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Selling your house

Selling your house

Deciding to make a fresh start in a beautiful new home is something you may only do once in your lifetime, and we understand how important it is to get it right. While for some, the first step of the home-buying journey is searching for their dream home, many existing homeowners may be concerned about the process of selling their current property, and unsure of where to start.

Fortunately, choosing to buy new means that selling your current home may be more straightforward than you think. Our Express Mover scheme allows us to take care the of the selling process on your behalf, giving you peace of mind to focus on purchasing your dream Bellway home – while importantly, saving you hundreds of pounds on estate agent fees . Find out more about Express Mover here.

There are a number of things you may want to consider before marketing your current home. In order to get the best possible price for your property, it is worth making some small changes to make your home more appealing to potential buyers.

This guide is designed to help you to navigate the selling process, while offering some useful tips to help you on your way to collecting the keys for your brand new Bellway home.

First impressions count

Before you start, make sure to present your home in the best possible light. A fresh coat of paint will liven up tired rooms, and decluttering where possible will create brighter living spaces, encouraging potential buyers to feel at home. Don’t forget the exterior either: tidy the garden, mow the lawn, clean the windows and wash down the patio to impress any visitors. A small amount of effort can make a big difference when trying to sell your home.

Tidy up your finances

As well as tidying up your house, it’s important to make sure your finances are in order. Make a list of the costs involved in selling, and make sure you have budgeted accordingly. You will need to consider expenses such as estate agency fees, hiring a removal, and any administration costs. If you’re buying another property, surveys, stamp duty and potential early repayment fees on your existing mortgage are all things to think carefully about.

The selling process

Once your home and finances are in good order, it’s time to start considering the steps involved in selling your home. The points below can give you an idea of what to expect during the selling process:

Finding an estate agent

Although you can sell your property yourself, most people employ the services of an expert. Find estate agents by searching online, asking friends and relatives for their recommendations, or by contacting agencies in your area. Obtain valuations of your current property from several companies before choosing the one that suits you. Take into account the prices of similar properties that have sold in your street, and in your local area.

Consider your options

The valuations of your current home may have been similar from different agents, but be sure to check agency fees and what services are included within them, as well as notice periods, terms and conditions, and any exclusive offers. If the valuations you receive are very different, then it is sensible to choose one in the middle range. As well as estate agents local to you, you might want to consider online estate agents – which generally cost less – selling at an auction, or selling your house yourself.

Advertising your home

Once instructed to sell your property, the estate agent will arrange for photographs to be taken of your home, and produce a description to accompany them. The information will be displayed within the estate agency, as well as on its website, often in local newspapers and generally on property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla. It is your responsibility to provide an energy performance certificate for your home. You can choose to show potential buyers around yourself, or ask the estate agent to handle viewings.

Choosing a solicitor

If you decide to engage an estate agency, the company may well recommend a solicitor it has links with, but you are by no means obliged to accept this recommendation. Ask friends and relatives who they used for conveyancing and obtain quotations from several firms with a detailed breakdown of what is included in each.

Receiving offers

You may be in the enviable position of receiving several offers for your home and if so, which offer should you accept? This may not necessarily be the highest offer, depending on your circumstances and how quickly you wish to move. First-time buyers and those who have already sold their property are in a better position to proceed quickly than potential purchasers who still have to sell, or who are in a chain.

Accepting an offer

Once you have accepted an offer, just how quickly the sale progresses depends on several factors, including whether you are now part of a chain, your solicitor and the buyer’s solicitor. It can take anything from six weeks to several months to conclude a sale so keep the lines of communication open. If there are holdups, or you have any questions about the process, then check if there’s anything you can do to speed things up – is your solicitor waiting on paperwork from you? Ensuring you have all the documents that may be required to hand from the outset could avoid delays.

Exchanging contracts and completion

Upon exchange of contracts you can breathe a sigh of relief – your buyer has paid a deposit and cannot now back out of the sale without a financial penalty. The final step of the selling process is called completion, and this usually happens within two weeks of exchange. In simple terms, this is the transfer of ownership from you to your buyer. Congratulations, you’re now ready to purchase your beautiful new Bellway home.

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