Guide to Selling Your Own Home in The New Year

Guide to Selling Your Own Home in the New Year

 The New Year is a time many people look to start the process of selling their home so that they have a nice home to move into around spring time. Many people assume that using an agent is necessary to sell one’s home, especially in the current housing market. However, this is not the case. Selling your own home without an agent can be more complicated, but it is possible if you follow certain steps.

Why Sell Without an Agent?

While an agent handles a great deal of the home selling footwork for you, there is one good reason to sell without one: finances. An estate agent will charge a fee, usually a percentage of the home’s price, once the home is sold. Many people decide to save this money by selling their own home with an online solution.

Preparing for the Market

The first step to selling your own home is to prepare for the market. De-clutter and move extra belongings and furniture to storage. A tidy and uncluttered home looks larger and more pleasing to buyers. Second, make any necessary repairs. Focus on inexpensive repairs that will increase the home’s visual appeal: painting the interior, planting flowers in the garden, etc. Ask a friend to honestly assess your home’s appeal. In addition, home sellers must provide an Energy Performance Certificate that tells potential buyers about the home’s energy usage and costs.

Focus on Marketing

The next step is to get the word out about your home. There are many ways to do this: social media, advertisements in newspapers, and more. Many people choose to use a business such as The House Shop, which specializes in marketing homes and estates. Nick Marr our resident expert says, “Our direct sales service is an effective and recognised alternative. We aim to help home owners by allowing them to take more control while at the same time saving them money.” Because marketing is one of the most important aspects of selling a home, many home sellers choose to let an expert handle this.

Accepting an Offer

Once you have an offer and have decided to accept it, you must draw up legal paperwork including a contract that transfers ownership. There are many templates for this that can be found on the internet; alternately, many sellers decide to let an attorney handle this step. Once the contracts are exchanged, the house has officially been sold. If the property was sold for certain amounts, a Stamp Duty Land Tax will need to be paid. As a bonus Stamp Duty has now gone down for most people so you could say even more.

Selling one’s own home is a cheaper alternative to using an estate agent, even if the home owner decides to use a company such as ours and a paid solicitor. Many people find that the small amount of time involved in selling one’s own home is worth the savings.