It’s estimated in the UK that people move house every 18.7 years (in Scotland alone, every 15 years, in Wales, every 23). If you haven’t moved for the last 20 years, you’ll find that buying and selling a home has changed beyond recognition. These days we search online for properties day or night, and have to make identity checks on buyers and sellers. The legals are more complicated and despite technological change, take longer and with the arrival of Covid-19, extra precautions are required too.
Surprisingly, though, anyone can still set up as an agent! But at Northwood, our experts live and work locally to you, and work within our strict codes of practice. We go over and above to look after you and the sale of your property legally and safely. If you haven’t moved for a while, there are three main ‘to dos’ to help you prepare for a smooth move.
How to choose an agent
On the bright side, it’s easier to find the right agent than it used to be. This is because, being long-term local residents, you’ll know homes similar to yours. Before calling any agents, run a search on the portals to discover which are selling properties like yours. You can even find out their selling prices. We can show you how when we visit or if you are happy to pop into our local office.
What’s happening in your local market
Before you decide to move, do find out what’s happening in your local property market. Nowadays we have a lot more data at our fingertips: for example, prices properties are being advertised for, how long they have been on the market and recent selling prices of similar properties. When valuing your home, we bring this information and explain variations in selling prices. Our experience, expertise and local knowledge enable us to suggest a price for your property that will attract viewings. The more viewings we attract, the more likely you are to receive one or more offers.
Preparing your home for sale
Today’s buyers tend to either seek a home which is ready to move into, such as a new-build show-home, or a property they put their own stamp on. So even if your home hasn’t had an update for a while, it may well attract the right buyer just as it is. There are two important requirements that all homes that we show to buyers must stick to. Firstly, they need to be clean and tidy. This might include cleaning scuffed paintwork and ensuring each room reflects its potential use, so that a
spare bedroom has a bed and wardrobe, a dining room has a table and chairs. Additionally, if you’ve had work carried out such as new electrics or a boiler, or new windows or doors, you must have the paperwork ready to send to your legal company, otherwise a sale may be delayed. Once you have prepared your home and your paperwork, it’s down to us to attract interest by offering a video of your property online and then ensuring only serious buyers visit your home.
Staying safe during viewings
We keep you and your belongings safe during viewings as standard. Some agents ask you to carry out viewings, but we think that’s our responsibility, especially first viewings.
A service to suit you
Talk to us. We have successfully sold many properties and take pride in doing so with care. We can take control of everything if you wish, or you can be involved
as much as you like. Our job isn’t just to market your property online and show potential buyers around your home, we know how to secure the best price, and then move your sale from offer to completion as smoothly as possible.
