quetion selling my home

[thedragonsserpent]

hi im hoping to sell my home ive just spoke to estate agents on phone i live in scotland and i need to pay for interlinked smoke alarms before selling which ive been quated at around £325 then i need to pay around £500 for a home report then fees for estate agent selling and this estate agent wants me to replace carpets and do diff things so it looks its best for selling how much money do these people think sellers have im just wondering if i should go with a different estate agent as the one ive just spoke to seemed snobbish and pushy

When choosing which agent I looked at rightmove to see recently sold and which agent came up most regularly (I made a tally chart - probably a bit tragic). Don’t use an agent you don’t like though, moving is awful enough.

If you are in England you need an epc, but generally you can just give it a good clean and tidy up.
I think an epc costs about £150 and you may pay extra for a floor plan doing for the internet

yeah this one has been really pushy i messaged them on theyre website to queery something about selling and theyve bombarded me with phonecalls text messages and emails since it just seems wrong im going to be out of pocket with smoke alarms and home report and selling fees then im expected to pay for carpets etc to me that should be up to the buyer to pay for carpets and decorating and such if and when they buy house why should the seller be expected to pay for everything

Estate agents will always say tell you to tart the place up you are trying to seel if it will get them a higher sale price and more commission.

Ask more than one estate agent for their input before choosing one to go with!

i live in scotland so id need a home report i was prepared for that but not replacing carpets and decorating and such and by the sounds of it thats what this estate agent expects me to do so it looks its best for selling

You can tell them to get lost on things like new carpets.

margo i understand things need done to house and i was prepared to allow for that in asking price but everyone knows times are tough just now people havent got that kind of money to go to that expense for new carpets and decorating on top of paying for other things when selling

I wouldn't replace carpets or decorate unless you had massive holes in the carpet.
Most buyers will want to put there own stamp on a house. You could be paying for someone to just to rip them out as soon as they move in.

theres no holes in carpets but theyve been down for a number of years but im not forking out a few hundred on carpets im already going to be down about 4 or 5 k as it is with fees for selling smoke alarms home report and other things that are compulsary

Yes and I agree with you, I wouldn't do all that work either. But the estate agents will always ask you to do the work regardless because it means they'll get a bigger cut - estate agents are in it for themselves! Just because they've asked you to doesn't mean you have to comply.

This is exactly what happened to our old neighbours!

The estate agent is right on he home report and the fire alarms (this is 2022 new legislation). But if tell them to do one on the carpets etc. Sold as seen.

Also speak to a few agents, some flat fee ones are just as good as commission based. Also, you don’t have to get the home report through them, you can sort it yourself, although it’s a fixed cost (but you might have more negotiation with your own appointed surveyor).

In Scotland, the seller must obtain a Home Report before the property goes on the market, and the house must be compliant with Scottish law on smoke alarms, see

www.linkedupalarms.com/

All estate agents charge fees to the seller. How much you pay (and when it has to be paid) is negotiable.

Whether you follow the agents advice about carpets and how the house is presented is optional, you don't have to follow it.

Personally I would never fit new carpets or redecorate before sale. Nor would new carpets/new decor persuade me to buy a property. However run -down shabby they are, I'm going to change it all anyway; why would I pay for someone else's taste?

Tell us your nearest town, those of us in Scotland may be able to recommend a better agent. And a good lawyer.

you can buy your own interlinked alarms
i got these when i was selling my mums house www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09ZF8LVBK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

oh and the estate agents i used took the cost of the home report/solicitor fees out of the sale funds so i didnt need to pay up front

2b i live in ayr and thanks chip were they easy to install

Depends how ropey your carpets are or how tired the decor is. If it is just for a possibly better price then definitely no, if your place needs a complete makeover, expect a slow sale or some v low offers.

This isn't my experience with estate agents in my area. I sold my dad's house and 3 agents told me not to do anything to the house at all, despite it being in need of modernisation. The same must have been true for the vendor of my house, as it had ripped wallpaper (despite there being a roll in a cupboard) and odd, unfinished things, like 2 parts of a mahogany door frame painted white, but they'd not bothered finishing it.

Just tell them no - you'd be employing THEM after all. Or look elsewhere. Never a good idea only to have just 1 agent round anyway.

yup they were already linked so didnt take long

thanks chip ull order them today

Find an agent that isn't pushy and that you feel more comfortable dealing with. Obviously you have to pay for the home report but you know that. Of further expense, provided your house is clean and uncluttered, and the price reflects any necessary updating then leave it alone. Potential buyers are rarely impressed by the signs of hastily done redecorations and cheap carpeting! All houses will sell. It's the price that usually makes all the difference between sooner or later.