Now the summer holidays are over, it is traditionally a busy month for sellers to put their properties on the market with the view to moving by the end of the year. With a burst of unexpected sunshine, plus the feel good factor from the Olympics, Paralympics and Diamond Jubilee, this should have a positive effect on the property market overall and agents we have spoken to in the last few weeks have reported record Augusts and a busy start to the month already.
If you are thinking of selling your home this month, we would recommend a few tips when choosing an agent. Always have at least 3 valuations to make sure you get a good feel of the market, and don’t always go for the highest price. Don’t be tempted by the lowest fee’s – you often get what you pay for! Also make sure you are aware of any hidden marketing costs and how long the agents sole agency contract is for – you want to make sure you have the flexibility to move agents if the one you originally choose is not delivering. When choosing who to ask round initially, look at the agents with the most ‘sold’ boards in your area, not just ‘for sale’. If you are impressed by several agents after the valuations and can’t decide, maybe ask if you could come in and meet the sales team – after all, they will be the ones carrying out the actual viewings and dealing direct with prospective buyers.
If your property hasn’t gone under offer my mid/late November, you might want to consider taking it off the market for a few months and relaunching in the new year so it doesn’t go stale.
Ask your chosen agent if there is anything they would recommend you do in terms of de-cluttering, or light decoration that would enhance the value/ help it move more quickly. Remember what it was that attracted you to your home when you bought it and make sure the agent highlights this in their details and on any viewings.
Finally, if you have a ‘borderline’ sized bedroom that you know can take a double bed but don’t have one in there – seriously consider buying a cheap bed to put in, even if this means having to put other items into storage for a while. You would be amazed at how few people can actually visualise this for themselves and we have seen so many properties sit on the market for months then the minute this is done, it goes straight away!