? Is their property on the market? Would they be in a chain if they did?
  • Do they have a mortgage already approved? How much of a deposit do they have to put down? Are they able to purchase without raising finance?
  • As the seller, you are often in the strongest position, but always treat the buyer the way you would like to be treated.
  • The ‘offers’ part of the sale is where a good estate agent proves their value. So, you should have a relationship with them that means you are in constant contact and that you feel totally informed about what’s happening.
  • It is exciting when you except an offer, but remember, accepting an offer is just another step of the process of your sale and there are a few more hurdles to overcome yet.

The legal stuff – Conveyancing

Even before you have agreed the sale of your home to new buyers, it’s time to get the legal ball rolling.

Appointing a solicitor early and getting the standard forms completed and copies of guarantees, certificates etc in order now can shave 2-3 weeks off your conveyancing timeline. This goes a long way to preventing unnecessary hold ups later on down the line.

Conveyancing involves legally transferring home ownership from you to the buyer. It begins when the offer on your house is accepted and ends when the buyer receives the keys.

Understanding the process will help ensure there are no nasty surprises along the way.

Please note, this only covers the sale of your property and not your purchase. At Marriotts, we are always happy to help and share our experience with you if you have any questions.

  • You’ll need to instruct a solicitor, ideally one who specialises in conveyancing work. Beware, as not all solicitors are as experienced in this field as others.
  • You may decide to choose a conveyancing solicitor who has been recommended by a friend or family, if you don’t know a good conveyancing solicitor just ask us and we can recommend one to you.
  • Your appointed solicitor will then draw up a draft contract or terms of engagement with you, setting out their charges and costs.
  • You’ll be asked for several items of paperwork, including identification, property warranties, i.e., damp proofing, electrical or boiler guarantees, any relevant planning permissions etc. Start preparing these now and before you’ve accepted an offer. It will speed up the process later.
  • Your solicitor will write to your buyer’s solicitor to confirm they are instructed and prepare a copy of the draft contract and any other details, such as the property’s title and the standard forms.
  • All being well, on average it can take 12-16 weeks to complete the legal side of a sale, of course it can be quicker than this in sales with no chain, and buyers who are not raising finance, but it is best to be realistic.
  • Once contracts have been exchanged and a completion date has been set, it’s time to look at who you need to tell that you’re moving.

Let’s Get Moving

Once you’ve exchanged contracts, there are still a lot of things to think about and to prepare, you may have a short time between exchanging contracts and completion of your sale, sometime this is days, sometimes a couple of weeks.

When you get your moving date, this checklist will come in very useful.

Don’t forget to:

  • Check your home insurance – make sure you have cover from the day you exchange contracts on the purchase of your new home.
  • Get quotes and instruct a removal firm.
  • If you’re not using professional removers, book van hire and ask family and friends to help.
  • Notify the relevant utility companies of your departure and remember you need to take the meter readings on the day you move out.
  • Start getting rid of possessions you no longer need. Decide which items can be taken to a charity shop, sold at a car boot sale, or offered to friends and family.
  • If you need new furniture or carpets for your new property, order them now and arrange delivery for when you move in.
  • Start packing non-essential items such as books, ornaments and non-seasonal clothing into boxes.
  • Deregister from your doctor, dentist, and optician if you’re moving out of the area.
  • Visit the post office and arrange for your post to be forwarded (you will be charged a fee for this service).
  • If you have young children and/or pets, it will be easier for them (and you most likely!) to arrange for someone to look after them during the move.
  • Make a list of everyone who should know about your move and start notifying them of your change of address.
  • Finalise arrangements with your removal company. Confirm arrival times and make sure your removers have the new address.
  • Check the arrangements for collecting the keys for your new home from the estate agent – the time this can happen is dependent on when the completion takes place and the money is received by the seller’s solicitor, the estate agent you are buying through will contact you once they have been given permission to release the keys to you.
  • Notify the bank of any changes to direct debits and standing orders.

The Marriotts Promise

We hope you have found some of our tips useful. It is always our aim to help our clients to make the sale process as smooth as possible.

We are an independent agency, and we believe that’s what gives us the edge over many of the other agents in our area, we really do care about what we do.

So, we’ve set out our promises to our clients below:

  • Honesty. We know that estate agents don’t always have the best reputation and perhaps this is deservedly so in some instances but we are working hard at Marriotts to change that, we will ALWAYS be honest in our dealings with you.
  • Accessible. You can contract us at any time by phone or email, if we are not available for any reason, we will come back to you as soon as we can.
  • Experience. Our team has a combined total of more than 100 years’ experience in estate agency. There’s hardly anything that we haven’t seen or problems we haven’t help to solve.
  • Passion. It may sound corny but it’s true. At Marriotts we are all passionate about property, otherwise we’d be in different careers. We bring that enthusiasm and passion to the process of selling your property successfully.
  • Location. If you want to meet us, pop into our prominently office in Mapperley, Nottingham, we are open six days a week!

Why we can help you

Selecting the best agent to help you sell your property is a big decision, especially with so much already going on in your life.

Here’s why we like to think you’d be wise to choose us to work for you.

Experience

Marriotts have been helping people to buy and sell their homes since 1860, and collectively our team has more than 100 years of combined experience to date!

We have all brought properties and several of our team have had to sell properties themselves for various reasons, be it due to upsizing, divorce or loss of a family member, so they empathise and understand your individual situation.

You focused

We are focused on you. That means getting you the results you are looking for. And we don’t just talk the talk, we walk the walk. We will be with you every step of the way to advise, support, and celebrate with!

We take pride that we have built our reputation on the quality of our relationships rather than the number of transactions. This has led to a large number of our valued clients coming from word-of-mouth recommendations.

Results

We don’t rest until your sale completes! We will keep in touch with you, your buyer and the solicitors to help smooth the process along to make your move as stress free as possible.

Reviews

You will gain a lot of reassurance by seeing what our past clients think about us – you can read our reviews here. (link to home page reviews area)

Always looking ahead

We have invested heavily in a new website, virtual viewings, video tours, and a raft of other new technologies and software in our background operations so you can be assured that your property will be expertly marketed, which in turn leads to achieving premium prices.

Thank You

Thanks for taking the time to read our guide.

Contact us today on 0115 953 6644, mapperley@marriotts.net or just pop into our office for a cuppa and an informal chat.

Book A Free Valuation Today!

We offer straight forward, no nonsense and honest advice on every aspect of selling your property.
To arrange your FREE home valuation, simply complete your details and we will get back to you as soon as possible.