This could be the best move you have ever made!

Selling your home can be a stressful time, we all know that. The main thing is to set out your objectives and ensure you share them with us. To make your sale as successful as possible we need to know what you wish to achieve and also the timescale you would like to achieve this within. Our aim is to take the stress away and provide you with a hassle free sale and although we obviously cannot promise this, we will certainly try.

Our focus is keeping you updated from start to finish, whether it is feedback from any interest/viewings, during the sale with updates of your buyers progress or at the end of the process to confirm arrangements and to hand over the keys upon completion. Communication is the key to a successful sale!

Market conditions change all the time as does the technology we use to sell properties. To find out our latest offerings get an accurate valuation here.

We are aware you know the process and have done this many times before however, just in case you may be a little rusty, we are going to cover the process and, of course, highlight areas that may have changed since your last move. We hope you may pick up a few things that you haven’t considered previously.

STEP 1

Get an accurate valuation

Next step is to establish what price you will be able to achieve for your property, not what you will ask for it but what you will end up with (hopefully they are one and the same).
Get an accurate valuation

Having done this a few times, if not more, you will be aware of the benefits of obtaining a realistic valuation for your home. All too often people will base their move on an inflated valuation which can cause issues later in the process. It is advisable that you obtain 3 valuations, particularly if you have an unusual property. There is lots of information available online however, we will be aware of the latest demand for properties like yours and be able to consider that, along with previously achieved prices for similar properties. This ‘comparable evidence’ will be highlighted to you during the valuation to show you how we have reached our valuation.

Beware of agents that do not show you how they reach their figure and the estate agents who may deliberately try to ‘round upwards’ to make their valuation stand out against the others. This can be a dangerous trap to fall into because on one hand you want as much as you can for your home, on the other, you never get a second chance to make a first impression and the longer a property remains for sale, the higher the chance that either it won’t sell or you will have to reduce the price considerably to ensure it does!

Arrange a free and accurate valuation

STEP 2

Knowing your options

Knowing what options are available to you will make any onward purchase decisions easier. Get in contact with our team to discuss your existing mortgage deal and establish your affordability should you be considering an onward purchase during this move.
CHECK AFFORDABILITY

When dealing with finances, people tend to stick to a routine. That routine is often chosen as the easy option but if someone could save you hundreds of pounds a year, would you consider changing that routine? Our advisers are often baffled as to why people don’t shop around for their mortgages and then realise that when they do, it is usually the same, if not less hassle than sticking with previous arrangements.

Moving home later in life can be daunting, especially if your affordability is limited and you’re not sure what would be the best option for you. Exploring the options that are available will help you have a clear understanding of your financial position and enable you to find the perfect property sooner.

The main aspect here is to ensure you have checked your affordability to confirm that your plans are achievable and, who knows, may possibly open a new door to widen your options further.

Speak to a mortgage adviser

STEP 3

Check you have a valid EPC

Before you place your property up for sale, it is law that you must have either commissioned or have an existing valid energy performance certificate. An EPC is valid for 10 years once created and were progressively introduced from 2007.
Check you have a valid EPC

The principle underlying is an EU Directive from 2007 and the regulations is to make energy efficiency of buildings transparent by using an energy performance certificate (EPC), to show the energy rating of a building, when sold or rented out, and recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency.

You can check if your property has a valid EPC by visiting www.epcregister.com or when we value your home, we will be able to find this out for you. Should you require an EPC, we can arrange for one of our qualified Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA’s) to visit your home and produce one for you. This can then be used as many times as is required for a 10 year period.

Should a property have any changes to the key areas that affect an energy rating, it would be beneficial to get an updated certificate created to reflect the improved efficiency.

More guidance on this can be provided by our staff and if required, one of our many qualified DEA’s.

Request an EPC

STEP 4

Marketing your property

Hopefully the mortgage advice and valuation figures were positive and you can now go ahead and put your property on to the market. At Bradleys we will provide you with a choice of marketing packages to suit your needs and that show the property in its best light.
Marketing your property

The quality of marketing can often be the difference between selling or not selling the property or perhaps between achieving a begrudgingly acceptable price and a good price! Think about what attracts you to a property when you see one and also what you find useful.

Floor plans are often deemed essential when looking at a property, but for some reason not all estate agents use them or charge extra to have one. Good quality photographs are probably the most important aspect of marketing to ensure your property gets noticed initially, but if you really want to stand out from the rest of the market place, then you should opt for a property video.

To reach the right audience and find your buyer, it is really important that your property is featured online. The two main portal websites are Rightmove and Zoopla, these provide more visitors and enquiries than any others. As a Bradleys customer, you’ll have the exclusive opportunity of a FREE second online listing with our Market Plus service from Homewise.. This increases exposure, getting more interest for your property and improving your chances of finding the right buyer sooner.

We will tailor a marketing plan for each property we place on the market and will explain the options at the appropriate time. We even have an option that includes your conveyancing!

If you haven’t already, then you can book your free valuation here or you could visit our marketing pages and find out more about what we do differently.

STEP 5

Instructing a Conveyancer

It is becoming more important to get your conveyancing underway at an early stage. With Bradleys Conveyancing offered on a ‘no sale no fee’ basis, why wait?
Instruct a Conveyancer

The conveyancing process seems to be taking longer – this could be due to the mortgage process being more detailed or perhaps the additional red tape that the law firms must be sure to comply with, but is probably a combination of both. To counteract this we advise that you instruct a conveyancer the moment you start marketing your property and complete all the paperwork they send and return it immediately. By doing so, your conveyancer can prepare all the form filling and documentation to form a draft contract ready to be sent across the moment a buyer is found, which will save valuable time in the sales process later on.

