Thinking about selling your house but not sure where to start?
We’ve put together a handy guide on all the things you need to know and prepare in order to get your home on the market.
Find out how much your home is worth
The first thing you need to think about is how much it is worth. This can help you to set a price for it, and if you are using the sale to move into a new home, can help you to decide what your budget is for the new property.
You can find out how much a property is worth through most estate agents, which have home value checkers in person.
If you’ve improved or extended your home while living there, it might be worth having an estate agent visit your house in person so that they can give you a more up-to-date estimate of its worth.
Think about the costs of selling a house
Before you dive in, you should work out how much the process of selling your house is going to cost you.
The biggest cost will be estate agent fees, which can range from one to three per cent of what your home sells for - meaning that if your house is sold for £300,000, the agent will be entitled to between £3,000 and £9,000.
Another cost you will have to consider is advocates' fees, which can cost thousands of pounds. Advocates aren’t a legal requirement for selling a home, but they will be able to negotiate the complexities of the contract for you.
Other costs include paperwork expenses, remortgaging fees, and any services you will need to hire to move your belongings out of the property.
Research estate agents near you
Deciding on an estate agent is a big part of selling a house. Different agents can mean different agent fees, experience and styles of marketing.
Consider when to put your house up for sale
There are certain times of the year when a house is more likely to attract interest, and you should take these into account when putting your home on the market.
According to Zoopla, springtime - between February and June - is the best time to put your house up for sale, followed by autumn, between September and October.
However, summer - July and August - can be quiet, as potential buyers are on holiday, and just before Christmas can also be slow.
Of course, your house will stay on the market past these quiet times - but when buyers see that a house has been up for sale for months, they may start to question if this has something to do with the quality of the house.
Clean and tidy your house
Before you put your house up for sale, make sure that it looks clean and inviting. Scrub any grimy corners, clear up clutter, and maybe give dull areas a new coat of paint. Take a look at your garden too, if you have one, as an appealing garden can be a deciding factor in buying a home.
Decide how to stage your house for viewings
Staging your house means styling the home in a way that is attractive to potential buyers. This can include removing personal effects - which can make it hard for the buyer to imagine living in the house - or adding fake plants for a fresh and modern look. Some sellers even paint the walls a more neutral colour in order to not put off buyers who might not like a brighter shade.