January 26, 2021 | Mariel Roe
When you finally decide to take the plunge and put your home up for sale, you want to be sure you are fully prepared. A bit of time spent on preparation will help you maximize the price achieved for your property and sell it more quickly, as well as make things run more smoothly.
If you are selling your home in order to buy somewhere else, it is important to know that this is viable. Researching areas you like, availability, and pricing within these areas can save disappointment later. After all, the place you are moving to is just as important as where you live now.
As well as checking your current mortgage deal for any early repayment charges, it is also worth speaking to an independent mortgage advisor to check your affordability before you go on the market. You will quickly get an idea of what your budget will be for your next home.
Making your home look its absolute best is obviously important for interested buyers, but it’s good to complete this before you invite Estate Agents around to value your home. You also want them to have the best first impressions of your home, and be excited about helping you find a buyer.
A fresh coat of paint can add thousands to the price you achieve and will make your home stand out. Deep cleaning everything from cupboards, to windows and kitchen appliances, will also help give you the best chance of selling.
Gardens, balconies, and terraces are some of the biggest selling features of any property, and must also be decluttered and presented well to maximize interest.
A bit of research now can pay dividends when you have agents over to provide you with a valuation, as an accurate valuation is a good sign that the agent knows what they are doing. Take a look at the property portals to see what your competition is like, and at sold prices to see what values have been achieved in the past
The best agent is likely to be someone who has knowledge and experience of the local area, is trustworthy, and will put your interests over their own. Recommendations, previous experience, and seeing who has sold the most similar properties recently are some of the ways you can narrow down the list.
It is important to get the opinion of a range of Estate Agents, that way you can be more confident that you are going on the market at the correct price. It is also a good opportunity to see what different agents offer and to find someone you feel comfortable with. A minimum of three is recommended, although up to five is probably the optimum number.
You should now know how much you can get for your home, where you want to move to and how much you have to spend. If it looks like you may not be able to move to your ideal home, then you still have options. You could stay put for the time being, or perhaps decide to keep hold of your property and upsize to a rental property in your preferred area. This has the advantage of trying out a new area before committing to a purchase.
Once you have chosen your preferred agent and agreed on terms, the next stage is for your agent to arrange photography and start marketing. Always ensure your property looks at its absolute best for the photoshoot, as these images will be most clients’ introduction to your home. You should receive feedback from your agent on each viewing, and a weekly update on the activity.
Good luck! If you need any assistance at any stage of the process then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
London Youth work to improve the lives of young people in London, challenging them to become the best they can, and last year helped over 27,000 young people through their sports development, youth action and involvement, arts and outdoor education programmes and employment prospects. We feel strongly that all young people should have an opportunity to develop themselves, and so are delighted to be able to support London Youth in their work, providing young people with access to opportunities they might not otherwise have had, to learn new skills, to make a positive change in their communities and to shape the city they live in.
Glass Door helps homeless men and women in London through their large network of emergency shelters and support services. These winter shelters provide a warm welcome, food, safety and shelter for up to 170 people every night. Properly feels passionately about the issue of homelessness. That is why we are delighted that together with our clients we can assist Glass Door in their fantastic work to help some of the most marginalised people in society.
Families become homeless for reasons we can all identify with. We are concerned about people who are struggling to keep things together in our fast-paced world – and we care about those who have no support. We chose the Doorstep Homeless Family Project because they are passionate and effective yet they are a small team with limited funding. They provide homeless families, living in temporary accommodation in London, with access to services to secure the emotional and practical support they require to enjoy a better quality of life.
We need nature and nature needs us. We support The London Wildlife Trust because we share its concern for the environment. We want to ensure that we keep nature in mind as we work in the property market – and crucially, with people’s homes. We also want our employees to engage with nature and benefit from the wellbeing this brings. London Wildlife Trust cares for over 37 of London’s spaces, and their vision is: “a London alive with nature, where everyone can experience and enjoy wildlife”.
I was so pleased to be introduced to Properly. Mariel and Michael provide an excellent service that took the stress and hassle out of finding a tenant. They were a pleasure to deal with, efficient and fast. A marked difference from the hidden costs and poor communication often encountered from other high street estate agents. I would thoroughly recommend and happily use again!
Had Michael round for a valuation of our flat – very knowledgeable and friendly and wasn’t pushy at all. When it comes time to sell we’ll definitely be giving Properly a call!
The service is outstanding. Mariel could not be more helpful and professional. Every individual I engaged with, was well informed and had the full history of conversations. First class service.
I was very impressed with the service I received. Communication throughout was very good. I have dealt with many agents, but the clear, concise and personable approach I received made Properly stand out. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.
Amazing people, responsive, honest, friendly and professional. Cannot fault them and the type of company, you will go back to again and again.
Michael and Mariel have been very helpful from the time I contacted them on a property I was interested to rent and through the offer process. Mariel did a wonderful video call showing of the house since I was not in London at the time. I felt completely comfortable to sign the lease from the video call. Thank you Mariel!
Mariel and Michael made the process of agreeing a housing let incredibly seamless, stress-free and quick. Their timely communication and fantastic ‘customer service’ was second to none. Would highly recommend
The level of customer service I received at Properly with Mariel and her team was frankly outstanding. It’s lovely when people genuinely care and go the extra mile which certainly they did. I couldn’t recommend them more highly, the most pleasurable property experience ever for me.