Charlottechicken Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I will be contacting estate agents tomorrow as I want to sell up and move. I'm moving in with a relative temporarily, so there will be no upward (?) chain. Any advice for a first time house seller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Contact more than one and get valuations. Look on Rightmove to see what houses in your area are selling for. Don't overprice it unless you are prepared to wait. Decide where you will invest the money from the sale. In a rising market it is easy to sell, but you need to buy quickly before you get left behind. We bought a house years ago which we got cheaply because the market was flat. They went into rented accommodation and then the market picked up rapidly. 12 months later the value of our house had doubled and they couldn't afford to buy anywhere! You need to be looking at property now with a view to shortlisting, so that you can buy straight away when you sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_H Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Hi Get 3 valuations - if they're all about the same, they're probably about right. If they vary significantly, get a couple more. Remember the estate agent is working for YOU - don't be 'bullied'/rushed into making decisions. Good Luck, H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Ditto to all of the above. If you're putting stuff in storage, start decluttering NOW - you can't begin too soon! Really think about whether you want to pack, move, store, move again and unpack that particular item - it focuses the mind wonderfully. In my experience most people buy a lifestyle as much as a house, they need to be able to visualise themselves living there, their furniture in your rooms and so on - so keeping surfaces as clear as possible and making the place look clean and tidy really helps when it comes to viewings. I'm not being insulting, your house is probably like that anyway (mine's not! ) but I have bought and sold a few houses over the years and honestly, some of the ones I've been to view, well you wouldn't believe how people leave them. Sweep the front path, put a hanging basket or pot of geraniums outside or whatever it takes to make it look attractive because first impressions count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 Thanks for the info, will certainly get more than one agent. I'm in the middle of a declutter which has now taken a more 'urgent' turn We will be moving in with mum, and she needs to declutter too, as we will all be upping sticks and moving in to one big house together Thankfully, I have no valuable furniture, so most can go to a local charity shop once we actually need to move. Unfortunately, mum has a lot of stuff she thinks is valuable (it isn't), and it is taking some persuading to get her to get rid of things. When we all squeeze into her house I will throw everything out! Both our houses are entry level, for want of a better phrase, and are sought after by both FTB and buy to let. They don't take too long to shift and there are very few come on to the market in this road, condition doesn't seem to matter but I will be upping my (non existant) cleaning routine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 No other advice to offer apart from that above, but after all the work you put into that house, I know you won't have made this decision lightly..... good luck to you, and blessings for the new house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancing cloud Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Entirely with the advice so far given. Would also suggest you look at the Rightmove adverts from any estate agent you're considering. Some have really good photos and useful, relevant blurb, some have blurred photos of dirty washing and just a couple of sentences - and they'll all want the same pay! The old advice about about cleaning, tidying, washing windows, putting flowers in vases, opening windows etc still applies. Both FTB and BTL appreciate seeing that they can just walk in and put furniture down, with no major outlay. Having everything sparkly may not raise the value of a house, but it looks good on photos, impresses estate agents and has certainly helped my houses to sell quickly. Have photos taken on a sunny day if possible, as it always makes houses and gardens look brighter. Although the technique of baking bread for viewings may have gone out of fashion, having something good cooking in the oven does no harm . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 look into which agent is selling house the quickest to as in this area a couple seem to take a lot longer to shift them one seems to shift them in about 4 weeks that's from the for sale board going up to the sold sign going up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleTree Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 No further advice to add, but wanted to wish you luck. We've got our house on the market at the moment, been on for about 6 weeks now and we've got a couple coming for a second viewing tomorrow, they seemed to really like it when they came last week. So fingers crossed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 You might need to check capital gains situation if you aren't using the proceeds to buy another house. Could you rent it for a while? That way you get the income, it continues to rise in value (hopefully), certainly faster than the proceeds will in any form of savings. And, just in case it doesn't work out with your Mum, you have a bolt hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 There should be no CGT as you are selling your primary residence (Well I'm assuming you are, or have you got several houses stuffed up your sleeve ) Its a good point about letting though, you might make more from the rent/capital appreciation, even after paying a mortgage, as the interest rates are so very low. Even when they go up they aren't going to go up much. I suppose it depends on how soon you think you will be buying with your Mum, if you plan to do it within a few months, then fair enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WitchHazel Posted July 22, 2014 Share Posted July 22, 2014 There should be no CGT as you are selling your primary residence (Well I'm assuming you are, or have you got several houses stuffed up your sleeve ) /quote] Ah, thanks for the clarifcation Daphne. I thought you paid CG tax if you weren't putting the proceeds into another property. I didn't realise that primary residence was exempt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted July 22, 2014 Author Share Posted July 22, 2014 Thanks for all the info! We will be buying another property with the proceeds, and are now househunting! We have employed a local independant agent, just one branch, puts houses on at the price he wants for them, so no overpricing. He also charges a low fee and has over 30 years experience in this postcode. He was perfectly honest and the valuation he gave me is exactly what I hoped, and a little more, which will cover his fees (and a bit left over). Spent several hours today, cleaning, and stuffing junk into cupboards etc. Estate agent has been and measured, taken photos and the board will go up on Thursday. He kindly said I had made sympathetic improvements to the property, and it should sell quickly I'm now decluttering the same cupboards and putting the junk back where it was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
