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De-clutter

If you are to maximise your price, it is more important than ever to ensure that  your property is a highly saleable proposition, rather than one that makes another house look good by comparison.

Of course, there are several basics that should be in place. The price needs to be as attractive as the décor, and you should aim to be flexible on things like fixtures, viewing times and completion dates. You also need to be with a pro-active estate agency – not just one who simply lists your house and then waits for the market to deliver a buyer to your door.

But there are other things that you can do, which can have a significant bearing on whether a buyer will purchase your property instead of the one down the street.

A recent survey supports our own view that clutter in an otherwise charming property can thwart an early sale. Over 76% of estate agents questioned said that de-cluttering your home is among the top three most important things a seller can do, and is an inexpensive way of dramatically increasing the perception of space. 68% of agents said that a thorough interior clean was important, followed by 48% who said that the garden should be tidied.

If you have lived in your property for a while, you can become oblivious to what is clutter and what is an asset to the presentation of the property. So it’s a good idea to ask a friend to help you sort the wheat from the chaff, and we are of course happy to offer straight-talking good advice if required.

But don’t just bung your superfluous possessions it in the garage. Why not be rigorous and take a few carloads to one of our local charity shops? It can be a liberating exercise as well as a social benefit! 

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Summer time

When the weather is good, there’s no beating the great summer weather . It’s the time for enjoying barbecues, outdoor entertaining, children splashing in the paddling pool and balmy evenings.
However, because there is never any guarantee of really hot weather, British households tend not to have air conditioning, unlike some other countries where sweltering summers are generally guaranteed. So when things hot up, we tend to revert to our manual air-conditioning system – we open the windows!

The problem is that we often forget to close them again, or we deliberately leave them open night and day, providing a perfect opportunity for burglars and opportunists to pounce. Indeed, insurance companies report a 21% increase in claims following an unforced entry during the summer months. Small easily-snatched items such as handbags, car keys, mobile phones and jewellery are among the most popular thefts; lucrative for the thief and really, really, annoying to lose. Burglars can be in and out of a property in seconds, often whilst unsuspecting occupants are in the garden or watching television in another room.

To add insult to injury, insurance companies will not usually honour a claim for such theft unless the homeowner has “taken reasonable steps to prevent loss or damage”. An open window is an invitation to a burglar and hardly demonstrates the reasonable care demanded by insurers.

There are obvious yet often overlooked ways of avoiding the anxiety of a summer theft, such as:

  • Never leave front doors or windows open or unlocked when you are at the back of your property or in the garden.
  • Never leave valuables on windowsills.
  • Use restrictors on windows so they can only be opened part-way.
  • Regularly review your home insurance needs.
  • Support your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme.
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Is it worth extending?

We are often invited to advise local homeowners on the expected “uplift” in the value of their property if they make certain alterations.

On the surface, it is logical to assume that an extension will add significant value to your property, and this is often the case, especially post-pandemic. However, we would urge caution when justifying the cost of improvements versus the expected increase in value.

There is little point in improving your property unless it significantly increases its saleability. In other words, once extended, will more people want to buy it, and if so will they pay substantially more than the combined cost of the unimproved property plus the cost of improvements?

The key questions to ask are “will there be a good balance of living to sleeping accommodation?” and “will the property be elevated into the next category of buyer?” For example, it is generally better to add a loft extension to a two bedroom cottage than it is to add a conservatory. This is because the three bedroom property will now appeal to the wider family market, whereas a two bedroom house with a conservatory will still only appeal to its original two-bedroom market.

Likewise, it is not always a good idea to become the biggest/best house in the street and the average price in the area can have a moderating effect on the value of yours.

One thing is for certain – the larger the pool of buyers, the higher the price, and the better the sale.

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November checks

Household emergencies generally occur during the depths of winter, but we recommend that homeowners undertake a pre-winter checklist now to prevent unforeseen property headaches in the months to come, especially remembering last year’s weather! Here are some pointers:

