GUIDES AND ADVICE - click on a TOPIC below for explanation.

•Preparing your home for sale

•Security Issues and Advice

•How to tell a genuine BUYER from a TIME WASTER!

•Receiving an offer - Advice on how to respond

•Moving Checklist

•Housing Glossary of Terms

•Exchange of contracts and completion

For a full step by step guide to using our service call one of our experienced advisors on 01425 462 553 or click here to email your enquiry.

Preparing your home for sale

First impressions count!

Make sure that the outside of your house is looking as good as it can be.

If any work needs doing, attend to it before you put your house on the market - you could have an email from a customer who saw your advert on one of our market leading sites or the advert we will place on Prime Location within the first few hours, be ready.

We recommend that you go and stand outside your property and have a good look and see your property from a buyers point of view. Also walk up and down your road and take in all the other properties; see how they look, what properties stand out more than others and why. Instant improvements can help a sale; a nice fresh coat of paint on your door, or new upvc facias can really make an impact.

If you have a front garden and path leading to your front door, invest in a few flowers, place them in a pot or hanging baskets to brighten up the area (This is a good idea when you take your pictures for your advert) also attend to the path, clear all the weeds and any stray litter or leaves, also sweep up outside your property. Let your perspective buyers see that your house has been looked after! Also remember you can take all the flowers to your new property so you cant lose.

When you reach your front door there are still a few checks to be made;

Does the front doorbell work?

If it has a doorknocker, is it sturdy and polished?

Does the door open smoothly and quietly?

When you have let a potential buyer in can you close it easily?

What comes into view in your property next?

By running through this short and simple check list and attending to any problems that arise, you have already got past the first step and the biggest. If your property does not look good from the front, people will just browse when they drive past and may not bother even knocking the door at all. Even worse, if they did ring your doorbell but you couldn’t hear it because you never replaced the batteries when you said you would.

You must be prepared to move from that property in the next 6-8 weeks so anything that needs doing, do it now.

If you do not follow our guide you are leaving yourself open to a much lower offer than what your property is actually worth. People want to buy your house and move straight in and relax, not arrive with their toolbox to start work immediately, do it all for them, it is well worth going that extra mile.

The Entrance

Once the front door has closed you need to show people around your lovely clean bright property. That’s right, we did say lovely clean bright, because that is how it will be on the days leading up to your sale. Buyers may wish to contact you and wish to view the property the same afternoon, and you need to be prepared for that. This is so important because a lot of people cannot really take in the size of the rooms that you have to offer when they are all filled up with personal belongings, try not to have to many family photos on the wall either, as these can be very distracting to buyers who will end up looking at all the photos instead of the house.

Right, back to the closing of the front door.

A nice rug to wipe your feet on is a good idea, after that, look around, are you standing in darkness, does it look to plain, should you brighten it up. It is okay if someone call in the day to view your property, but what if they call at night; is there enough lighting in your hallway to really brighten it up. A simple fix is to check the wattage of your light bulbs and replace them with brighter ones if needed. Always make sure that your light fittings have lampshades if required, a hanging bayonet with a bright light bulb is not the affect you are after.

Okay so we are walking down the hallway, are the floorboards squeaking on your every move, is the carpet moving a little, or worst of all is the hardwood floor gently lifting in any areas.
When you are showing people around your house, always introduce them to the room and let them go into the room first, this way they get full impact of the size and decoration rather than you standing in the way. All the rooms must be in tip top condition.

The Living Room

The first room to be viewed is generally the front room, this is where most people sit down with their families and relax, so you need to have the mood set for this, nice lighting is essential, no matter how nice your rooms look, if you have not got the right lighting it cannot achieve its maximum potential.

We suggest softer lighting for the front room; some nice tall floor standing lampshades can give a fantastic effect.

The carpet needs to be 100% clean, either call in a professional carpet cleaning company, or you can hire the equipment from your local hire shop. You will be amazed at the dirt they suck up. Remember that you need a day or so for the carpet to dry thoroughly.

