If you’re thinking about Selling or changing your Estate Agent, this guide will introduce you to Victoria Knight and answer many questions you may have about selling your property.
Click on one of the headings below for an explanation on what to expect throughout the selling process with Victoria Knight.
If you require any further information or advice, please contact your local office and talk to one of our experienced members of staff.
Before you place your property on the market, make it look its best – remember, first impressions count, making the presentation of your property critical to a successful sale. The following are tried-and-tested tactics which will give your home an immediate face-lift that will increase your selling price and lead to a quicker sale.
Quick Tips
- Be objective - don’t overlook flaws just because you don’t mind them
- Reduce clutter - get rid of everything but the bare essentials
- Keep it light - clean the windows and keep all curtains or blinds open where possible
- Fresh decorations - light neutral colours are always acceptable
- Good quality carpets of the same colour - these should be light and neutral – biscuit/beige colours are popular, as are wooden/laminate flooring.
- Well-maintained exterior and tidy, well-planted gardens
If you are residing at the property, it can sometimes be difficult to see what needs to be done as you live within it every day, so it's worth getting a second opinion from a friend or from one of our friendly advisors.
When choosing an Estate Agent, consider their high street presence, their opening hours, when they will be available to conduct viewings and what kind of marketing your property will receive.
Also, watch out for those suggesting inflated values. If you accept this, your property could remain unsold for many months and consequently you may find it difficult to move onto another property quickly.
Victoria Knight carry out 100’s of valuations each month, which gives us unparalleled knowledge of the sales market. We can provide comparables of similar properties that have been sold as we believe valuing a property accurately will help you achieve the best price for your property.
To arrange a free valuation of your property you can either visit your local Victoria Knight office, book a valuation online or call one of our offices.
As soon as we have received confirmation of your instructions to market your property with us your property will be uploaded to our website along with colour photographs, location maps and a printable colour brochure. All our prospective buyers will be alerted to your property via telephone calls, text message and email alerts. Further to this, the photographs are then used in our extensive marketing activities which include your property being featured in our office window, on internet property portals, in mail drops and in local weekly and monthly publications.
Your local office will discuss with you the best campaign of advertising for your property to ensure maximum exposure to enable us to achieve the best price in the shortest time.
There are a number of regulations that govern the selling of residential property. As a Vendor, you have an obligation to ensure that your property complies with all the necessary regulations.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) were introduced in the 1st August 2007 as part of the Home Information Packs (Hips). In May 2010 the requirement for HIPs was removed, however the requirement for an Energy Performance Certificate continued. All sales and rental properties in England and Wales require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) prior to marketing. We can arrange either of these on your behalf.
Our policy is to accompany all viewings. Having access to your property at short notice is important in order for us to show your property to prospective purchasers as soon as they contact us / walk into the office with an interest in viewing your property; a set of door keys and/or contact details for the current occupier/s is essential.
As soon as an offer is received you will be verbally notified and then followed up in writing. Our competent sales team will negotiate between you and your prospective applicant in order to achieve the strongest buyer.
We will inform you of the position of the buyers and liase with you until an accepted offer has been agreed.
Should you require a certain completion date, we will endeabour to satisfy your request wherever possible.
If you are happy to accept an offer, don't rush to take your property off the market. Sales fall through for a variety of reasons, the buyer might try to negotiate a better price or find another property they prefer.
At this point (if you have not already done so), you will need to instruct a solicitor and, should you require assistance, Victoria Knight will only be too pleased to recommend local firms.
The solicitors will then write to all parties and the buyers will instruct a surveyor to conduct a survey of your property (the "agreed sale" is subject to the contract and any survey) and the buyers' mortgage offer (if required) will also be subject to the results of the survey.
To prepare your Contact of Sale, your solicitor will need certain documents from you. It can take a while to obtain these, so to help towards a swifter sale, take time to obtain these in advance.
The sellers' solicitors will request the TITLE DEEDS from the lender (if appropriate) or yourselves as the seller and the FIXTURES AND FITTINGS form must be completed at this stage.
The solicitors draw up the DRAFT CONTRACT which sets off the Terms of the Sale and sends it to the buyers' solicitor together with all relevant documents. Any enquiries will then be raised, the Title Deeds and Lease (if applicable) will be checked and LOCAL SEARCHES carried out.
Once the draft contracts have been approved, it can be signed by both parties.
The final stage of the sale normally happens two or four weeks following Exchange. The buyer's solicitors hands over the remainder of the purchase money to your solicitor who will pay your Building Society or Bank, if there has been a mortgage on the property. Legal fees and our fees are also paid at this time.
Write instructions and find the manuals for the operation of appliances you may be leaving in your kitchen. Don't forget, central heating instructions.
• Leave a note about the days for refuse and recycling collections.
• Arrange to redirect your post.Contact gas, electricity, phone suppliers and the council about new owners taking over accounts.
• Take meter readings before you vacate the property.
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