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“We
saved about £2,000 and a lot of hassle!”
Simone
from London told us.
“I
had had a few dealings with estate agents and could not get over
how much they charged to basically boss you around and treat you
like an idiot. I’d bought the flat without an estate
agent and it was really easy - I was able to get more
information straight from the seller and there was a lot more
trust built up. So, I was relaxed about selling
privately - the only reservation was that I had not done it
before but it could not have been an easier process.
I
wanted to sell the flat so that I could buy a bigger place with
my partner. My friends recommended HouseWeb as they had sold
their place on the site a few months earlier.
I
had only had the flat on HouseWeb’s site for a week when the
person who eventually bought it came for a viewing - she made me
an offer the following week. We did use agents for a
valuation but they all inflated their prices so much that I
didn't believe them. I added a bit onto what my friend had
sold his for, a few months back, and sold it with very
little bargaining needed. The whole
process only took about 3 months. We saved about £2,000
and a lot of hassle.
Selling
privately was interesting and a bit stressful at time because if
things went wrong there was no-one else to blame! But
nothing went wrong and I think that was because I had a very
trustworthy buyer and I communicated a lot with them to ensure
they knew what was going on. I told them the pros and cons of
the property up front, so that they didn't feel like they were
investing in something they knew nothing about. I
think having an estate agent involved would have made me much
more stressed as he/she would have been telling me what to
say/not say all the time. The other thing I liked about the
HouseWeb site was that you can keep renewing your advert without
having to pay - it makes me feel like my money was well spent
and keeps the advert available for the buyer to access as and
when they wanted.
I
would advise anyone against using an agent, unless you really
think that selling your home will be difficult. Better to
spend your money on a reliable solicitor and organise the
sale yourself. Estate agents just make a simple sale more
complicated and don't allow you to establish a relationship with
your buyer.
My
hints for a successful private sale would be:-
- Fix
up your place so it looks good and then advertise on
HouseWeb.
- Once
you've got a buyer, don't lose them!
- Try
to get a few quotes on your flat from local agents and then
set a price and work out how much you would be willing to
bargain.
- Establish
a good method of communication with your buyer and keep them
informed each time there are any changes or movements in the
sale. Reply to their questions and don't hide things
that will delay your sale later on"
More Case Studies
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