As an owner, you must ensure you have all your documentation in place prior to going on the market. As your Estate Agent, we are legally bound to adhere to Money Laundering Regulations, so this will mean verifying your identification, ideally a passport, driving licence and proof of address dated in the last three months. If you are selling a property on behalf of someone, we will also require their identification and power of attorney. Should you circumstances present an alternative situation, we can best advise you of all the documents we need to ensure we are selling your property correctly. Ideally, at the point we are placing your property on the market, we would like you to be “SALE READY” we work alongside a company called Gazeal, they supply the documents your solicitors require prior to starting the conveyancing process. We ask you to complete this prior to the house going to the market, this is for 2 reasons. Firstly it provides us as your agent with all the information about the property, this will give us greater skills when discussing or showing your property to potential clients. It will also help as once you have agreed an offer, as soon as a memorandum of sale is sent to both solicitors, they can send the draft contracts immediately, ensuring the sales process will move quicker.

As a vendor, you may be selling a property for several reasons. Upsizing, change of location, selling off assets, probate, the reason for your sale is important. Firstly, it is good to ensure you have a solicitor quote prior to coming on the market, to enable budgeting during the initial negotiation stage, however, once you have instructed a solicitor and provided the basic information from the Gazeal documentation, they can also advise you of any additional paperwork that might be required. It is important to be prepared for this, as you don’t want to be in a situation that will delay a sale once you have secured a purchaser. If you are purchasing another property it is also important to ensure you budget for Stamp duty, the charges vary dependent on ownership, if you own a single property or multiple properties the costs can vary quite dramatically and being prepared for this is very important. The other factor to consider is mortgages, if you require a new mortgage, speak with an independent mortgage advisor, the headlines have been very dramatic over the last few months, however, speaking with a good mortgage advisor could be the key to saving hundreds of pounds every month. We work with Capricorn Financial Management, if you would like to speak with them, please do let me know.

At Moreland Estate Agents, we have been trading in Golders Green and covering the surround areas for over 30 years, we know the local market very well! We will advise you on the best price for your property. This won’t be a figure simply plucked out of thin air, we complete comprehensive research. This will include an overview on what the current market conditions are, how properties have been negotiated over the last few months and general feedback about the market place from other buyers. We will also check the condition of the property and factor in the potential cost of works, if renovations are required, as this will affect your asking price. Comparable evidence is also very important, we will assess other similar properties, include the “sale agreed” price or “sold” price and compare price per square ft, to come to a good estimate of the property value. When Edward or I come to visit, we will supply a range of values. For example, should the comparable evidence suggest your property is worth in the region of £925,000. The range we might suggest will be £900,000 - £950,000. Deciding an asking price will depend on your situation. The lower your asking price, the higher level of viewings will be achieved, this puts us in a stronger position to negotiate. However, we also appreciate some vendors will like to test the market place, especially if the property is quite unique. Should you market your property at the higher end of the guide provided, we will conduct a review within 21 days of being on the market, to ensure the correct levels of interest are being achieved.

We will provide full advice as to how to present your property, We complete professional photography, virtual tour and video viewing tour, so the house must be as tidy as possible. If a property requires renovation, it is easier if it is cleared in full and empty so potential clients can see they full potential of the property. Each house or apartment will be on a case by case basis, so the best advice is to ask us to visit the property and we will provide you with full advice. The second part of presentation is the external areas. Ensure the house has kerb appeal, remove the weeds, cut the grass and clean the patio. If you are in a block of apartments, ensure the communal areas are tidy, post is organised and floors are hoovered. First impressions are very important.

When the day arrives for your viewings, make sure the house is presented to the same standard of the professional photographs, hide all the clutter…..clean the bathroom etc. The viewing is important, make sure you provide good first impressions and allow us as your agent to sell the lifestyle of living in your home.

We hope the information above is helpful. Should you require any further information, my best advice is to call us and book in for a market appraisal, we can provide more specific advice about your property and advise you of the best tools to achieve a sale and the best price. For more information please contact myself, James Halford at Moreland Estate Agents on 07970 566205 or 0208 731 1711.