Get the price right

Our aim is to sell your property for the highest possible price in the shortest possible time to the best possible buyer that can accommodate your timescales. Sounds easy, doesn’t it. However, at CSJ we are used to managing this process successfully for local people.

We can arrange to visit you and your property to better understand your requirements as a seller and provide you with details of comparable and local properties that have been sold.

Instruct an Estate Agent

Selecting the right estate agent is key to your success. You will be looking to select an agent who knows the local market inside out as well as having confidence they can manage the process and any chain over the next few months until completion and the big moving day.

Remember, this is likely to be your most valuable asset, and you will have almost daily contact with that person for the next 8 or 9 months, perhaps longer, trust and confidence in them is as important as all the bells and whistles in the glossy brochure.

Get legally prepared

Choosing a solicitor is also critical at an early stage. You need to go through the same selection process as with a mortgage or estate agent, understand fees and what needs to happen when; most solicitors assume you will know what you need to do. Getting legally prepared is vitally important and will make the sales progress go far quicker once an offer has been accepted.

Get your AML & ID checks done, fill in your protocol forms in advance, download office copy entries, all are huge time savers later on.

Get financially prepared

If you are going to be buying as well, whilst it’s not necessary to get an Agreement in Principle on day 1 as some advise, it is good to speak directly to lenders or via a broker to understand what they will lend you in your particular circumstances. Lending these days after the Mortgage Market Review has become more complex than ever before, its not a simple affordability calculation as it used to be. There are criteria attached to type of employment contracts and industry, spending behaviour and stress testing. At the point you start to view, that’s the time to get an official AIP agreed.

However, if you are going into rented accommodation, then start your research and register with local lettings agents. There is no point registering with every letting agent in your target postcode. Start with the handful that seem active in the area for the price range and property type and concentrate your efforts on those few. A great deal of opportunities arise before a property reaches the property portals, so a good working relationship with those selected agents could reap rewards, the power of local intelligence cannot be overstated.

Lights, Camera, Action

Presentation, staging and atmosphere, like in a theatre production are critical to achieving a successful sale, getting the best price possible, and creating confidence with your buyer that the property has been well maintained.

Decluttering, finishing off DIY jobs, creating kerb appeal, before we send round our professional photographer and floor planner all need to be done. If instructed, CSJ would implement a comprehensive marketing strategy, including exposure on our website, email & SMS alerts to waiting buyers, promotion on the property portals and social media platforms.

Accompanied Viewings

CSJ always like to conduct viewings where possible without the seller present for several reasons. We know the buyer, we know what to draw their attention to. With the seller out, they are also more likely to relax, stay longer, be honest, ask more questions, more likely to buy the property essentially. A seller remaining detached from the process also has its advantages when negotiating.

Selecting the right buyer

CSJ have been finding buyers for over 40 years and having a knack for choosing the right one comes with experience. We want to make sure we find a buyer who will pay the right price, match your timescales, is prepared and will go the distance, there is a lot to consider when choosing whether to accept an offer. A balanced assessment is key and understanding why they want to buy your property is probably the most important. That insight has become second nature to us.

Survey & Conveyancing

Once you have accepted an offer, assuming you have onward plans agreed, the chain checked, the estate agent will issue a sales memorandum to all parties including both solicitors. Having gotten legally prepared at the start, now your property is sold, you will be in a very good position to make sure progress is as quick as it can be.

Conveyancing is relatively straightforward. Your solicitor will issue a contract to the buyer, receive one if there is a related purchase. Enquiries are raised about the contents and if leasehold, regarding all the arrangements regarding the block and service charges.

Report on Title, Exchange & Completion

When your buyer’s solicitor is satisfied that they have all the information they need, they will Report on Title as it’s is known. This is their formal summary or report on the proposed purchase to your buyer, flagging to them and their lender who they also represent, any items of concern or for consideration. Assuming the purchase goes ahead, shortly after this the buyer will have to lodge a 10% deposit and agree with everyone in the chain when you all want to complete and exchange keys. Time then to look forward to moving day!

If you would like CSJ to come and consult you about selling a property you own, then get started by booking a free valuation here.

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