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Original poster

Selling our first house, what do we need to know?

26 replies

ShyOwl · 04/07/2020 14:15

Pretty much that really, we bought just over two years ago, have a valuation appointment next week.
Having never sold we have no idea where to start or what to look out for. Any advice would be really appreciated!

OP posts:
NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 · 04/07/2020 14:18

Well depends where your moving to after you've sold your house

Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 04/07/2020 15:01

Get all your papers ready, ie certificates for works done, details on insurance, water, drainage, electrics, council tax etc. Get yourself a solicitor. When we sold last year I had not started looking for a solicitor until we received an offer (stupid i know) and then had to make a rushed decision.

Original poster
ShyOwl · 04/07/2020 15:07

@NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1 how do you mean?
When we spoke to the estate agents to say we were interested in a property we saw they didn't seem interested until we were "serious" and had the house on market.

So we won't know where we are moving until we are already on the market, or is that not the right advice?

@Puffthemagicdragongoestobed thanks, we will dig them out, we plan to use the same solicitor as our purchase as it wasn't so long ago

OP posts:
Mosaic123 · 04/07/2020 16:05

People will ask why you are moving in such a short time. Have a reason ready and bear in mind your purchase price can be readily seen.

Dinopawstomp · 04/07/2020 16:24

Be prepared to have a lower valuation than what you bought it for 2 years ago. Do you really need to move?

With furlough being wound down soon the full force of the economic downturn is about to hit. If you can sit still I would.

Original poster
ShyOwl · 04/07/2020 17:04

@Mosaic123
@Dinopawstomp
We are moving because I'm expecting our second and it's a two bedroom house. We always planned two-three years, this house was purely to get us on the ladder. If it hadn't been for lock down we would have started the process in jan

We are both fortunate that we can wfh and our jobs (we work at the same place, different departments) have said we will be wfh well in to next year.

With a toddler, a newborn, both wfh and only two rooms we do need to move

OP posts:
woodlandwalker · 04/07/2020 17:09

I would get valuations from three estate agents as they tend to vary quite a lot, as do their fees. If there are more in your local high street, call in and have a chat saying you are considering selling and get a feel for whether these are people you can work with. Some EAs are helpful and some are awful.
I don't think you need to approach a solicitor until at least after your house is on the market.
If possible, declutter and tidy as much as possible, at least for the photos, to make sure your house looks appealing to buyers. Kerb appeal is important too. If prices have dropped since you bought, you will also pay less for your larger house so it's not a big problem.

Mosaic123 · 04/07/2020 19:06

That's a lovely reason!

Bells3032 · 04/07/2020 19:21

Congrats on your baby coming.

I'd get a couple of quotes from estate agents. If you know anyone else in the area see if anyone has any reccomendations. You want someone responsive and a little forward.

Get it on ASAP and then wait til you get an offer. In the meantime I would reccomend

  1. Getting the paperwork in order - deeds, electrical completion certificates etc
  2. Find a good convanyacing solicitor
  3. Have a look at sold house prices in the area that you would like and see the prices they've gone for in the last couple of years.
  4. Have a discussion between the two of you what price you would be willing to consider and what would be your floor.

Once youre under offer you can have a look at houses you like.

IndiaMay · 04/07/2020 19:25

Dont necessarily think prices will fall. The 3 D's keep the property market high: Debt, Divorce and Death. Covid has caused an excess of these.

Dinopawstomp · 04/07/2020 21:44

IndiaMay you are forgetting to two Rs: redundancy and repossession.

Redundancies haven't begun to fully take hold yet, the rate of defaulting on mortgages has started to rise leading to repossession.

Whether the OP has a secure job or not, starter homes are likely to be worse hit (higher LTV required by banks, younger generations less established in careers facing redundancies).

I know you say you need to move but are you prepared to take a hit on price? could you not make it work for a couple of years.

Good luck to you whatever you decide

sbplanet · 04/07/2020 22:42

"Pretty much that really, we bought just over two years ago, have a valuation appointment next week."

As has been said get more than one valuation - make sure they're free (they should be). Ask what they charge - fixed fee or percentage of sale (try haggling either way). Ask what you get for your money. Ask what other property they have sold in your area and how much they know about the area. Ask if they have lists of potential buyers to send out your details to. Ask where they advertise your property. Ask whether their price includes accompanied viewings (best let them do it).