  • Don’t wait until the really cold weather arrives to discover that the central heating is not working. Time your central heating to click on for one minute a day throughout the year to avoid it seizing.
  • A sudden cold snap can burst water pipes, causing flooding. Make sure you know the location of the stop-cock.  Ensure your pipes and tank are properly lagged but do not insulate underneath your tank. If you are going away, leave the heating on low and leave your loft hatch open.
  • Storms can bring down branches causing damage to roofs, so it’s worth doing some pruning now rather than having to call out the tree-surgeon, roofer and insurance assessor in an emergency
  • Check your gutters are clear, as the weight of waterlogged and frozen leaves can cause them to leak or collapse.
  • Assess your roof for loose tiles that can easily become dislodged during high winds, causing damage to property, cars and possibly injury to people.
  • Avoid getting smoked out as you light the first fire of winter by checking that birds have not made a nest in the chimney.
  • Outside lighting not only enhances safety but also deters burglars, who are more active during the winter.
  • Ensure your garden furniture, barbeque, toys, etc are securely stored as they can be stolen if left outside, and damaged or prove hazardous in bad weather.
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Meaning of Service

Most estate agents see their role solely as a “purveyor of buyers”, and they understandably pride themselves on their ability to find the right buyer for a property and to negotiate attractive terms for the seller.

But estate agency has moved on. Indeed, finding a buyer is arguably one of the most straightforward aspects of selling a property. Wise sellers now seek other attributes in their estate agent.

We all know how emotionally traumatic a house move can be. Yet many agents fail to recognise their ability to reduce this overall burden by becoming thoroughly involved not only in the actual sale of an individual property, but also in the move as a whole. We feel this provides a great opportunity for the service-focused agent to deliver a level of customer service that really makes a difference. A service based on empathy. In other words, “seeing the world though the eyes of the buyer/seller”. With this vision, agents can then anticipate and proactively respond to the very real needs of the house-moving public.

An example of an obvious contribution that agents can make is a hands-on approach to any related property transactions, rather than blaming solicitors for any delay. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link, yet many agents sit back and wait once a sale is agreed. Madness! 

But smaller things make a difference as well. For example, most agents don’t quote a Home Report value band on their details and simply list the asking price , which is meaningless to most buyers. Most agents, on moving day simply hand over the key. We   help them with their utilities transfer, removal practicalities, and a host of other immediate needs. We’re also happy to hold your key securely thereafter – just in case you ever lock yourself out! 

And of course, if at any time you have a query, concern or question then just ask to be put through to our Managing Director Alan Burke who’ll be happy to take your call personally.

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Kitchen

Our home satisfies our basic human needs such as sleeping, relaxing, washing, recreation, as well as family time, reading, watching TV, leisure, etc. But it is possibly eating which is the central to home life. This basic need that punctuates our day provides a social focus for families and couples the world over. 
Whilst many properties have a formal dining room for “special occasions”, it is without doubt the kitchen that forms the central hub of home life. The kitchen is where the family meets first thing in the morning and on return from work or school. It is the place through which everyone passes as they go about their business, where keys and facemasks are hung, mail is put, newspapers and iPads are read.

As a place of utility, the kitchen also fulfils a huge role that incorporates storage, washing, cooking, and entertaining. The quality of the kitchen can determine whether a property can be regarded as modernised or unmodernised, and it is little wonder that so much money is spent on kitchen design and fitting.

 

When we as estate agents prepare our property details, we find a colour photograph of a well-presented kitchen particularly appeals to purchasers. So when you come to sell, make sure that your kitchen is looking its very best.

Older kitchens can be given a new lease of life with new doors fitted to the original carcases, but keep the colour scheme conservative if you wish to appeal to the widest range of prospective purchasers. As the floor-space is likely to be relatively small, a new high-quality floor covering, be it vinyl, wood-strip or tile, need not cost the earth.

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Negotiate the Deal

Good negotiation is a skill that adds real value to the service you receive from your estate agent. After all it can be the make or break of a sale.

 

Many agents focus on “getting the maximum price” for their client, the property vendor. So do we. However, we also recognise that the vendor’s main objective is actually to move house! There is no point in losing a sale by trying to force an unreasonably high figure out of a buyer who might have otherwise bought the property. Or to agree a sale only to find the buyer later regrets it and pulls out. They might even proceed right up to the point of concluding missive and then reduce their offer (known as gazundering) leaving you forced to accept the reduction or lose not only your sale but possibly your purchase as well!

Please don’t be alarmed! These are worst case scenarios, but not unheard of. The point is that good negotiation is being able to understand the objectives of buyer and seller alike and seeking to achieve the highest realistic figure for the seller with due regard to all parties concerned.

This does not just mean bartering, with each party nudging up or down respectively until some middle line is met. It means your agent using every available resource to justify your price in the context of current market conditions. It also means understanding the buyer’s perspective, their needs, preferences, finances and their flexibility in compromising over certain issues.  

