Property Selling Questions and Answers
We hope you find the questions and answers below useful.
They are all actual questions asked by our clients for which we've attempted to give the most accurate answers.
If there are any questions you have but can't see the answer below, please feel free to call us on:01904 790070
Q.Why use an Estate Agent at all? I could put up a board in my garden and save on the fee’s that Estate Agents charge.
A.Estate Agents have the experience and expertise to achieve the best price for your property and could save you £000’s of pounds by negotiating. They are the professionals; equally as important as achieving a sale, they will then manage your sale through to completion liaising with solicitors, surveyors etc.
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Q.I hate showing people around my home. I take it very personally if they do not like it.
A.Always let your agent do the viewing on your behalf, they can get a lot of information when they do the viewing and the buyer will probably be more honest with the agent because as you said your home is very personal. Remember to tell your agent what attracted you to your home when you bought it as 9 times out of 10 this is what will attract another buyer.
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Q.How can i make my home more appealing for a viewing?
A.Make sure things are spotless, get someone to take the children out to the park and the dog for a walk if you have any, de-clutter, make sure you have good lighting and fresh flowers always add a finishing touch.
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Q.I am looking to sell my house in the near future, my friends and family are advising me that I should use an Estate Agent that is really established in the area. As a new agent, what are your thoughts on this?
A.All I can say is have a few Estate Agents out. It is very personal selling a house. You have to be able to talk to your agent and trust them. You need to be confident they will do their best for you as a seller and achieve what you expect from your sale. You will instinctively know who is going to do the best job for you, trust your gut instinct do not be drawn in to the cheapest fee and highest valuation. Go with what you think is right.
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Q.We have had 4 agents out to value our property, there is a big difference in the fee that they are charging and the valuations that they have put on our property. We are totally confused as they are making some bad comments about each other . How do I decide who to use?
A.The right price to market the property is key but so is choosing the right agent. It is very unprofessional to talk about other agents in a negative way as we all have to work together at some stage and we all want what is best for our customer. As above trust your instinct, also talk to your friends and family as recommendation is still the best way to win customers. As a fairly new business we are finding this invaluable.
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Q.Is it possible to offer and complete on a property in 14 days?
A.Depending on your buyer’s position. For example if they need a mortgage and a survey, third parties are involved , co-operation is needed from all relevant parties you would probably struggle. However if you have a cash buyer who doesn’t need a survey and has a good solicitor it can be done.
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Q.Am I able to put an offer in on a property if I have not sold my property.
A.If your purchase is dependent on you achieving a sale on your property first, as an agent we would suggest you put in a low offer to register your interest. You will then be kept informed by the selling agent of any other interested parties, as you do not know what price you will achieve for your property until it is sold, put your offer in lower than you would be willing to go to.
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Q.I am buying a property for £625,000 the property has been down valued by £30,000. What should I do?
A.If you are a cash buyer or have a hefty deposit it is up to you and your financial advisor. You could also go back to the agent you are dealing with and see if anything can be negotiated to keep the sale together. The valuer’s opinion was given on the day it was valued, it could have been a month or a year ago, they are there to give a market value on the day. At this price it can be difficult as you are sure to get some differences in the value dependant on the valuer and the comparable evidence they have with them to obtain an asking price. Discuss options with third parties and hopefully the sale will go through. The property is worth what someone is prepared to pay and I think in the present market this is truer than ever.
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Q.I have an ongoing dispute with my neighbours and am at the end of my tether. I have decided I am going to have to move. I would prefer not to have for sale board as I think they will make things even worse. What are your thoughts on this?
A.Discuss with you agents as prospective buyers usually would need to know this. We would always advise to have a board as when we get enquiries from buyers the highest % of enquiries are usually from the boards.
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Q.I have a keen buyer who has offered me the asking price on my property which has been on the market for quite some time. I have had a number of other offers that have been lower and have turned them down. Do you think I should sell anyway and go stay with friends as I keep reading that house prices have gone up?
A.I am sure your agent will advise you to hold on to your buyer, get out and look at as many as possible. If you do not find anything and need to stay with friends ,you will be better placed to grab a bargain for yourself anyway as the tighter the chain the less chance of problems.
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Q.My husband has been offered another position at work which is a promotion for him, this will involve relocation to North Yorkshire as we need to be in a place with good transport links. York would be an ideal place to move to. Why is York such an expensive city?
A.There are a number of reasons why York is a little more expensive than surrounding area’s it has excellent rail links to London and good access to other major cities e.g. Leeds, Harrogate, etc. It also has some excellent schools and is a place of great historic beauty. All in all a fantastic place to live.
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Q.I have my property on the market with another agent, there has been lot’s of interest in the property and it has been sold 3 times and fallen through 3 times. A prospective buyer has taken a 3rd party to look at the property and they pointed out that there were some external cracks and may be an underlying problem. They have now pulled out of the sale. What should I do?
A.If the property has insurance on it and there is a problem it may be covered. If the property does not have insurance then I would recommend it is worth paying to have an independent survey done on the property. We are not surveyors and this is a very specialist field but this will give you some peace of mind. If this reason comes up again you will have the survey to back up any findings. The survey will also enable you to be realistic with your asking price when marketing allowing for any problems with the property and will help in negotiations with buyers.
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Q.How do I pick the right legal person to handle my proposed move?
A.I believe recommendation is always the best way to choose anything, we deal with a reputable conveyancing firm in York who we have regular dealings with and would highly recommend to our vendors and buyers. Your estate agent will more than likely have solicitors who they can put you in touch with but it is always wise to ring round a couple of others and then make your own mind up.
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Q.As you do not have a high street office, what do you think are the main advantages to your client’s.
A.My first call this morning was an e-mail enquiry from Right Move that was sent to us at 00.23 this morning which proves that people don’t just browse during the day, most people look on the internet first. We can also be competitive with our fee’s as we do not have the same overheads However the main benefit we have found is we have the flexibility to make ourselves more readily available to fit in with the customer whenever they need us. If that means 24/7, then so be it.