Are you buying or selling your home in Leicester

If you are considering selling you home in the Leicester area, then first check out how much your property might be worth in the present market.

There are many online tools that show this information one of the easiest to use is Rightmove.co.uk. If you type your postcode in the “House Prices” tab on the Rightmove website. See below we have put in LG19 2DG into the Rightmove search.

 

The Rightmove Price Comparison Report shows you the property currently “On the market” and the property “No longer on the market”. In the section below it shows you if the property has been sold or removed and the date.

However the next section Market Trends is the most interesting because it shows you the marketed and sold properties.

The sold house prices are accurate because they come from Land Registry data but you really want to check about a particular sale you can find all the details at the Land Registry “find a property” page on their website. Here you can get a copy of the title register for £3 and a copy of the title plan for £3

When you have an built up a picture of what house have sold in the last two years you can compare you property to them as start to get a feel for the realistic price you might achieve.

Next look at a possible asking price and then the lowest offer you would accept based on your personal circumstances.

When you have these three prices written down it is time to talk to local estate agents who are active in your area and house price range.

When selecting an estate agent there are tried and tested methods you can use. First draw up a list of 5-6 estate agents and visit them as a potential purchaser.

Make a note of your first impressions, the type of properties they have for sale, how you were treated, how friendly the staff were, the type of questions they asked you and if they were professional in their approach.

When driving home take a detour within a two-four mile radius of your home down roads you don’t normally travel and look at any “For Sale” boards or take you dog for a walk around the area.

Then draw up a short list of three agents, ring them and arrange for them to visit your home to discuss agreeing a value and putting it on the market.

It is a good idea to see the agents all in one day and allow at least and 90 minutes between appointments. This way you will not feel rushed and if they are only with you 30 minutes you have time to do other things. Have your list of questions ready, but let them do most of the talking.

If they ask which other agents you are talking to tell them they are on a short list of three and you will be making a decision in the next few days.  This should ensure that you get the best fee proposal from them now.

Remember the estate agent wants your business, so you can negotiate, here are some items that can be included in their sale fee – newspaper advertising, a shorter contract period, glossy sales particulars, extra internal photos and the fee inclusive of vat.

Talk to them about recent sales in the area and let them propose a guide or asking price.  Be realistic, some agents may recommend a higher asking price than you assumed from your research, to try to get you to instruct them.  However it is unlikely that all three estate agents will recommend the same asking price.

Ask yourself which scenario do you want to see after 4-8 weeks

• Strong interest with a steady flow of viewing, with two or three people making an offer.
• little interest, hardly any viewing, no offers

If your initial asking price is too high it can drive away interest and viewing.  When people search online via websites like rightmove, zoopla and primelocation they do use filters.  For Example if their budget is £320,000 they are likely to look at property with a maximum price of £350-360,000.  This 10% is the hope – negotiation factor.

If you feel a realistic price for your home is £340,000 with an asking price of £355,000 based on your research and an estate agent recommended price.

Finally when you have sold, contact BHW Residential for your conveyancing quote.  Your estate agent may recommend a conveyancer, but remember some of the large estate agents own their own conveyancing firms, so you may not get the best deal.