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PROPERTY IMPROVEMENTS
If you're thinking about selling in the long term, it is worth considering improvements that could help the prospects of making a quick sale. Updating your kitchen or bathroom can be a good move that can help sell and add value to your home. So are adding central heating and loft insulation.
But costly additions like swimming pools may actually hinder the sale - they're a lot of hassle and can put off families with children.
NEAT AND TIDY
In the short term, there are a number of things that can improve your chance of a sale. A tidy front garden and new outside paintwork are small but valuable improvements - remember, first impressions really do count.
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Light and neutral colours inside are good - bear in mind that whereas you might like vibrant colours, they are not to everyone's taste.
Give your home a proper spring clean. Remember - if you do any painting inside your home to wait a few days for the smell to disappear before you put it on the market. Buyers may assume you are trying to hide something under a fresh coat of paint.
Clear out clutter - it may make you feel at home but can put off purchasers. Remember that a light uncluttered room will look larger.
Clear up the garden and get rid of any rubbish. Cutting the grass and trimming hedges and unruly bushes is also recommended. Obtain a valuation on your property and set your asking price. Before you put up your property for sale and start showing people around, be clear on exactly what is included in the sale price (for instance carpets, white goods etc.). Be prepared to negotiate regarding price, but have a clear "minimum offer" figure in mind.
ALERT THE PUBLIC
One of the most common ways of putting your property on the market is to use an estate agent. Either ask friends for personal recommendations or search Fish4's database of estate agents.
Most estate agents operate on a commission basis, charging a percentage of the sale price therefore earning nothing if they fail to sell the property. But if successful, they make quite a lot on each sale since they charge anything between one and three per cent of the price for their efforts.
A few agents charge a flat fee of a few hundred pounds whether they sell the property or not. If they're successful, that's good news for the seller, but if there's no sale it could be a waste of money. The agents, however, can't lose.
GOING GOING GONE
One other way of selling your property is to put it up at auction. Before the auction takes place, you will have to set a guide price with the auctioneer setting out the minimum price you will accept before the day of the auction. Around one week before the auction, you must set the reserve price - the minimum that you are prepared to accept at auction. This is kept confidential between you and the auctioneer. If the sale is successful, you pay commission to the auctioneer - usually about 2.5 per cent of the sale price.
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