During the day curtains should be evenly seperated and tied back to the wall. All unnecessary items should be removed from the floor to give the impression of space. A good tip is to have some nice relaxing music in the background. If you can when you clean the carpets, you can get your sofa and chairs done at the same time. If the chairs are a little scruffy who could always cover them with a neutral coloured throw.

Stand in your own front room and look round and see for yourself what catches your eye, maybe you can enhance on this or if it need be, store it away.

Make sure that there is no paint on any of the electrical sockets or light switches in the house. You can remove this with a filling blade or scraper. Check for fingerprint marks around the sockets as well, you can normally remove these with a cloth.

Next room we visit will be the dining room.

Try to achieve the effect that you are having your buyers round for a meal; lay the table with your best plates, put all your cutlery on the table, lay some napkins, really lay it on. Some nice candles will really help as well, this will make the room look fantastic. Make it so potential buyers will want to sit and have their meals here in the future; again some soft music can really set the mood and nice side lighting.

The Kitchen

We will now visit everyone’s favourite room, the kitchen, the heart of the property. You can really sell your house here if you play your cards right here. This is a room you should really make you proud.

Stand back for a while and study your kitchen, is it full of pots and pans that you never use, blenders and mixers that were used on the first day of purchase and then laid to rest. If the answer is yes box, them up and put them in the loft or out of the way. You need a kitchen that they could produce a TV cookery show from.

Remove all items from your work surface and your sink; clean the surface and all taps and splash backs. Next look in the cupboards and see what you can do without; you need to do this because your buyers will be doing this to see what storage space they have available, and you need to show them that you have plenty.

The cooker should be next on the agenda, empty it out and put all the shelves to soak, clean the oven inside and out as best as you can and replace the shelves, set correct time.

Next, we need to look at all the white goods that are going to be left with the property, i.e. washing machine, tumble dryer, fridge freezer, dishwasher, all of them will need cleaning and remove any out of date or smelly foods from the fridge and throw them away.

Add some more colour to your kitchen by introducing some fresh flowers in a nice vase, little things really do make a difference. Clean the windows inside and out and wash the floor so it not sticky or greasy. If you have wall units with lighting underneath switch them on and turn your main lights off, it really looks cozy and relaxing. We know everyone says the same but offer your buyers a drink and put a fresh pot of coffee on or even better, have it on just before they come round so as soon as they come in the front door they can smell the aroma.

Closets

Downstairs bathroom is next on the list, this needs to be cleaned thoroughly so get stuck in.If your bathroom is small, it is often a good idea to decorate it in light colours or all in white, if you have a towel rail then hang some towels on it, and choose a nice coloured toilet roll to decorate the room, again some flowers can do the trick.

Going Upstairs

If your property is a house, we will now carry on with the checklist upstairs; walk up your stairs and check for any creaking noises. Again, clean the handrail and polish, remove any family photos that you may have hanging up and replace them with various prints.

After the climb up the stairs, take 5 minutes and look round, but look around through the eyes of a buyer. What takes your attention; is it the crack in the wall or the mirror that has never been straight, note it down to be fixed. If you have children maybe they have put stickers on the doors, these will need to be removed and washed and maybe painted.

The Bedrooms

We shall now enter into the main bedroom. Everyone wants to have a nice bedroom especially a large one, so if you have any large wardrobes that are taking up to much space or light remove them and all the other personal things that you have lying around; space is what we need to show.

Always make sure that the bed is made and is dressed with your best covers, if the viewing is taking place in the evening, put your bedside lights on and turn the main light off. Let them walk in the room first so they can see what a relaxing room it is, then you can turn the main light on if needed.

Take a good look out of your bedroom window as well and look at the view, is there anything in your garden that you didn’t spot at ground level but you need to attend to. Remember, if you can see it, your buyers will as well.

