Some general fallacies when selling your home

There is the common theme that all estate agents are the same, this is in the same vein that Mozart in fact didn’t compose the melody to Baa Baa Black Sheep and Tutankhamun’s tomb doesn’t have a curse inscribed on it. So just to clarify there can be vast differences and who you instruct can alter dramatically the price you achieve, the time scales involved and the quality of service that you expect and the service you actually receive 

It is a great idea to get 3 valuations on your home, this will give you an general overview on the price, fees and level of service that you are going to get. This can be a relationship over a period of months so make sure your agent is readily accessible so you have their mobile and direct email address and perhaps more important who to contact if that person is not in, whether that is annual leave (yes we are entitled to take some) or worst case scenario illness .This is of course assuming that you get consistently get contact from the agents you instructed and it’s not “farmed” out to a junior member of staff. Then question arises are you instructing a particular business, for example due to their reputation or did you really like the individual  and so chose them?

Everybody naturally knows how much their house is worth, it’s your pride and joy that you have lovingly reared your children in or re built from scratch but don’t fall into the age old trap of “highest price and lowest fees" this doesn’t always work. The danger is that if you overprice your house it will just sit there and just look tired and old and of course your potential buyers will think there is something wrong with it and will not book a viewing. Instruct an agent that is confident with their pricing strategy, shows lots of evidence to back that price and also has the skills and market ng experience to achieve that price for you. Just think it’s no longer about “putting a photo in shop window". The photographs must be top quality as the internet is very unforgiving, social media advertising is so important it finds that elusive “emotional" buyer, 3D tours, drone tours, blogs etc all contribute to getting you the best buyer, at the best price in your timescales.

I would also like to debunk the myth that Spring is the best time to sell, it’s always the best time to sell whether it’s a buoyant market or a market that’s receding, if it’s snowing, raining or sunny your house will sell if the marketing expertise of your chosen agent is good enough. On this note beware of signing a long term agreement with your agent, this benefits them not you. If their service level is not what you have been promised or what you expected then you are tied in for weeks and weeks just getting despondent, be brave and ask for a shorter length of tie in.

Finally don’t be afraid to ask for updates and advice on your Kent property sale if it’s not going how you expect, even if you are on the market with another agent just email me on peter@distinctivehomes.uk or just text on 07462 859318. I am here to offer advice to everyone regarding any queries they may have about the Kentish property market.