Buying and selling a house. What do I need to know/do?

[bookmarket]

Were looking to move after 15 years in our current house. Before that we moved several times in quick succession. I find myself suddenly clueless and scared of the process. I've started the ball rolling and contacted estate agents to come and value the house. Once we decide on an estate agent, how quickly might the next steps happens and what order do I need to do things?

Were looking to move within 10 miles of where we are and there's no necessity for the move so I don't want to get overly stressed about it but also want to get past the selling stage and onto the start looking stage. I don't want to get caught out with something I've not thought of with regards to selling. Any tips and advice from those who have done it recently greatly received.

Outside of London and southeast, what are estate agent fees like? Is it best to go for a fixed fee or a percentage? How is it best to price the house. Guise price? Offers in the region of? Normal price? Are people expecting to pay less than the advertised price? If we sell the house, how long is reasonable to look for a house? what questions should I ask the estate agent. Merits of an independent or chain estate agents?

First of all, get your house looking as good as it can. Look at it with a critical eye, inside and out. Kerb appeal is important, so make sure it looks cared for. Agents will probably tell you to depersonalise too, but clean, tidy and smelling fresh is important.

Declutter anything you wouldn’t want to take with you. There’s no point in taking things to a new home that aren’t needed.

Agents fees vary from agent to agent and whether it’s joint or sole agency. Look at the terms of the contract. Some have you tied in to 20 weeks, so if you don’t want that, check first. I prefer a local agent with a good track record of selling. You can tell by looking at sale boards locally and looking on RightMove.

Get several agents to look around, look at sold prices for similar houses to yours locally. Don’t necessarily go with the one who prices it highest. No point if there are no viewings because the price point is higher. There will be a ceiling price for the area too. I think people prefer an asking price, rather than guide price or offers over or in the region of.

I wouldn’t go with large chains or national ones. They don’t, in my experience do joined up thinking. Do you want to do viewings or do you prefer the agent to do them?

Do not instruct any conveyancer/ solicitor recommended by the agent. There’s a reason they recommend and it’s not for your benefit and never instruct an online one. Suffice to say we made that mistake and ended up with compensation from them.

Thanks.

Our house is a little bit unique in it's design and aspect and outlook and is on a desirable quiet road where houses get snapped up - so not so easy to price on the basis of what else has sold that's similar. The national estate agent suggested generating interest before it's openly marketed and then doing an open house style viewing to generate multiple offers and potentially offers over. They talked about lots of buyers from outside the area being interested in this area.

The independent estate agent was less gushing about the house and more realistic with the pricing based on best match comparisons around the area. What they said made me think they understand the local buyer and what they are looking for and what they will pay. When we bought the house we were the first to view it and snapped it up. We do expect it to sell quickly.

Do all national estate agents spin that yarn? I'm leaning towards the small independent but of course want to get the best price for it and I understand it's also about fitting the correct Rightmove brackets 🙄 Are people still expecting to knock sellers down or paying asking price.

I think you get better value when you compare like for like. Since some agents quote a low fee and a long tie-in, maybe ask for their average days to sell, fall-through rate, and what share of listings they agreed within 2 to 3 percent of guide. It can be a fixed fee or a percentage and both work, yet the tie-in and notice period matter more because you want a way out if service slips.

For pricing, guide price keeps it open, "offers in excess" can pull more viewings in a hot patch, and "offers in the region of" works when you want fewer time-wasters. Buyers often test below the guide unless there is competition, so a clean house, great photos and a fast paperwork start tend to protect the number. I used Ernest-Brooks International at valuation stage of our house and they backed the guide with recent exchanges rather than portal asks, which helped us set a figure that still felt firm