There is no need to go through every bedroom detailing what to do because this small reference is enough to cover all the bedrooms in your house.

Outside

The garden is our next stop. To get this in ship shape is not an overnight job, it requires a bit of time and work, but it will pay off. Most of us have grass in our gardens, this will need to be cut and all the verges need to be trimmed. All dead flower heads need to be removed and thrown away, if you can fork the soil to generate some air and body into the soil, it really does make the flowers stand out more.

If you have decking in your garden make sure that it is not damaged in anyway and if possible, give it a fresh coat of preservative; decking is a good selling point in the garden.

Ponds need to be attended and kept clean by removing all weeds. Your garden shed needs to be tidy and sometimes you can hang your garden tools on the walls of the shed to give more space on the floor. Pathways and stones need to be kept clean from weeds to give your property an overall first class appearance.

The last thing on the list to prepare for selling is the garage

Nowadays figures show that most people don't actually keep their cars in the garage anymore. Garages are generally being used for storage or as a workshop. It is still worth giving it a sweep and if you do have a flat roof, check its condition; if it is damp get the necessary work carried out before you show to any buyers. Some flowers in a basket look very attractive on a garage wall.

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The issue of personal safety or security is one usually raised by estate agents who are anxious to deter people from selling privately but the concerns raised are based on myth more than reality.

Consider the following facts;

The only contact details published on our web site are OUR telephone numbers and contact details - NOT YOURS!

Estate agents readily hand out particulars of properties to people walking in off the street.

The only people who would be able to visit your home to view would be those specifically invited by you and at a time to suit you. Premier Homes never reveals specific addresses to anyone. We have heard of estate agents sending people to view homes without even telling the owners. This can never happen with Premier Homes as it is up to YOU to liease directly with potential buyers.

The Premier Homes 'For Sale' board works in exactly the same way as an estate agents board. It carries our telephone number and web site address. When we receive enquiries from a board we only reveal the basic details, price, number of bedrooms, etc. In fact we only reveal the details of your advert that you have approved which resides on www.PrimeLocation.com.

If the caller wishes to know more we take their details and pass these over to you. It is then up to you how you decide to handle their questions and how open or otherwise you are prepared to be. Surely this is much more private and secure than the service provided by Estate Agents?

There have been two tragic cases reported in the press involving personal security and the sale of property that we are aware of. In both instances estate agents were involved and had failed to carry out the most basic of checks.

When you consider how many classified adverts are placed each week in local papers for cars, washing machines, and anything else you care to name, you can only conclude that any risk involved must be minimal.

We do recommend that you always ask for the name, address and contact number from anyone interested in viewing your home and ideally always make sure that there are two of you in the house when a viewing takes place. Just as you would if the buyer had been sent by an estate agent.

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Ask these five simple questions of every potential buyer who views your home:

What is their budget?

Can they afford the asking price?

Have they arranged funding?

Are they familiar with the neighbourhood?

When do they want to move?


Clashes of personalities between buyers and the sellers are a common occurrence and achieve nothing. Always be polite, and convincing but forthcoming concerning major issues. Don't make promises you won't be able to keep especially concerning moving times.

"Gazundering" is the counterpart to the buyer's nightmare of "gazumping," and occurs when everything is nearly finalised and the buyers decide to lower their offer, citing a fall in prices or other incriminating circumstances.

"Gazundering" can prove very expensive so try to question each potential buyer and judge if they are genuine.

Buyers will fall into one of the following groups:

First-time buyers

Will usually have a tight budget but can arrange mortgages quickly and have no property chain to slow or breakdown procedures.

Cash buyers

This type of buyer is fairly uncommon and since they are using their own cash, they may want to spend less. Cash buyers are often more flexible in terms of timing.

Buyers with no house to sell

The best type of potential buyer. These buyers are usually flexible in both time and budget. They will probably require a mortgage to supplement equity they have released from a house they have already sold but will most likely be able to move at a time that suits seller, unless they are tied into a lease on rented accommodation.