That's just a bit of stuff, long time since we sold a house so can't remember all things. Do some research. :)

Original poster
ShyOwl · 04/07/2020 23:10

Thanks all, really appreciate the help

We've painted today, all the areas they were in need of a touch up, just a bit in the bathroom to make it fresher

I've been decluttering as best as I can for a little while. Hard with the baby stuff but I remember hearing you don't want to show you've out grown the place otherwise that's all potential buyers will see too

I've made a list of agents to contact in our area and will speak to them Monday

I saw an ECP needs to be done before we can go on the market, do we need a new one? Or are we able to use the one from our purchase, if it's in date?

OP posts:
Bells3032 · 05/07/2020 00:16

Epcs last ten years. Just Google them and there's a website you can find them on here: www.epcregister.com/
If there's not one in date costs around £60 and literally takes a day to sort. You don't need a new one if the previous one is in date

MinnieMountain · 05/07/2020 07:18

Don't worry about moving after 2 years. I never ask unless it's under a year.

Dreamingofsunnydays · 05/07/2020 08:41

Good luck with selling your house. My only suggestion would be to think about when you have the viewings - we kept ours just to the weekends as otherwise you will be trying to work, look after children and clean constantly.

Original poster
ShyOwl · 05/07/2020 09:20

@Dreamingofsunnydays thanks that's a good point, DD starts back at nursery in a fortnight so definitely worth having viewings one those days to manage the toddler chaos 😅

OP posts:
BillyCongo · 05/07/2020 17:23

Get 3 Estate Agent quotes. Think about who is likely to buy your house i.e first time buyers? Escape to the county types? Choose agents who sell houses aimed at that market. Ask who is buying in your area, mostly local sales or
is there a lot of relocations? Check carefully what is included or extra in their quote. Check get out clauses carefully too. Haggle on the rate. Be realistic about what your house is worth. Over pricing it can be just as damaging as valuing too cheaply. Brief them on any complications with the property, rights of way, parking restrictions for example make sure that they are clear about them from the outset.
Check the legal pack from last sale. Anything potentially missing. We realized we had a power pole on our land but no Wayleave agreement. Any warranties for work you've had done on the house? So sort anything like that out. Make sure boiler service is up to date. Deal with anything structural or damp related. De clutter, clean, freshen up but don't go overboard.
Stage the house for photos especially living room, kitchen and bedrooms and garden. We put excess furniture and toys in the shed just for a day. For viewings have stunt towels (new white fluffy ones) you can whip out for viewings and bedspreads you can artfully fling over crumpled duvets. Keep pet "stuff" minimal.
Also check any mortgage restrictions on your current property. Don't get an offer then find you can't actually port your mortgage without a hefty fee. Find a good mortgage broker and solicitor.

googledontknow · 05/07/2020 19:31

Haggle with the estate agents, get their fee as low as possible - but use a decent firm, nothing more frustrating than a crap estate agents.

Original poster
ShyOwl · 06/07/2020 06:43

@Bells3032 found our epc.. of course it expired March this year Blush oh well like you say seems straight forward to get another

OP posts:
Bells3032 · 06/07/2020 08:30

I got one in January for my flat and it really isn't a difficult thing (obv this was prior to covid) but it doesn't need to be done in a rush. You have until exchange to do it. Speak to your estate agent as they'll probably be able to reccomend and arrange it. I live in London and it cost me £60 so can't imagine it'll be much more than that

Original poster
ShyOwl · 06/07/2020 09:43

I thought you couldn't put the house on the market unless you had a valid one? Or have I misunderstood that?

OP posts:
Bells3032 · 06/07/2020 09:58

You can put it on and add it later. it really doesn't take long to sort at all

Bells3032 · 06/07/2020 09:59

You can't sell it without it

Original poster
ShyOwl · 09/07/2020 06:09

Thanks everyone for your advice, got our epc done yesterday, and are now officially on the market!
Have our first viewing of a new property at the weekend Smile
Hopefully the stamp duty break won't swamp the market too much and make it harder for us to sell

OP posts:
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