Selling your home can be stressful so it is important to choose an agent you can trust who will make this process as smooth as possible. We at Spencer & Leigh aim to eliminate the stress and make the experience as easy as possible.
What to Do Next
Selling? Do you know the true value of your home? If not, the next step is to book a valuation. Please contact Spencer & Leigh for advice or click here.
In the meantime, here are a few guidelines which we hope will assist:
Valuation
At Spencer & Leigh we can offer you a free, no obligation, factual and accurate appraisal of the current market value of your home. Our experienced property valuers will provide you with a valuation based not only on their in depth knowledge of Brighton, Hove and the surrounding areas, but also utilising our extensive database of recent properties sold.
Instruction of the Agent/Property Details
Having received your valuation, and provided that you are satisfied with it, we will then proceed to prepare full sales details of your property. Bearing in mind the importance of presentation, we will ensure that your sales details highlight the vitally important aspects of your property and ensure that your home is shown to its best possible advantage. We will employ the use of full colour particulars incorporating internal photographs and floor plans where required.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
At this point we will instruct a local energy surveyor to undertake a survey on your property which in turn will provide us with your energy efficiency results. This survey must be instructed within 28 days of your property being placed on the market. The certificate is valid for 10 years.
Marketing
Once you have seen and approved the particulars of your home, you will then be in a position to receive prospective buyers. Appointments to view your property are made in advance by Spencer & Leigh and accompanied viewings are arranged to show prospective buyers around your home. Feedback from the viewer is often relayed within 24 hours.
Your property is now ready to market and we offer the following:
For Sales Board - This is the most simple and effective marketing tool, available 24 hours a day.
Office and Window Display - External and internal photographs will be prominently displayed in our premises in order to optimise exposure to the market place. In addition, your property will appear on our internal projector screen ensuring additional coverage to passing trade.
Email - Wherever possible, all prospective buyers who register with us are asked to provide email addresses in order to ensure that they are notified of any new properties as soon as possible within 24 hours of receiving your instruction.
Mail Shots - We will contact registered prospective buyers as soon as possible after receiving your instruction and your details will be forwarded to any new registered buyers immediately via a mail shot and SMS text message.
Website - This is updated daily and full colour details of your home are placed on our website, often within 24 hours of being placed on the market.
We also have an optional 360 degree/virtual tour which can assist to further enhance your property.
Besides the exposure on our own site, www.spencerandleigh.co.uk is also affiliated with the following national property websites which will feature your home:
- www.rightmove.co.uk
- www.onthemarket.com
Advertising
We provide regular prominent advertisement of your property in both the Portfolio and the Latest Homes. We endeavour to advertise your property on a regular basis until a sale is agreed to ensure that your home is fully marketed. In addition, we may provide additional space in Sussex Life, Brighton & Hove Life.
Updating On Your Sale
At Spencer & Leigh, we pride ourselves on our conscientious sales management. We aim to keep you regularly appraised of your sales process right through to completion and liaise with your purchaser, the legal representatives, surveyors and mortgage lenders in order to ensure that your sale is progressed as smoothly and as stress-free as possible.
Offers
Any offers we receive are promptly verbally notified and then followed up in writing. Our competent sales team will negotiate between you and your prospective applicant in order to achieve the strongest buyer.
We will inform you of the position of the buyers and liaise with you until an accepted offer has been agreed.
Should you require your sale to be completed by a certain date, this is when you should notify us and we will endeavour to satisfy your request wherever possible.
At this stage, you should also provide your list of Fixture and Fittings which will be negotiated separately between the solicitors and forms part of the final contract.
Agreed Sale
At this point (if you have not already done so), you will need to instruct a solicitor and, should you require assistance, Spencer & Leigh will only be too pleased to recommend local firms.
The solicitors will then write to all parties and the buyers will instruct a surveyor to conduct a survey of your property (the "agreed sale" is subject to the contract and any survey) and the buyers' mortgage offer (if required) will also be subject to the results of the survey.
The sellers' solicitors will request the TITLE DEEDS from the lender (if appropriate) or yourselves as the seller and the FIXTURES AND FITTINGS form must be completed at this stage.
The solicitors draw up the DRAFT CONTRACT which sets of the Terms of the Sale and sends it to the buyers' solicitor together with all relevant documents. Any enquiries will then be raised, the Title Deeds and Lease (if applicable) will be checked and LOCAL SEARCHES carried out.
Once the draft contracts have been approved, it can be signed by both parties.
Exchange of Contracts
As long as the mortgage offer has been received and cleared funds placed with your buyer's solicitor, a mutually convenient date can be agreed upon for the exchange of contracts.
Completion
The completion and your actual house move may take between 7 to 28 days depending on the buyers, sellers and their respective solicitors.