Free Guide to Selling Property Privately
Private House Sales
Welcome to the MoveWise guide to private house sales. In our unique market place we are able to benefit from a number of selling options, giving choice and best of all flexibility when it comes to putting property on the market.
This guide provides an honest approach to the private house sales process, giving you the best advice available for getting the most out of the online marketing process. More and more people are taking ownership of their private house sale. Here at MoveWise, we highlight the simplicity of the process and leave property sellers with an alternative selling option designed to save the average person thousands of pounds in estate agent fees!
WHY SHOULD I SELL MY PROPERTY ONLINE?
Many people are simply unaware that you can sell your own home, and without the need for an estate agent. The sheer numbers of people who now have internet access is staggering, with well over 14 million homes in the UK alone. This has contributed to the fact that over 80% of property searches now begin online. In short, it’s vital for your property for sale to be showcased online in order to reach the widest possible audience, and achieve the maximum exposure possible. With the popularity of internet usage a growing entity, the number of online property searches is set to increase even further. So, if your property is advertised online and on the leading property websites, then potential buyers will see it. Your private house for sale will be listed on fish4homes, home.co.uk, primemove.com, google, sky active, virgin media and many more....
CAN I USE AN ESTATE AGENT AS WELL FOR MY PRIVATE HOUSE SALE?
Of course you can! Many people have done, and it can be beneficial to the private house sale, as the two parties are actively seeking buyers for their property. The only contract that would mean you have to pay an estate agent if you sell your own property is a “sole selling rights” contract. Using MoveWise can also give an estate agent that extra bit of incentive to finding a buyer, but you run the risk of having to pay them commission if they find the buyer so it’s worth weighing it up.
HOW WILL A POTENTIAL BUYER CONTACT ME?
In the case of using an estate agent, the potential buyer would normally contact that agent to arrange a viewing. The agent would then contact the seller to discuss times, and then they would call the potential buyer back to confirm this time. The agent would then contact the seller again to confirm that the potential buyer has agreed a time. Depending on the opening hours times of the estate agency, and the availability of the buyer, this can be a long process. In our opinion, it shouldn’t be that complicated to arrange a viewing. It saves so much time if the buyer can communicate directly with the seller. Also, the property seller can also get a good idea of who they are going to be showing around their home. At MoveWise, you will be given your own private message centre so buyers can get in direct touch with you straight away. You can also choose to have a telephone number of your choice, or an 0870.. number linking to your phone, printed on our For Sale Boards.
HOW DO I GET MY PROPERTY LISTED ONLINE?
It is so easy to do, and MoveWise make it even simpler with our 3-stage process.
1) Select either the Mayfair or Park Lane package that best suits your needs, and add any other selling tools that you require.
2) Upload your property description and the photos of your property.
3) Activate and confirm your online listing.
It couldn’t be easier! Your private house sale is now listed online and showcased in front of over 2 million property hunters a month!
NB. Unlike some other "sell your own home" websites, MoveWise actively target private house sale buyers and not just private property sellers. This way, the sellers can rest assured that we at MoveWise are improving the exposure of your private house sale at every turn.
WHO HANDLES THE LEGAL SIDE OF THINGS?
Estate agents have consistently and continually created a smokescreen over the business of selling property. They project themselves as the only option to selling property, and of course, they are only doing their job in trying to make money. It is in their best interest to put people off conducting their own private house sale.
The estate agent does not handle the legalities of a property sale. The solicitors of both parties do all this. Private property sellers can liaise with their solicitor directly saving even more time for all involved. At MoveWise we offer everyone a special rate conveyancing quote from the UK’s largest conveyancing firm to make this process as easy as possible. Please see our Home Mover Services section.
DO I NEED AN ESTATE AGENT?
If you want someone to conduct the viewings and liaise with the buyers then yes, but their service comes at a premium. The average fee that an estate agent requires for their service is around £5,000! When you break it down to what they actually do for this money, you’ll be amazed at how simple their job is. After all, you don’t even need any qualifications to be an estate agent. This is the reason why there are so many of them on the high streets of our towns and cities: - it’s easy money! But, it’s our easy money, and it’s high time we did something about it! If you can arrange a viewing, show a buyer around your house or apartment (which you know best) and agree a sales price (which you have to do anyway) you are perfect for the job. So why not try a private house sale?
“Last year, a record number of complaints were made about estate agents who are seen as one of the most disliked professions in Britain.”
WHO CAN USE MOVEWISE?
Anyone who wants to save themselves ££thousands of pounds in estate agent fees can MoveWise and make their own private house sale. An estate agent would do some of the work for you, e.g., sometimes showing people round the property, and writing the description, but do they really do anything that can’t be done easily by ourselves? No, they don’t. You still have to make all of the decisions, prepare your home for the viewings and liaise with the solicitors. So, if you want to save thousands and be in charge of your own private house sale then MoveWise will help you promote your property by providing an online presence a professional For Sale Board (installed if requested) and offering free advice along the way. You don’t even need any computer knowledge as we can upload your photographs and property description for you – free of charge! However, the MoveWise website has been carefully designed to be the most user–friendly that it can possibly be, so help should not be required to add the necessary details of your private house sale.
