Things to consider when moving home

Whilst moving home is often a positive thing, the process itself can be quite stressful. To make the move as smooth as possible, we’ve compiled some tips that may come in handy.

DIY or Professional?

Decide first whether you want to move all your belongings off your own back or hire out a professional removal company. In most cases, a professional company will be needed and will save you the hassle of breaking your back lugging about heavy objects. If you don’t have that many possessions and want to save money on hired help, make sure you that you get the right van – if it’s too small you would end up having to do more than one journey. Additionally, it’s generally cheaper to book vans on a weekday.

If you choose to go with a professional removal company, make sure you hire one at least two weeks before you move and check that the company is a member of the British Association of Removers. Shop around, get a few quotes from different companies, see if they can offer you any discounts. It does no harm to ask!

Packing

Moving can be the perfect opportunity to finally get rid of unwanted possessions – not much point in taking that broken ironing board or that old office chair to your brand new home. Donate the stuff that’s still in working order to charity shops and throw the rest in the rubbish – you don’t want to clog up the removal van or your new home with unnecessary items.

Also, give yourself plenty of time. Packing often takes longer than you might think, and some items will need more care and attention than others. Make sure you have lots of tape and boxes (strong ones that won’t break would be advisable), and consider using bubble wrap for your more valuable items.

Plan ahead, label the boxes (this will save you a lot of time at the other end), don’t overfill, and keep those fragile items safe.

Checklist

Getting everything ready for moving day can be an exhausting experience. The to-do list can seem overwhelming and you might start to think it is more trouble than it’s worth. This is where the humble but handy checklist comes into play.

List everything you need to do and tick it off as you go. Also, make a list of all your possessions so you don’t leave anything behind when packing up.

Who to tell?

When you move out, you’ll need to tell quite a few people that you’re doing so. Again, making a list of all those you need to contact would make things easier. Here are some of the most important ones to remember:

·         Water, gas and electricity companies

·         Telephone and internet service provider

·         Banks, loan companies and credit card companies

·         Inland Revenue, DVLA and local council

·         Employers, the schools your children attend

·         Doctors, Dentist, Opticians

This isn’t exhaustive, and you should double check if you need to give anyone else your new address before you move out.

Oh, and don’t forget to tell your friends, family and neighbours that you’re moving out and where you’re moving to!

We are estate agents working across the south of England, for more information and advice on selling your property, please contact us on: 0844 809 9931. What’s more, find out how much your property could be worth using our instant online valuation tool.

Choosing the right Estate Agent

Choosing the right estate agent is about more than who can offer you the highest priced valuation. A good estate agent will be able to get you the market value or above for your property, at a fair rate within a reasonable amount of time. You want to find an agent you are confident will handle all aspects of you property sale - so take time and do your research. As experienced Southampton estate agents working all over the South of England, we’ve come up with the following tips on how to pick the best estate agent for your needs.

There are now multiple ways to sell your property; using a traditional estate agent, online estate agent or acting as a private seller are the three most conventional methods in the UK. There are also fast house sale websites for urgent sellers and some people even sell property on websites like gumtree. There are pros and cons to selling through each of these options and for every different vendor, there may be a particular route that stands out.

Of course, estate agency services come at a cost, and although finding an agency with the lowest fees may be high on your priorities, cost is just one consideration. It may in fact benefit you more in the long run if you choose an agency with slightly higher costs that you are confident can handle all aspects of your house sale professionally and efficiently. 

Agents who charge lower costs may not cover all aspects of your property sale. Do your research; discover which agencies have experience selling properties similar to yours as they are more likely to have a large pool of potential buyers looking in your area. Speak to people you know to find out if they have used an agency they’d recommend. It’s worth asking, as you may discover a hidden gem you wouldn’t have found otherwise.

Once you’ve narrowed down your choice to a few agents, a tip coined by UK property investor, Samantha Collett is to call the agencies on your list, acting as a prospective buyer looking for a property. Not only will you get an idea of the agent’s knowledge, competence and the efficiency and professionalism of the firm itself, but you will also witness first-hand the way they will communicate with your future buyer.

Most high-street agents charge around 1%-2.5%, dependent on the contract you choose. Where online estate agents differ is that they offer alternative contracts and charge a fixed, up front sum as opposed to a percentage of the selling price. It is definitely something to consider, especially with the wide range of packages available. Online agents can often afford to charge lower fees because they don’t have large offices filled with employees and bills to pay for, although, this usually means that you have to at least conduct the viewings yourself.

The same questions apply to online estate agents; you want to know that they’re reliable and they have a high success rate of selling properties similar to yours. Here are a few questions you should consider asking you’re a prospective agency before putting your house on the market:

1.       How many properties like mine have you sold? What did they sell for?

2.       How long did it take to sell the properties and how many viewings were conducted?

3.       How many buyers are currently looking for properties like mine?

4.       What price would you market my property for? What price would you value my home for a ‘quick sale’?

5.       Can I have a copy of the agency's contract?

Also, it is beneficial if your chosen agent is either a member of Property Ombudsman, Ombudsman Services, or the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) – this confirms their credibility and gives customers the opportunity to register a complaint should the need arise.

For more advice on how to sell your property, please contact us on: 0844 809 9931. Additionally, find out how much your property could be worth using our instant online valuation tool.

Don’t ruin your house viewing!

Welcome to our blog. Over the coming weeks and months, using our experience as estate agents working all over Bournemouth, Southampton and Portsmouth, we will be offering our best tips for house sellers and important property news related posts. Our first entry focuses on the difficult yet crucial process of house viewings.

Whether you are carrying out a property viewing yourself, or just preparing your home for a viewing to be undertaken by an estate agent, there are plenty of ways to get it right and plenty more ways to get it wrong. For many prospective buyers the viewing is the clincher, and visualising living in a property through first hand experience is most certainly more likely to encourage someone to part with their cash.

The most obvious thing to take care of before a viewing is clutter and mess. A property that is swamped in clutter can lose its appeal, and it can be difficult for prospective buyers to envisage its potential. Making the property tidy and clear will make all the difference, although we wouldn’t advise leaving it completely bare – it is a fine line, but showcasing the slightly lived-in feel can be beneficial.

Maximising light can rejuvenate a property for a viewing (not to mention making your last few weeks living there more pleasant). Keep the blinds up and open all the curtains; in our opinion, natural light shows a property in its best light. Make sure all lamps and wall lights have working light bulbs for visitors to test – these minimal touches can make all the difference.

Our last piece of advice is this: don’t let yourself get in the way of the property viewing. Nostalgia and anecdotes, although endearing, are likely to be counter-productive as far as prospective buyers are concerned. It is surprising how many vendors let emotion colour their discussions with prospective buyers. You may well be trying to sell the property, but your love for the place will quite often shine through during a viewing and it is important to get the balance right – don’t alienate the visitors making them think they will be doing you a disservice in buying the property.

So, you've done the hard part by finding people interested in your property who are happy to visit, hopefully our advice will help this go smoothly and eventually enable you to increase the property value of your home. If you are thinking about selling and would like to know how much your property could be worth, you can do so using our instant online valuation tool. For additional advice on selling, please get in touch on: 0844 809 9931.