Buyers with a house to sell not yet on the market

Their purchase will be funded by way of equity released from the sale of their existing home and additional funds through a mortgage. These buyers will be inflexible in their timescales and carry the additional risk of a property chain once they have put their home on the market. Beware! This type of buyer may have an unrealistic value of their own property and may be stretching their budget to make a competitive offer on your home.

Buyers with a house to sell already on the market

This type of buyer carries the same risks as the former but may be able to move quicker due to their house already being on the market and open to offers.

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If a buyer likes your property they will put in an offer. This offer will usually be made to your estate agent and will be made "subject to contract" and is not therefore legally binding.

Always take time to think about your response to any offer and remember that there are negotiations with other things apart from the price to play with.

Try to find out if the buyer has put in any offers on other properties.

If you are tempted to "gazump" the buyer, at least give them some notice.

Qualify any acceptance with terms that suit you.

If you need to move quickly impose your timescale by accepting the offer only if you can exchange contracts within a certain timeframe.

Your role as the seller between the acceptance of the offer and the exchange of contracts is small.

The buyer does all the running around, although you should ensure that you are available to answer any questions from the buyer's solicitors.

At this stage you are still under no legal obligation to sell.

You'll need to contact your mortgage company about transferring the deeds and security for the mortgage if you are buying a property at the same time.

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Moving checklist

3 Weeks To Go!

Get quotes, organise the removals company and check your home contents insurance policy to check that you are covered for the move

Contact your gas, water, electric and telephone companies to arrange for disconnection/meter readings at the present address and reconnection at the new address

Organise your 'Change of Address' cards

Start to gather plenty of packing materials - your removals company may be able to help

Book kennels or cattery, if necessary

Get carpets cleaned and arrange for refitting in your new home, if necessary

1 or 2 Weeks To Go!

Send off your 'Change of Address' cards

Arrange mail redirection with the Post Office

Cancel or rearrange doorstep deliveries eg. The Milkman, papers

Sort through unwanted items - use the local tip or charity shops where appropriate

Start Packing - clearly label boxes with their location at the new address

Check out where, when and how you can pick up the keys to your new home on the moving day

One Day to Go!

Finish packing - leave an overnight bag

Cover any carpets being left to avoid damage or marking during moving

Do a last check of all rooms and don't forget the loft

Take pets to the cattery/kennels or friends

Defrost the fridge/freezer

Remove any light fittings, mirrors, etc. that are not included in the sale

Protect the carpets or floor surface in the hall

Collect all moving documents, handy telephone numbers, the cheque book and cash and keep to hand

Have an early night!

Moving Day!

Strip the beds and pack the overnight bag

Pack a box of essentials such as the kettle, tea, coffee, milk and sugar, snacks, toilet rolls, light bulbs, etc.

Remove carpets and curtains

Turn off the gas, electricity, main water tap and heating/hot water controls - leave instructions for the new house owner

Secure and lock all windows and doors before leaving the property

Celebrate! . . . you've done it!

. . . and don't forget these . . . !

Dentist

Friends & Relatives

Doctor

Insurance Company

Bank & Building Society

Credit/Storecard Companies

Employer

TV Licence Authority

School

Driving Licence Authority - DVLA

Inland Revenue

Lease/Hire Companies

Local Authority

Internet Service Provider

Pension Provider

Magazine Subscriptions

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Housing Glossary of Terms

Gazumping, leasehold, assured tenancy - confused? Let us help you round the jargon maze.

Accelerated possession

A procedure whereby landlords can regain possession of properties let on assured shorthold tenancies, providing all the necessary procedures have been complied with. There is usually no need for a formal county court hearing, simply the correct documentation and a written submission to the court must be carried out.

Annual percentage rate (APR)

The interest rate paid over the course of one year on a mortgage or loan.