We are proud not only of the prices our well-trained negotiators are able to secure for our clients, but also of our very low fall-through rate, which we attribute significantly to ensuring that the right deal is struck from day one, with both parties feeling they have “won”.

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Accompanied Viewings

The layman’s view of an estate agent is simply someone who shows prospective buyers round properties. Whilst understandable, this simplistic perspective belies the fact that the well-trained agent knows how to maximize the viewing opportunity with the specific objective of prompting a sale.

 

Whilst “showing someone round” might appear straightforward, vendors who do this themselves as opposed to allowing their agent to do so may be missing out on opportunities on several fronts.

Firstly, a good agent recognises that they cannot “force” someone to buy a property. However, they can encourage buyers to buy a specific property in comparison to others on the market, based on a good understanding of the buyer’s specific needs, and importantly of those areas in which compromise might be found. Most buyers compromise on something! A specific vendor only wants to sell their property and generally has no idea of the buyer’s needs in the context of their stated preferences.

 

There is also a process involved as well as a degree of psychology. Most people prefer to view a property at least twice before committing. The first viewing is really to “get a feel” for the property – “could we be happy here?” Yet vendors often try to impress with logical/factual statements that would be better kept for a second viewing.

 

Additionally, buyers prefer to discuss their plans for a property out of the earshot of the vendor and accompanied viewings allow them the space to do so.

 

Finally, a good agent is trained to spot buying signs and knows how to act on them, thereby helping the buyer to make a decision that genuinely is in the best interests of buyer and seller alike, resulting in a successful sale that will indeed go through to a satisfactory completion. If this is what you’re after then why not contact us on enquiries@propertybureau.co.uk

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Quality Buyers

The phrase “Willing and Able” is seldom heard today, as it no longer appears on estate agency documentation. However, it remains important to discover if a prospective buyer for your property is indeed willing and able to proceed, should they express interest in your home.

 

This is especially the case today, when people are finding it harder to get a mortgage than they did last time they bought. But apart from the obvious financial issues governing the buyer’s “ability” to proceed, there are several other things a good agent will seek to discover when deciding whether or not any offer from the buyer is worth recommending to the vendor (although all are bound to be submitted to the vendor by law)

 

One of the best questions we ask our buyers is “What has prompted your move?” The answer to this often goes right to the heart of why they are moving. Only then can we offer them properties which will satisfy that need.

 

Another critical question is “when do you hope to move?” If they say “sometime in the next 12 months” the chance of them buying soon is low. Most good buyers know what they need to achieve and they usually have a date in mind. This date is often linked to school term times, a new job starting, baby due, etc, or it may be to satisfy an acute frustration such as journey time to work. Only when the agent knows what sort of timeframe the buyer has in mind can he/she begin to gauge the buyer’s motivation and hence their willingness to move.

 

Additionally finding out where they are in the moving cycle can also help us to help you as a vendor. Have they sold their own house yet? If so, what do they understand by the term “sold”!

 

There’s more than meets the eye to qualifying buyers, and if you’d like your own sale handled with kid gloves, you know who to call!

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Valuation

Valuation is possibly the most contentious aspect of estate agency, and emotions run high when discussing most people’s most valuable asset. It is natural that the vendor of a property will want as much as possible for it, as does the agent.
However, vendors should be careful about opinions over value, especially when everyone seems to have one – friends, relatives, taxi drivers and blokes in pubs!

The actual value of a property is of course the maximum figure that at least one able buyer would be prepared to pay. Frankly, the only person to know what this figure could be is an estate agent who is comprehensively familiar with the current market and involved with qualified buyers daily. It may be that potential imminent movement in the market can also be anticipated, although this is a skill few possess.

Certainly on-line value calculators are misleading and plain wrong in many cases as they simply cannot take account of the foibles of local buyer activity and competing properties available for sale, both of which change from week to week.

When choosing the right estate agent for you it’s certainly worth finding out how accurate their valuations are. A good agent should be able to tell you what percentage of their original asking price they actually achieve on average for their clients, as well as how long they took to find a buyer against national averages.

Needless to say, we’d be happy to provide you with some expert advice on the likely sale value of your home. This would be based on extensive research coupled with an intuition that comes from deep local experience as evidenced by our consistently proven results. Please feel free to contact us today. You might be pleasantly surprised!