Moving house - how do we go about it?

[evremummy]

This has probably been asked before but don't have time to search. We are just finishing off some decorating and general tidying up of our house and then we plan to put it on the market. This house was brand new when we bought it 12 years ago and we were guided by the housebuilding company in what we needed to do.

So do we contact estate agents first, find a solicitor, see what mortgage we could get, get a HIP? Basically, I need an idiots guide to what to do , i.e. the process of moving house from start to finish,as 6 months of sleep deprivation have kind of played havoc with my brain !

Sorry, very rude of me ! Thank you in advance if you take the time to read and answer my post.

Well, I went about it in this order:

1. look around at what similar properties have sold for so I've an idea of what my place is worth and don't get sucked in by the rose-tinted EA valuations

2. declutter, tidy, repairs etc

3. get a variety of EAs round (chain and independent) to do valuation and suggest fees

4. order HIP off t'interweb

5. choose EA, decide asking price, and negotiate fee

6. once HIP comes in, put house on market.

7. get offer(s), decide to accept one

8. instruct solicitor.

I did start looking at places to buy and making mortgage enquiries as well, but really at the moment you don't get taken seriously as a buyer until your place is under offer, so I'd get that done first before you start thinking seriously about the next purchase.

Thank you minipie , exactly what I was after! In the process of doing 1 & 2. Have looked at what price similar properties are on the market for but don't know the actual price they sold for.

Negotiate fee? Don't they just tell you it costs x amount?

Any tips on choosing a solicitor?

Thanks again.

I agree with the above list, but would like to add:

6)(a) Have many viewings, stress about keeping the place tidy, deal with random morons who spend their weekends apparently just nosing around houses, wait for feedback, leave endless messages for estate agent, start opening the bottle of wine at about 4pm, obsessively check rightmove, then wish you hadn't because the perfect house has come up, but you're not sold, hassle estate agent some more, lower price on his advice, have crazy people round to view who bring a suitcase with them (wtf?!), send estate agent emails because he never answers his phone, fix manic grin to face as nosey neighbour asks probing questions about your plumbing.

Not that I'm bitter.

Chickens you are right - I must admit I missed out on all that as I was very lucky (or perhaps underpriced and was under offer within a week and after only three viewings [horribly smug emoticon].

Agents fee - you MUST negotiate! At least give it a go. All agents will start off saying their fee is, say, 1.75% or 2% and pretending that is that.

Then you ask "Well we are seeing several agents, are you able to be flexible on that fee?" and they will hum and haw and maybe drop a bit. If one agent drops and the other doesn't then you can play them off "Oh I know you said your fee was x% but we've been offered y% by another agent, can you match?"

Solicitors - best to ask for recommendations. I'd give you name of mine but they weren't very good...

Oh and look at nethouseprices.com for recently sold prices in your area - sadly they are several months out of date though.

Thanks ChickensHaveSinisterMotiv.. for your input too. I'm already stressing about keeping the place tidy for viewings. Not the world's greatest at housekeeping and with 2 small children and going back to work shortly, it will be a nightmare!

Hoping to be like Minipie and sell quickly and not have lots of nosy parkers!

Will have to try bargaining with EA ...usually just say alright then and pay up!

You might consider block viewings, where you try to get as many people round at a certain time (say two hours on a Saturday) so that your partner or you take the children out for a couple of hours while people are there. It can also drum up interest, because it makes people feel like there will be more competition for the property if they see a few people looking.

Thank you midnightexpress . Block viewings would be preferable I think so I could go out with the kids (and the cat!) whilst DH does the salesman thing!