Assured shorthold tenancy (AST)

A form of assured tenancy which gives the landlord the right to repossession of their property after a fixed amount of time set out in the tenancy agreement. New tenancies are automatically ASTs unless otherwise stated.

Assured tenancy

The landlord can charge a market rent (the going rate for similar property in that area) and regain possession of the property under certain grounds or conditions, as set out in the Housing Act 1988 and the Housing Act 1996.

Buildings insurance

An insurance you take out when you buy a property that will cover the cost of rebuilding the house if it is damaged or burns down etc.

Chain

The line of buyers and sellers involved in each house move.

Completion

The term used when the seller and buyer exchange the remainder of the money needed to buy a property through their respective solicitors. At exchange of contracts a deposit - usually 10 per cent - will have been paid. At this point the buyer becomes legal owner of the flat or house and can move in.

Conveyancing

The legal process by which ownership of the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. This is usually carried out by a solicitor, or licenced conveyancer.

Gazumping

This is when a property is sold at a higher price after an offer has been previously been accepted.

Early redemption fee

If you have a mortgage and want to sell your house or change to another mortgage lender (remortgage), you will be paying back your loan early (redeeming). Many lenders charge this penalty fee, particularly during any period of fixed, capped or discounted rate. Make sure you are clear about any penalties when you take out the mortgage.

Equity and negative equity

The part of the value of your property that belongs to you. For example: if you buy a £200,000 property and put down a 10 per cent deposit, then you have £20,000 equity in the property. Negative equity is when the value of your property in current market value is less than the mortgage you have taken out.

Exchange of contracts

The contract is a written agreement that sets out terms between the buyer and the seller. When both parties exchange contracts - usually several weeks before completion - the deal becomes legally binding. Usually a deposit, often 10 per cent, is paid at this stage.

Freehold

This means you own a property outright. Most houses are freehold and many flats are leasehold.

Leasehold

If you buy a leasehold flat, you don't own the property rather the right to live there for a specified period of time - however much time remains on the lease. The owner of the property is called the freeholder or landlord.

Life insurance

If you have a joint mortgage, life insurance can be taken out so that the cost of the property will be paid off if one of you dies.

Mortgage indemnity guarantee or MIG

This is a one off payment paid when you set up a mortgage and it's is a kind of insurance policy for the mortgage lender. It buys protection for them not you against the value of the home falling to less than the mortgage. It is usually only charged to customers with less than a 10 per cent deposit, but do check as this can vary.

Regulated tenancy

A regulated tenancy gives you a legal right to live in your accommodation for a period of time. Your tenancy might be for a set period such as a year (this is known as a fixed term tenancy) or it might roll on a week-to-week or month-to-month basis (this is known as a periodic tenancy).You are likely to be a regulated tenant if you moved in before 15 January 1989, you pay rent to a private landlord and your landlord does not live in the sam building as you.

Stamp Duty

A tax paid by the buyer of a property set at 1 per cent for properties over £60,000, 3 per cent for properties over £250,000, 4 per cent for properties over £500,000.

Tenancy

A legal written agreeement between a landlord and tenant that sets out the terms of the rental.

Unitary authority

This is a local council that provides all council services, unlike some county and district councils where the provision of services is split.

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Exchange of contracts and completion

Once contracts have been signed you are legally bound. If you decide to pull out after exchanging contracts, you will be liable for considerable expenses and penalties. Similarly, delays beyond the agreed completion date will incur interest that mounts rapidly. If you are buying a different property, make sure you exchange on selling your existing property before buying the new one, otherwise you could be left with an unexpected bridging loan.

Upon completion, you should agree on a moving date with the buyer. Always leave the property in the condition you would like to find it. Removing fixtures and fittings and leaving rubbish is both petty and unnecessary. On the completion day, your solicitor will inform you when the necessary monies have been received allowing either you or the agent to hand over the keys to the new owners.

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