Consumer Advice April 2010
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How to sell your house online
Spring is
traditionally the time when people who are considering moving
house, start seriously looking and it's predicted that more
people will be taking the plunge this year after last April's
low-price trough. If you're thinking about selling, why not cut
out the middleman and sell online? You could save yourself
£000s in estate agent fees which takes a bit of the sting out
of the whole process. If you sold for £150,000 through an
estate agent for example, you would pay over £2,500 in
commission at 1.5%. Here's how to do it:
- You won't have to pay estate agent fees but you will need time and effort to sell your home yourself. You'll have to take good pics of the place, make appointments, show people round and deal directly with offers and negotiations.
- You'll need to set the price at the right level. You don't want to do yourself out of money but you don't want to put people off by going too high so have a look at what similar local properties have sold for on a site like www.nethouseprices.com (you don't need to pay for this information, so don't use a site that charges). Add £10k or so more than the minimum you're happy with to allow room for negotiation.
- If you want to dip your toe in the water why not list your property on a free site like www.homesonsale.co.uk. Add a description and up to five photos and list for up to a year.
- For a more indepth service www.behoused.co.uk should have what you're after. For a one-off fee of £99, whatever the size of your property, you'll have it listed for as long as you like with as many images as you want, a professional for-sale board, your own behoused email address and professional, printable details. Or try www.thelittlehousecompany.co.uk. It has packages from only £89 and up to £415 for the all-in-one package, which includes listing on different property sites and the home information pack, see below. It recently announced that sales in January this year were up 26% on January 2009.
- However you sell, you need to keep your home spick and span ready for people to view. Don't forget how it looks from the outside - the kerb appeal - maybe the gate and front door need a lick of paint and the front garden could do with a quick tidy to make it look more inviting.
- Space appointments out and give everyone who views time and attention as you show them round - and don't be put off by any negative comments.
- If someone makes an offer, you need to ask a few questions about where they're at - are they ready to move, is it a cash sale, do they have a mortgage in place - all these things could affect what you're happy to accept. If the offer's lower than you'd like, ask for their reasons and try to negotiate and don't go below your own set minimum. Don't be forced into a decision, call them back if you need time to think.
- Once you've accepted an offer you'll need a solicitor to carry out the conveyancing. Itemise extras like appliances that you've agreed to include in the sale or any the buyer will buy separately. Give these to the solicitor along with contact details for both parties and a date you'd like contracts to be exchanged by - six weeks is realistic for straightforward sales. It's wise to keep the property listed online until completion; if anything goes wrong, it saves you starting all over again.
- If it all sounds like too much to do yourself, then there is the online estate agent option. With a fixed fee of £299 +VAT www.mypropertyforsale.co.uk will market your property. One of its agents will visit the property, take photos and write details, which are featured on the Right Move property site as well as its own. Staff also handle all calls so this could be the ideal middle route.
- Don't forget your HIP By law you need to have your home information pack done before you start marketing your home. Go local or find a company online - www.fridaysmove.com offers them from only £95.
Q&As
How much for
home fuel?
Q. I know there are some good deals on gas and electricity
at the moment but can't seem to get a clear comparison on some
of the so-called comparison sites. How can I tell what I'd
actually pay?
A. It can be hard to tell exactly but you'll get the best idea by knowing what you're using now. Firstly, select the correct details about your current supplier, who they are and which of their tariffs you're on. Then see if you can work out how many kWh of each service you've used in the last year, you might need to gather your last few bills and add them up or call your current provider to work it out for you. Failing this, add up what your gas and electricity have actually cost you - not how much you've paid by Direct Debit, as this is may be slightly different at the very least.
You'll get a better deal if you pay by monthly Direct Debit and handle your account online and you'll probably find it's cheaper to get both services from the same provider - dual fuel. Bear in mind too, that some suppliers don't get listed on the comparison sites so you may want to search online generally as well as on one or more of the comparison sites. Try www.uswitch.com and www.moneysupermarket.com.
Easy-to-grow
veg
Q. I'm a bit of a novice gardener and want to grow some
veg this year. I've seen you can buy plug plants and wonder if
you think these are worth paying the extra for as they'd make
it so much easier...
A. Some veg are so cheap and easy to grow from seed why pay out for plants? Last month there was a big outcry about carrot plug plants that worked out at £1.09 each; as you get one carrot per plant, they were expensive carrots! Buy a packet of seed for just over £1.50 and you have the potential for around 500 carrots. On the other hand, veg such as leeks and celery are slow growing and need more care from seed, so it's easier to buy those as young plants. Don't delay though or it will be too late to plant this year. Have a look at www.garden4less.co.uk; www.suttons.co.uk and www.thompson-morgan.com.
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