Valuations

[Bippidee]

Today I am having an estate agent to value my flat.

I have never done this before. Do I need to do anything to prettify the place, or is that just for when they take the photos?

Not especially but you might want to ask them if they believe there is anything you should do prior to marketing in order to get the top of the price bracket they value it in.

Ask to see comparables in the local area - the EA needs to be able to back up their valuation with evidence of recent sales of similar properties. Find out what their fees are and if they will negotiate on those fees at all and ask what their recommended marketing strategy would be. Ask how much they/their contractor charges for an EPC and get a couple of other quotes for comparison.

Get at least two other agents to value it for you too and see if there is a consensus or anyone is pitching high to try to get your business.

Ask who does the viewings - I always think that you want someone your target market can relate to to do the viewings. Potential buyers will be more honest with a third party than they will be with you btw.

Thanks for the reply, that's really helpful. I've two more coming tomorrow, so I'll see how they compare.

Make it look it’s best. Also ensure he knows you’re getting others round – it’ll encourage him/her to do a good job!

Round here most agents value at around 100k or more over the market value. Its really wrecking the market, as sellers don't necessarily check recent sold prices and don't realise it's all a big lie... Then they turn down reasonable offers and eventually take the houses back off again in disappointment. We got 5 valuations when we were selling, they ranged from 350 to 480K . In the end we got 380