HOW QUICKLY CAN I SELL MY PROPERTY WITH MOVEWISE?
Your property for sale listing is instantly added to the MoveWise website, and is instantly viewable by property hunters. A short time later (within 24 hours), and your property for sale will be listed on our affiliates websites too. This gives you a combined online exposure to over millions of property hunters every single month. You could literally receive enquiries the same day you upload your private house sale details, and then let the viewings commence!
The speed of your private house sale depends on a number of factors, some are out of your control, e.g., popularity of the location, availability of local amenities etc. Other factors are within your control such as the presentation of the property, the price, and level of exposure. There are many things that can be done to make your property stand out and be quickly saleable. We have a comprehensive guide to selling property “Professional Home Seller’s Guide”, which is absolutely free to our customers. You can also monitor the progress of the sale via the MoveWise buyer feedback feature, and make necessary changes to your private house sale as a result of that feedback if it is required. You will rarely get useful and honest feedback from an estate agent as you are their customer, and they want to keep you happy, and therefore they can have a tendency to rose-tint the feedback that a viewer has given. This is all very nice, but the truth is needed, as it is the best tool available for improving saleability of any property. Constructive feedback is invaluable, and you have direct access to the buyers to gain this crucial information.
Have a conveyancer in place. We have carefully selected the biggest name in conveyancing on the Market – Hammonds Direct, who carry out over 6000 successful conveyancing transactions every month. We have specially negotiated rates with Hammonds for all of our customers. See our Home Mover Services Section for more details. Having a conveyancing firm in place will help you to speed up the process when you’ve received an offer for your private house sale. Keep the lines of communication open between you, the buyer and the conveyancer. This will ensure that every aspect is actioned immediately and will reduce the possibility of delays. Don’t forget to check your private house sale listing and make the necessary changes as and when required. Look at the way other properties are described and mirror the language used. MoveWise carry out spot checks on our listings, but we can’t check them all so please make sure your listing is the best it can be. It has been shown that the average time to sell a house through an estate agent is 3 months compared to the less than 2 months it takes on average with a private house sale.
HOW ARE POTENTIAL VIEWERS VETTED?
MoveWise offer a unique secure viewings option for our customers to benefit from. This feature is great for additional peace of mind and will help to allay any fears that you might have about showing people around your property. It’s so simple – we’re surprised that no one else has thought of it! All you do is print off an appointment card, (available to all of our customers), fill it in, and add a unique code that only you know to the bottom of the card. You then post it to the viewer’s address and make sure that they bring it with them to the appointment. That way you can be sure that the person coming to view your private house sale has access to the address that they gave. You may of course find this an unnecessary process, and of course you don’t have to use it. It can be helpful for any person who may feel vulnerable, giving them extra peace of mind. Estate agents often claim that they vet all interested parties prior to setting up a viewing. In reality, this is rarely the case and what actually happens is that they take the person’s name, address and phone number. Obviously, all of this information can be falsely provided, but it would be fair to say that this is not an area in which scaremongery has a real place. Lets face it, if a person wanted to deceptively gain access to a property, they would find a way in a whole host of scenarios. The best advice is to either use our secure viewings system for added peace of mind, or ensure that the viewing is conducted with more than one adult, and during the daytime. Make sure that the person(s) identify themselves before you let them in.
HOW EASY IS THE WHOLE PROCESS?It’s so easy to set up with MoveWise that all you need to do is covered in 3 easy steps. To recap they are as follows:
1) Select either the Mayfair or Park Lane package that best suits your needs, and add any other selling tools that you require.
2) Upload your property description and the photos of your private house sale.
3) Activate your online listing!
It couldn’t be easier! You can also speak to our customer services team if you need any assistance via our freephone telephone, fax or email and our aim is to respond within 1 working day. When you’re happy with the look and description of your listed property, simply pay to activate your account and the online promotion has begun! Take a look at our optional extras and look at even more ways to improve your private property's exposure.
QUICK SUMMARY - MOVEWISE PRIVATE HOUSE SALES
1. Set up your online listing in 3 easy steps.
2. Save thousands of pounds in estate agent’s commission.
3. Manage your private house sale yourself – putting you in control.
4. Use the MoveWise service alongside an estate agent if you prefer.
5. Showcase your home to over 2 million property hunters a month on the MoveWise site and on our partner sites, e.g. Fish4homes, HotProperty, Home, PrimeMove and others.
We hope you have found this guide useful, and wish you every success with your private house sale.
