Selling a house or flat for the first time can be daunting. At Brock Taylor, we pride ourselves on offering our customers the best support and guidance possible as they navigate this complicated process.
We recommend you follow the steps below to ensure the smoothest possible sale of your property.
The best valuation isn’t necessarily the highest one, but it should be the one that most accurately reflects the true potential of your property, given the current market conditions and your timescale. All of our valuers are locally based and professionally qualified, so they can accurately estimate the true value of your property.
Our comprehensive bespoke valuation reports are packed full of detailed information and market comparisons gathered from the most recent data published on sites such as Rightmove and Zoopla combined with our detailed knowledge of the local market.
Select your estate agent
The best estate agent is not only the one who sells your property in the quickest time and for the best price (if you’re selling in Horsham that’s us by the way) but the one who will make the whole process as simple and straightforward as possible.
Factors to consider when selecting an agent should include:
- Opening hours
- A high-street presence
- How they will market your property
- Any reviews from previous clients
Why choose Brock Taylor to sell your property?
We consistently achieve higher sale prices than other local estate agents in Horsham and Haywards Heath. If you sell with us, you can expect the following as standard:
- Virtual viewings
- A dedicated Sales Progressor to move your sale forward
- Innovative marketing campaigns and extensive exposure, including on Zoopla and Rightmove
- Regular updates and communication about the progress of your sale
- Award-winning services
- Longer opening hours to accommodate you
- High-profile, town-centre office
- 47” digital interactive screens displaying your property in our office windows 24/7
Instruct a solicitor
It’s important to instruct a solicitor as early in the process as possible. Instructing a solicitor at the outset can shave several weeks off the conveyancing process, which typically takes up to 16 weeks to complete. A solicitor can also check if your property is registered, prepare draft documentation and request a management pack if you own a leasehold property or a property on a recently built development.
The right solicitor can speed up the selling process and can provide vital information to reduce any potential stress involved in moving. We can put you in touch with trusted professional service providers, including experienced conveyancers and property solicitors who can assist you.
Presenting your property
A potential buyer needs to be able to imagine your home as their own. We can offer advice and direction on how to best present your property for its initial photographs and future viewings. Our many years of experience put us in a unique position to suggest minor tweaks that can result in a quicker sale and higher offers.
Here’s our top 10 tips to get your property “market ready”, although we’d always say to focus on its kerb appeal first
- Invest in some attractive flowers for your front garden and add some colourful hanging baskets – but don’t forget to keep them watered in summer!
- Cut any lawn, weed the flower beds, sweep away any leaves and remove any rubbish or clutter
- Take a walk around your house and fill in any small cracks, with a suitable filler, and redecorate to match the existing room. Obviously, if there are any larger cracks you may need to get these investigated.
- If there are any broken, or slipped roof, or hanging tiles, it’s best to get these fixed or replaced and at the same time get your gutters cleared too!
- Ask your window cleaner to clean around the whole window, but also the soffits & fascias too, plus the roof of your conservatory, and any roof lanterns.
- Replace any light bulbs, or spotlights that have blown or stopped working, as it is important to make your property as light as is possible.
- If you have double-glazed windows and notice a misty haze in any it probably means that the seals have failed, which doesn’t look great and could highlight potential additional expense to a buyer. Thankfully, your local glazier should be able top resolve this quickly for a sensible cost.
- If your kitchen worktops are looking a bit tired, we recommend getting them replaced as it will give the whole kitchen a real lift. At the same time, you might consider updating the sink too, depending on its colour/finish. This is also a fantastic opportunity to clear the surfaces of excess items too!
- If you have children, pets – or both (!) it’s worthwhile getting your carpets cleaned (or even replaced) particularly in high traffic areas, such as the hall, living room and stairs. This improves their appearance, but will also help to remove any possible odours from our 4-legged friends
- Declutter! We know it’s easier said than done, but it will have a massive impact. If you haven’t got somewhere to store excessive items we can help as we have a local company who can remove and store your items for a reasonable fee.
Marketing your property
This is the fun bit! We are renowned for creative marketing campaigns that get us noticed and have contributed to us winning many awards. We also believe that marketing should be proactive, which is why we actively communicate with potential buyers and guarantee exposure online and in print, to get your property in front of as many people as possible.
Arranging viewings
Whether your property is marketed by Open House or individual viewings, we will try to give you as much notice as is possible for applicants to view your home, although some will always call on the off chance of seeing the property with very little notice. We recommend holding keys for such situations, so we don’t miss any opportunities. However, if we need to book viewings around a shift pattern or before 5, to avoid disturbing children’s routines, then we understand and will work with you to find the best time.
Accompanied viewings
We recommend that we show most buyers round, as applicants prefer this, and we tend to get better feedback. We are also trained to sell and will always try to highlight your property’s features. We also find that applicants are more honest with us and tend to provide an overly positive impression to owners, even if they don’t like a property, just to be polite.
Unfortunately, when you are selling a property, this is not always good news. Admittedly, this may be preferable to a direct, detailed breakdown of why someone may not buy your home, but it’s essential to understand what may be putting a buyer off so that we can relay this – and you can do something about it!
Our office is also open 7 days a week, so we can pick the best time to show buyers your home, which might avoid rush hour or school drop-off times.
Virtual viewings
Some applicants prefer a virtual viewing first; this may be down to geography if they live a significant distance away from your property, work or family constraints, health issues, or prefer to take a virtual tour to save time.
With our Giraffe 360° camera, we can take 360° video and high-definition photography of your property, avoiding the need for face-to-face viewings.
Receiving and accepting offers
Receiving offers
Often, a prospective buyer will contact us immediately if they wish to put in an offer. When this doesn't happen, we will always follow up with them to ask their opinion, or if there are any concerns we can overcome that might be holding them back. We will notify you of any offers both verbally and in writing.
We also "financially qualify" all our offers which means that our associated financial advisor will contact them to confirm their financial position. If they are cash buyers, we seek proof of funds to ensure they have the money too!
Accepting an offer
We research any potential buyers on your behalf so that you are fully aware of whether they are in a position to buy your property in the timeframe you would like. Should you accept an offer, we will prepare all the necessary documentation and confirm the sale price in writing to both the buyer and the seller.
At this stage, you will need to confirm your solicitor's details, who will undertake the conveyancing for you. If you don’t have a solicitor, then we can arrange a competitive quotation for you from a local or national firm. It typically takes up to 16 weeks, from the point of an offer being accepted to completion (the date you move!).
Exchanging contracts/completion
Exchanging contracts
Until you exchange contracts, there is no legal obligation to follow through with your property's sale (or purchase), even if you have accepted an offer. Your contract will detail the sale price, address and details of the transaction and penalties for not completing the purchase. A buyer will typically pay a 10% deposit on exchange, which is held by the solicitors, ahead of completion.
The exchange will only occur when the legal process has been completed, the contracts have been signed and a mortgage offer has been received (if applicable). A completion date is also agreed by all parties, just before you exchange.
Completion
It's the day that everyone is looking forward to as it's when everyone moves! The buyer and seller set a date for completing the sale of a property by mutual agreement. On the date agreed, the buyer's solicitor transfers the balance due to the seller's solicitor. Once these funds have cleared into the seller's bank account, we will release the keys to the buyer's new property, and they will be able to move in. However, this can happen anytime between 9 am and 5 pm, which means everyone is often on tenterhooks until we get confirmation from the solicitor.
Contact our sales team today for excellent advice and to get the ball rolling with your sale!