You are here: Selling Your Home

When you are selling your home, the first thing to consider is how you are going to let prospective customers know.  For example, are you going to promote it yourself? If so, you may want to consider getting some help with photography and the production of a Floor Plan to ensure your property is presented in the best way possible.  If you would rather use an Estate Agent, you need to consider whether your needs are best met with a traditional High Street Estate Agent, or if one of the emerging online Estate Agents would be more appropriate.

 

Selling your home
Selling your home

Once you have decided the best way to promote your house sale, and your house is on the market, there are a few areas you need to look at:

Energy Performance Certificate

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) needs to be available within 7 days of putting your house on the market.  If you are using an Estate Agent to sell your house, they may include this in their price.  If they offer it at an additional cost, it is always worth shopping around, as there are many suppliers who will be able to perform this far more effecttively. 
Once you have your EPC, it is valid for 10 years and can be used as many times as necessary within that time.  If you have lived in your house for a relatively short time, you need to check whether there is already an EPC available for your home.  This can be checked by going to the Landmark Website and accessing their "report retrieval" section.

Green Deal

If you have had any Home Improvements made under the Green Deal, and there are still payments outstanding - these payments are attached to the property not you as an Individual.  Details of these need to be included in the EPC.

 

Is it worth having a Survey done?

If your house has had major building work done,  or was built at a time when hazardous material, such as asbestos, was used in construction, you may wish to have a survey performed to reassure potential buyers.  Similarly if your house is situated near to large trees or other ecological concerns, a survey and report may help to convince buyers that your home is a sound investment.

 

 

What do you need to do once you have accepted an offer?

Once you have accepted an offer on your property, you need to appoint someone to handle the legal side of the sale.  Again,you need to consider whether your needs are best met by a traditional High Street Solicitor, or by a Conveyancing Firm, which may or may not be situated locally to you.  Cost may vary dramatically, and different firms may offer different options.  For example, some may offer a fixed price, whilst other may quote an hourly rate.  In both cases, it is worth checking to see exactly what is included in this price, and what needs to be added on as an additional "expense".