Our Advice for Sellers

Unfortunately, we’ve heard of many broken-hearted buyers over the years who weren’t in a position to proceed with a purchase as their property wasn’t under offer or even on the market. This can be described as a chicken and egg situation: do you find a property to buy first or find a buyer for your property first?

We strongly suggest you start by doing some research to see if the type of property you are looking to buy exists and is within your price range. Assuming it is, you should then place your property onto the market. Once you have a firm offer from a suitable buyer, you will be in a strong position and seen by most sellers as a good and worthy buyer.

Don’t underestimate the amount of time it will take you to find your new home and then go through the legal formalities. Even after you have found something to buy and had an offer accepted, on average it take about 12 weeks from an offer being accepted to collecting the keys

The first step is the market appraisal to assess what your property is worth. This can be booked calling us on 020 7226 0626, clicking on request a valuation or by simply popping into the office.

We will conduct the market appraisal at a time that suits you (or your tenants, if your property is currently rented out). Naturally, all conversations will be strictly confidential.

Following the market appraisal, we will provide you with a marketing plan, information on comparable sales and outline all legal requirements.

Once you have instructed us to sell your property, you will need to provide us with your anti-money laundering documents and sign our terms of business.

We will then have professional photographs taken of your property and arrange for RICS certified floorplans to be prepared. We will then provide you with a set of draft property particulars for your approval. Once you have confirmed you are happy with the particulars, we will place your property on the market. Your property will be immediately listed on our website as well as the major property internet portal such as Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket and Primelocation.

We will also inform our database of buyers that your property has come to the market. We have great presence in the local area and as we are located on Upper Street, we have significant foot flow passing our office. This will be beneficial when we display your property in our window.

It is a legal requirement that there is an EPC for your property. This is a standardised document that ranks your property’s energy efficiency. EPCs are valid for 10 years, and we can check if one already exists for the property. If no valid EPC exists, we can arrange for one to be obtained on your behalf (at your cost).

Before placing a property onto the market, you must either have an EPC or have made an application for one. The only exception to this is if your property is a Grade II listed building but we can guide you.

You only get one chance to create a first impression and as my mum would say: ‘First impressions count!’ Once Neilson Bauer has been instructed to market your property, we offer a free one-hour consultancy with our in-house property ‘doctor’ who will provide helpful tips and guidance on how to show your home in the best possible light.

To ensure you make the right first impression, we would advise you to look at your entire home with a critical eye including the entrance, hallways and outdoor areas.

We would ask you to provide us with a good key (and not the tricky one that you loathe to use). Once again, it’s about ensuring we work together to create the right impression.

It’s said that most buyers make up their minds within the first ten seconds of entering a property, so creating the right first impression really is crucial.

All sales staff will visit and get to know your home before we start viewing. This allows us to show with confidence.

Although you’re moving, you may wish to take out the paint brush and give the property a touch up, if required. It’s amazing what a lick of paint can do in terms of revitalising your property. Carpets might also benefit from steam cleaning.

If you have a glorious garden, you might wish to dress your garden table with plates and crockery and even some glasses and a bottle of wine. After all, who doesn’t love al fresco dining? People aren’t just buying into your home; they are buying into a lifestyle.

If possible, try to create as much floor space as possible. This may even require some things going into storage. Although it may seem like a burden, this can significantly enhance your chances of a sale by offering clear sight of the features your home offers.

We appreciate that life can be hectic and there never seems to be enough time, so DIY and repairs are often put to one side. But if you’re looking to achieve the best possible price, we would strongly recommend implementing some or all of the above.

If your property is rented and your tenants aren’t too house proud, you may wish consider getting a cleaner to pop round once a week before viewings. This is something Neilson & Bauer can arrange for you.

The best light! If you have a west facing garden, we advise conducting viewings towards the end of the day when there is a beautiful sunset to gaze at. Light is one of the most important factors buyers take into consideration.

Neilson & Bauer will ensure all professional photographs are taken when the property is shown in its best light. We will also have the images updated as the seasons change, if necessary.

If your property is leasehold, you should inform your freeholder/managing agents that you’re planning to sell. This can help speed up the process as they can prepare the leaseholder’s management pack in preparation for the legal formalities.

We strongly advise you not to be lured into a “premier property internet solicitor” who charges a fraction of the usual price. As they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Neilson & Bauer can recommend solicitors who we have worked with in the past and proved their merit.

When it comes to obtaining the best possible price on your home, we have the expertise on hand to help achieve this. We offers our sellers an hour’s free advice from our in-house property ‘doctor’ and renowned interior designer.

Call us on 020 7226 0626 and ask for James, Graham or Don, else email us using our first name and then @neilsonbauer.com or click request a valuation and we will ring you back. Remember, we are happy to come for a chat to help and give best advice. It might be that you are thinking about next year and not today, dont worry, we are happy to help you get your future properly planned.