Guide To Selling

You know your house is special, but when selling it, you have to convince potential purchasers to see it in the same way. For over 35 years, we have been successfully selling property across Liverpool. Our prolific board presence is testament to our success and ability to provide vendors with accurate, reliable advice.

Through a blend of print and digital advertising, we ensure every property in our care receives maximum exposure to the market place, with an aim of attracting a buyer quickly and achieving the best price possible.

The following is a quick guide to selling your house:

• Obtain multiple valuations
• Appoint your preferred agent
• Preparation of marketing literature
• Obtain an EPC
• Arrange an appointment with mortgage advisor
• Agree a sale
• Instruct your solicitor
• Up to exchange of contracts
• Complete the sale

Obtain Multiple Valuations

Vendors should obtain a minimum of two-three valuations from reputable agents in their area. These are free and carry no obligation.  During the valuation, enquire about the agents marketing proposal, fee structure and track record for selling in your area.  Ensure you and your home are protected by instructing a professionally accredited agent, who are members of the NAEA or similar.

Appoint Your Preferred Agent

Instruct your preferred agent, providing them with sole selling rights for a fix period. Upon signing an agency contract with a tie in clause (standard practise with most agents), you will not be able to instruct another agent during the contract period and if you do, both agent fees will become payable. 

Preparation Of Marketing Literature

As your chosen agent, we will arrange a convenient time to visit your home to take a selection of photographs for marketing purposes. We will also prepare detailed text that describes your property which, once approved by you, will be used in brochures, online listings, and adverts, to promote your property.

Obtain An EPC

As your agent, we can organise this on your behalf. An energy assessor will need to visit your home to perform the necessary inspections needed to produce an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). This should take approximately 45mins. It is now a legal requirement for all properties to have a valid EPC in place before it can be marketed for sale or let. The cost of EPCs vary depending on the provider, but there are always good deals around. We package our EPC up with 3d floor plans, providing extra value to our clients. 

Arrange An Appointment With A Qualified Mortgage Advisor

If you are selling your property with a view to buying another one, it is advised that you speak to a qualified mortgage advisor to find out which price range you should be searching in, and what mortgage deals are currently available that meet your requirements. We offer free mortgage advice, delivered by qualified mortgage advisors. To obtain an instant quote click here (link to mortgage brain search)

Agree A Sale

It is your agents job to achieve the best price possible for your property in the shortest period of time. As a proactive agent, we actively search for potential buyers, pushing your property to our vast mailing list, regularly advertising it in print and online, and negotiating well on your behalf. As we start to generate offers from interested buyers, we will want to discuss the following with you:

• The price that has been offered.
• Whether the potential buyer is in a chain. Often, when a buyer is part of a chain, the sale can progress more slowly whilst they wait to complete on the sale of their own property. From this respect, selling to a first-time buyer, an investor, or a vendor who has already sold their property, can sometimes be faster.
• Your position and how soon you are looking to move.
• Whether you should accept the offer. Ultimately, it is your decision however, we will provide you with our professional opinion to help guide you.

Once you have accepted the offer, we will contact the buyer with the good news and start preparing the paperwork. The buyer will be asked to produce some form of personal identification to meet the requirements of money laundering legislation, and proof of their funding to assure us of their financial position. If there is a chain involved, we will contact the estate agent handling the sale to check on its progress so that we have an understanding of the timescales we are all working towards.

Up To Exchange Of Contracts

We will put your solicitor in contact with the buyer's solicitor, so that they can commence work on drawing up the contracts. You will be issued with the memorandum of sale, which introduces all parties to one another and includes details of the agreed selling price and any other terms that may have also been agreed.

The buyer and their mortgage lender will then carry out any valuations and surveys they deem necessary on the building. This stage can take a little while as queries are often raised, which is very normal. We will ensure that you are kept up-to-date with proceedings and will continue to liaise with all parties on your behalf, endeavouring to move things along as quickly as possible.

Once everything is agreed, you are ready to exchange contracts and set a completion date. This is the date on which the money for the property will be transferred and the property legally changes hands.

Normally, the completion date will be set two weeks after exchange to allow both parties time to make arrangements for moving, but it can be made sooner. You should inform us of where you plan to leave your keys, or leave a set with us so that we can hand them over to the buyer on your behalf.

Once you formally exchange contracts, you are legally obliged to sell the property to your chosen buyer, and they are obliged to complete the purchase.  

Complete The Sale

You will normally receive a phone-call from your solicitor or us to inform you that everything has gone through smoothly. This means, both parties' mortgages have been paid off and new arrangements put in place, the solicitors have successfully arranged the legal transfer, and the property now belongs to the buyer.

Enjoy Your New Home