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Are you thinking of moving in the New Year?

Here are some tips from Rightmove for choosing an agent and setting the sale price for your home......

The housing market is busy, so this might be the right time to take advantage of the momentum and put your own home on the market.  There are record numbers of homebuyers looking right now, so make sure you give yourself the best chance of attracting them – and getting the best price for your property.

Choose the right estate agent

If you haven’t had your property valued yet, get that booked in as soon as possible. We recommend you get at least two agents around to value your home, choosing the right agent for you is super important.

Here’s a list to help you know what to look for:

• How experienced are they in your area?
• Have they successfully sold properties similar to yours recently?
• When it comes to the fee the agent charges, usually the most important things to keep in mind are:
1. The amount of money the house sells for: the sold price minus the agent’s fee.
2. How quickly the sale will happen.

In other words, going with an agent who charges slightly less commission, but ends up taking much longer to sell your property – and then achieving a lower price – may be false economics. Dealing with an estate agent who provides a great service, is responsive and proactive will make a huge difference to the whole experience and will most likely get your house sold faster.

Get the price right

Don’t be swayed by the agent promising the highest price for your home. It’s tempting, but if you end up over-pricing the property, it will only prolong the process, and you’ll have to reduce the price further down the line anyway. A recent study we carried out found that you were twice as likely to sell your home if it sold based on the first listed asking price. Instead, ask the agent why they recommend that asking price.