Guide to Selling

We will discuss how we have come to the price we quote including comparable evidence, how your property sits in the current market place, your direct competition and what type of buyer we will target and why. We will also suggest what you should and could do to make the property more saleable and the fact that it’s not just the highest price but the quality of the buyer including their position, which should affect the process also. If you would like a free no obligation valuation, please click here

Selling Through Austin Samuels

With so much competition in the industry and with much legislation changes it is crucial you choose an agent that is not only competent to value, market and sell your most valuable possession but to ensure the sale is completed correctly subject to your requirements and factors of any arising chain. As well as implementing up to date technology we also use our local expertise and relationships to give you the best service. Once we agree the sale that’s when the hard work really begins and we will ensure it is progressed and concluded in the right way for our clients.

Marketing

Once you’ve instructed us to sell, the marketing process begins. We will:

• Take digital photographs using a professional photographer
• Organise a virtual tour (if part of the strategy)
• Draw up a colour Floor Plan
• Erect an Austin Samuels Board to increase local exposure
• Internet marketing through the major property portals of Right move and Zoopla as well as our own bespoke website
• Social Media marketing via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Local and national advertising through various media channels

We will then prepare the relevant details as part of our agreed strategy and ask you to approve them. We make sure that everyone at Austin Samuels who will be involved in the process of marketing your property, previews it so they know everything about it and can most effectively sell it, confident in its attributes. You will also need to make sure you have an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). It measures the energy efficiency of a property and once completed lasts for 10 years. This is a legal requirement and you must have this before selling. You may already have one and we can check the online register on your behalf. We will then launch your property onto the market.

Viewings

Now that the preparation work and approval of the strategy has taken place the viewing process can begin. We request that you complete our seller’s questionnaire so we may have the answers to relevant questions buyers may raise during viewings. We will accompany every viewing to make sure that any prospective buyers know all they need to make an informed decision and for security reasons.

Try to make sure that your property is presented in a clean, tidy and attractive state. Rationalise the space as best as possible and try to clear away as much unnecessary furniture and items as you can as this will help to make the rooms seem larger and more welcoming. Adding fresh flowers can add to the theatre and pleasure of viewing. This will also help with our professional photos in the preparation stage.

If you are at home when we are conducting viewings its always best if we can continue freely but make any prospective purchasers aware that you are home to answer any questions if necessary.

We will also give you all the honest feedback we receive from applicants, which should be used constructively in order to tweak our marketing strategy if needed or improve the property in order to sell.

Offer Stage

Once any offers are received, we will deal with the negotiation of them between any prospective buyer and yourself. Whilst everyone assumes you will take the highest offer there are several factors to consider, particularly if you have more than one offer. Is the prospective buyer in a chain (themselves under offer), are they buying with cash or do they have finance in place with an ‘agreement in principle’ from a lender and can they work to your preferred timescales?

When considering an offer we will advise on other interest, viewings, feedback, general market conditions and comparable properties that have sold, so that you can make an educated and informed decision. We will work with you to get the best possible price from a buyer in the best possible position.

Offer Accepted

When an offer has been accepted and the sale agreed, each party would need to instruct conveyancing solicitors. You may already have a solicitor but if not we can recommend someone. We have a list of preferred conveyancers. Once we have received all the details for each parties solicitors we send out a memorandum of sale to all sides detailing the sale and everything that has been agreed which allows the solicitors to make contact and begin the legal process of the sale/purchase.

Survey And Conveyancing

With conveyancing underway if your buyer/s has an agreed mortgage in principle they will have to organise and book a survey on behalf of their lender unless they are cash buyers. There are different degrees of survey. There is a standard valuation, a valuation with a homebuyers report or full building survey. The lender will provide the requested funds to purchase once the nominated surveyor confirms the property is worth what your prospective buyer has agreed to pay for it (official mortgage offer). Your buyer can also choose to undertake their own independent survey should the initial report highlight any possible issues for example a problem with the roof, wiring, central heating system, subsidence etc. If you think there are any issues that would preclude you from the successful sale of your property you may either want to rectify the issue or be completely transparent in the marketing process in order to save time later on in the process.

Exchange

Once the solicitors working on behalf of both parties dealing with the conveyancing have concluded all enquiries & work and the buyer has received their official mortgage offer then we are ready to exchange contracts. That is when the purchaser lodges their deposit and the agreed contracts are exchanged, making everything legal and binding for both parties. On exchange you must agree a completion date by which you will move out of the property.

Completion

You will have organised your removal prior to or on the morning of the day. The buyer’s solicitor will transfer the remaining amount due on the purchase price. When your solicitor has received the balance of funds then completion has taken place. Your solicitor will call both yourself and us to confirm completion and we will be allowed to release keys. We will contact the buyer in order to arrange this. The solicitor will pay any fees owed to us from the completion monies before transferring the remaining balance to you.