With our conveyancing service there is also the ability to use an online case tracker so that you can keep an eye on the progress 24/7. A further key aspect of our conveyancing service is that we use local firms that will be aware of maintaining a good reputation and therefore provide a good service. Being able to contact your conveyancer is essential and so ensure you have access to the person you will be dealing with. We have established relationships with many local companies that we can instruct on your behalf. The advantage we also have is that we can see who has the capacity to ensure you receive the best service at any one time.

To find out more or instruct one of our panel law firms you can visit our conveyancing page.

Talk to us about Conveyancing

STEP 6

Receiving an Offer

When an offer is received, you should be provided with the persons’ buying position and timescales as well as the all-important offer figure. Although you will make your own decision, ask your estate agent for their thoughts as they will know what is happening in the market place at any one time and will have an idea of whether the buyer is likely to increase their offer.
Recieving an Offer

When an offer is received, it is now more important than ever to know that the potential buyer has been ‘qualified’. This could be whether they have a house to sell and are involved in a chain and if so, how long that chain is. They may be a first time buyer but do they have a mortgage agreed in principle? We will qualify every offer by checking the financial position and seeing proof of the arrangements as well as deposit funds before we will formally accept the offer and mark the property as sale agreed.

The offer figure is of course important, but also consider the timescales they are proposing and check whether that may fit in with your situation. We will provide you with the details but unless it is an obvious yes/no decision, take your time and digest what has been put forward.

If your property has been on the market for longer than you would have hoped, it could be a good time to review what the market conditions are like currently and also consider the feedback you have been given from previous viewers before making a decision. If you feel it beneficial then we can always make arrangements to discuss this with you in person.

STEP 7

Check Affordability

Now you have a firm figure, it may be an idea to check the figures with your Mortgage Adviser to see what position that puts you in financially, based on the offer you have received.
CHECK AFFORDABILITY

Before you commit to making an offer, it is worth double checking your figures to ensure they work with your objectives. It may also allow you to fit into a different level of loan to value on your onward mortgage products if that is relevant. It could be, if you haven’t done so already, that you need to obtain an Agreement/Decision in Principle (AIP/DIP) so that you can support any offer you make when putting it forward.

Speak to a mortgage adviser

STEP 8

Sale agreed

Once you have received an acceptable figure on your property, we will inform all parties of the details and your conveyancer will be able to issue a draft contract very quickly to your buyers’ conveyancer.
Sale Agreed

Well done, you have agreed a sale on your property! It is at this stage (if not before now) that you should decide on a date to exchange and complete the transaction. It is a key point that timescales are discussed and agreed upon, subject to technicalities, then we can liaise between all parties. Additional time should be allowed for when dealing with Leasehold properties for example. You can always discuss this at the outset with the conveyancer should it be required.

The first half of the job is done (finding a buyer) and now we have to focus on getting your sale through to an exchange of contracts. This is where you will really benefit from having instructed a conveyancing company at the outset as they will now be able to send your buyer a draft contract immediately and show your buyer you are serious, and in turn get commitment from them to show the same.

The focus for all concerned, but especially you as the seller, is to get each aspect completed at the soonest point you are able to do so. The sooner you complete a form or reply to any questions, the sooner your conveyancer can send the information to the buyers' side to deal with.

STEP 9

Keeping informed

Between the conveyancer, ourselves and any other parties in the chain, we should all keep all parties informed of each aspect of the progress and or any hiccups. If you are unsure about any aspect of the process, simply ask the relevant person to explain it to you.
Keep informed

The reason you may have had a stressful move previously is likely to be due to a lack of communication. There are various parties all working away doing their job for their client and all too often they forget to actually communicate what they are doing or what the latest position is. We try to counter that by providing a case tracking service via our recommended law firms and also by contacting each party on a weekly basis (at least) to provide an update. At this stage we can review the dates that were agreed at the outset and check they are still on course to be achieved, or if required, revise the dates and communicate them to all involved.

Whether it is the conveyancer, mortgage adviser, estate agents in the chain, surveyor or even you/your partner that needs to be informed, we will try to keep it all moving in the right direction but all parties involved must do their bit too!

STEP 10

Exchanging Contracts

You will have agreed on a moving date that suits all parties and signed contracts on your sale , so it’s time to legally bind the transactions and exchange the contracts.
Exchanging Contracts

Hopefully you will have experienced a hassle free transaction with very few, if any, delays on your sale and with all parties having been kept informed of developments throughout the transaction. We will have been liaising with all parties about completion dates and, as you may recall, a date must be agreed before an exchange of contracts can take place.

Your conveyancer will call you before going ahead and exchanging to confirm you are happy to do so and confirm the date and then call you after exchange of contracts has taken place. We will also want to discuss the arrangements for your keys ahead of completion to ensure we have at least 1 set of keys to hand to your buyer on the day.

STEP 11

Completion

Once your conveyancer has received the monies from your buyer for your home they will then inform us so that we can give the keys to your buyer and then the monies will be transferred to your chosen account.
COMPLETION

On the day of completion your conveyancer will ring you when they have received the money from your buyer, it is at this stage they will also call us and inform us that we can release the keys to your buyer. This technically is the moment you are no longer the homeowner and therefore have to vacate the property, although most people allow for some flexibility.

Congratulations you have moved!

Free Accurate Property Valuation

Contact us to find out more...

Contact us to find out more...