Estate agent coming round on Tuesday! Any advice for a first time seller?

[Monetmoney]

Hi all,

Just as the title says really! DH and I are first time sellers, at the moment we're inviting the agent round to give us an idea on what needs doing before it goes on the market and what isn't worth it (and also obviously to give us an idea of value).

I'm a bit anxious about it to be honest any advice on things to do beforehand, questions to ask etc?

Thank you

You should get 3 agents in really and negotiate their fees too.

Have a good look at their other listing go see if the photos and write ups are good.

Make sure you proofread the draft of their advert so you can add whatever you think should help to sell the property, eg. proximity to specific amenities or transport links etc.

Hi @JoJoSM2, yes I definitely will be getting several round and reading their adverts when the time comes. I more just meant is there anything I specifically should ask whilst they're here on this first visit (like asking about similar properties they've sold recently, how long they took to get to SSTC etc).

Also anything I particularly should do in the house beyond having it super clean and de cluttered?

If you are going on the market soon I would already research solicitors. We sold quickly in London and then it took us some time to appoint a solicitor, this is obviously time that would hold up a chain.
Re agents we only met with one agent but they are local and competitive and sell most of the houses in the area, so we felt they would find us buyers very quickly (which they did).
Good luck!

@Puffthemagicdragongoestobed thank you, I hadn't thought that far ahead yet! How did you make your choice on solicitors?

We asked our agent for some recommendations for solicitors, apparently they don’t get a referral fee. We went with a big conveyancing solicitor with a shiny online portal. They were ok, got us to exchange, but I think if I did it again (hopefully not any time soon) I would go for a local solicitor where I could just drop in for handing over documents.

Hopeful bump for some further MN wisdom

Most houses are better if you don’t do work specifically for sale (in my opinion) as others will often want to redecorate anyway. I always think it’s good to try and see your home through the lens of your potential buyers - what are they going to be like? I try to sell them the lifestyle they think they might want to have. I put fresh flowers around and nice fruit even though it wouldn’t normally be like that in our house. And obviously make everything clean and tidy. And try to hide things like whether there is a lack of storage (don’t have mundane things like vacuum cleaners on show)

I've recently been looking at home staging because we're looking to sell a house we let and I don't want to market it empty. Apparently using one costs 1-2% of the selling price but increases the selling price by up to 8%. If this is the case, I don't understand why more people don't do it.

Anyway, in answer to the OP, it might be worth getting one round to see what they suggest. They charge an initial consultancy fee for which you get suggestions for areas to focus on. Then you can decide to get back them in to stage the house for photos. Though I imagine if they did that for me, I wouldn't want to move!

Ask about their fees and what exactly they do for you. Would they advise you on what offers/ buyers to take, or would they assist you or intervene if there's a dispute or a delay in the conveyancing? It's worth knowing all this before you start the whole process. I used one who would ring around all the solicitors in the chain to check progress and gee them up. In another sale, what was a small and a fairly straightforward chain almost collapsed because one link in the chain lied about them having a mortgage and it was our estate agent who went beyond her job remit and rang almost daily all the parties in the chain and the solicitors and estate agent to get it all completed.
If you have pets makes sure their beds toys and food bowls aren't on show and decluttered without leaving your house looking bare. Dress each room

I meant rooms decluttered - not your pets 😀

Is your house similar to others in the area or a bit different? I had a valuation from an EA who was stumped by my house because there were no recent sales of similar houses. There was nothing for them to peg a valuation on. They claimed to have +15 years experience but didn't impress me. Failed to notice a double garage during the initial visit and had to rapidly recalculate the already sketchy market price. I was not impressed. I'd make sure they see everything your property has to offer and be clear what features they consider critical. Ask if 'neutralising' rooms would help sell if you have anything too jazzy or personal.

Selling my first house I made the mistake of renovating the bathroom thinking it would help see the place. Old neighbor told me it was ripped out as new owner moved in. It was a massive waste of money in the climate I was selling in, house would have gone for same without changes. Ask their advice if you have any doubts about things like that. Although see my caveat about about some of them being arsing clueless.

Get multiple agents round.

Thanks so much everyone!

I did want to ask whether they think we should repaint some downstairs rooms but had already decided we're definitely not changing the kitchen (which is clean and workable but a bit dated). I think kitchens and bathrooms are so personal aren't they, whatever my taste is probably won't be somebody else's.

There's a few local agents that have been recommended to me by friends for their good service through the conveyancing process so I feel quite happy with that part. It's all well and good getting offers but it means nothing if you don't get to completion at the end of the day!

Good luck OP. One thing to keep an eye on - when the estate agents quote their fees at you, make sure they include the VAT. Easy to overlook but obviously makes a big difference.
I would also ask what other similar properties they have sold recently in the area, and how long that took.

Oh and definitely don't do up the kitchen!

Do make sure the front if your house is tidy and it is worth painting your front door if it needs it. People do drive bys so you want it to look good.
Don't get tied into a contract for longer than six weeks. Negotiate on fee - 1-1.5% max. Definitely line up a solicitor- once you accept an offer the next question the agent will ask is the solicitor's details to get the ball rolling.

Tidy & presentable esp. garden if you have one.

Sort out scuffed paintwork/ cracks/ etc.

If decor is very dated throughout then take advice.

My decor style is blonde wood floors/white walls so last time I sold I repainted the living room & hall. Only needed one coat.

My favourite question to ask EA is ‘why should I choose you over insert name of rival agents’. If they slag off the rival then I wasn’t impressed however the one I chose gave a well constructed argument of what they did better from linger opening hours to a greater number of local staff.

After sales service is vital- our EA oversaw my sale and the sale of my buyer and their buyer so very invested but they did an amazing job of chasing up solicitors which we couldn’t do 😁

Lots of good advice, thank you all so much

Planning to get a gardener in to give the front and back gardens a tidy up and pressure wash the patio.