哪位有卖房子的经验，请指点一下如何进行。 ，谢谢啦

some experience of mine,

1) do some research yourself and have an idea of what price similar houses would sell for;
2) find at least 3 local estate agents and ask them to come over to have quotes on how much they think the house would sell and how they would market the house;
3) do some further search on the estate agents and don't be too excited about high price (don't be upset by low price either); you will see if an estate agent normally gives higher/lower prices from looking at the properties they are marketing;
4) choose one as your sole agent (or 2 or more as joint agents, depending on your need and fees may vary) and sign the agency agreement; pls note the agreement has to have a time, normally 6-8 weeks but this is negotiable;
5) be prepared for potential buyers to come and view your house;
6) sooner or later one or more offers come in and decide if you want to accept;
7) after accepting an offer, find a solicitor and let her/him handle the conveyancing;
8) exchange contract and complete.

Thanks a lot cwang!

Forgot asking about the fee agents charge - If within 6-8 weeks no sales, should I still pay the agents?

NO, it should be no sale no fee.

By the way where are you? may be we can help to sell your property:))

Thanks! I am in Guildford by the way.

yep no sale no fee
and you can change another agreement period and use another agent. fee is generally around 1.5% in London (should be close to that figure in Surrey) but it is negotiable. market is not very good at the momemt so estate agents may ask for higher fees.

thanks again

my current fixed rate mortgage is due to end in the end of Dec. when should i put the property on the market then?

the roof tiles were an issue to me when i bought the house. it maybe an issue to the buyer too. would 5k price drop be ok?

If mortgage is your biggest motive to sell, then I'd ASAP because there are only 4 months left before your mortgage deal runs out and that's just about enough for a purchase to complete; but it may take longer to sell these days so you should do that now.

In terms of repair, don't worry about it especially anything about dropping price that would come to your mind after someone is really interested in your house.

thanks mate! you are right. two estate agents suggested to have it on the market now sooner rather than later.

Just have a short report:

4 agents valued the house: 215000 (1.4% fee), 200000 (not very professional as others), 220000 (very enthusiastic, but charging high fixed fee - 4950) , 210000 (agent which we bought the house from, 1.75% fee, but giving a flat fee 3000)

The final agent can do a HIP, but cost 380 (I thought it is expensive. Am I right?)

Any comments or advices, friends, professions?

My suggestion is go for the one with minimum agreement period, say 4 weeks as your first selling agent and try to negotiate agency price down a bit. In my experience, the first 2 weeks with any estate agent will be busy as potential buyers registered in their system will be informed and some of them will be interested; after the initial period, it will be extremely quiet and if you can escape quickly and try another estate agent you can get another 2 busy weeks. Well of course if your house is well priced, you may get an offer at the very first day But be prepared for worst case scenario.

Re prices, I don't know your area so cannot comment on that but purely from figures, I'd go for the last one (210K), reasons being:

A) they sold the house to you and it meant they had done something right to market this house;
the fee is reasonable.

380 for HIP is ok but again you can get more quotes and decide later and if you are getting HIP from the same estate agent you sell house with, try to get another discount on it.

Good luck !!

Thanks cwang!

How long does the agreement normally last? 6 weeks?

IMO, I prefer 220K, but that agent charges too much. the agents valued the house at 215k and 210 match their fees, 1.4% compare to 3000 pound flat fee (base on 215k@1.4%). I may ask the agent (210k) to push the asking price to 215k since they said it is fine, when I told the other agent's valuation is 215k.

Forgot saying that everything is plus VAT, agents' fees, HIP. It would cost over 5K in total.

just show off some pics. the condition wasn't very good when moved in, which have the vendor lowered the price. we spent a month on plastering, flooring, painting, demolishing downstair's shower, some plumbing and eletrical jobs, etc, after which, it becames the current condition.







1st row: Downstair sitting room
2nd row: Bedrooms 1 & 2 (as study room)
3rd row: Kitchen & Bathroom

Impressive pics

Re prices, don't take the highest price too seriously. Some of the estate agents are just more bullish than others and sometimes they do sell same property with higher price because of their successful marketing, aggressive tactics etc. etc. You may have heard the story of Foxtons, a London upmarket estate agent; I've had some first-hand experience with them and they are the most aggressive agents I've ever seen but in a good market they will indeed push prices higher. What I'm saying is everyone loves one's own house but be realistic if you want a quick sale, especially in this downward market. If you do prefer the highest price, I think you can negotiate a 4-6 weeks agreement period and if they can sell, you have nothing to lose even if they charge higher fees. If they cannot, use another estate agent immediately.

Thanks cwang for the advice!

Honestly, I don't want a quick sale since my fixed mortgage is due to end in the end of December this year. If I paid it off before that, I would have to pay around 2700 penaulty. So, the realistic completion time would be in Jan 2009. But, I may lose the best selling time, a couple of agents recokn to have it on the market sooner than later. I am a bite hesitate at the moment.

As for the price, I would be over the moon if it could be sold at 220k, which would be achieveable a year before. But, in the current market, 210-215k would be more sensible.

I just gonna a question. If I went for the highest valuation, but the offer was lower than it, and I didn't accept the offer, in result no sale, would I have to pay the agent? or no matter under any circumstance, it is no sale no fee?

我想请教一个问题
如果中介给你估计的价格是220，那么他们给你做广告的时候是不是也放220？？？

You only pay the fee when the sale is completed, and you can reject offer no matter how high the price is. You can even withdraw the property from the market if you want to.

In terms of timing, I personally think you should still act as quickly as you can; You can always slow the pace down a bit after you accept an offer.

Up to you really. Estate agents are working for you so you are free to say the price you want but normally people use the price estate agents suggest as they generally have a better idea of how much a property would sell for.

thanks again!

I will have a chat with my other half and decide an agent. I prefer these two agents, since they have good network (local and regional offices), good evaluations, positive, etc.

Gascoigne-Pees: 200000-220000, fee: 4950 plus VAT
Townends: 210000-215000, commission: 3000 plus VAT - the agent we bought property from.

Seymours: 200000-215000, commission: 1.4%. This agent was the 1st valuation at 215k. But, they only 3 local offces, seems having limited ways to market the property.

Do you mind to tell us who said £200000?

Hipps, they seems not as professional as other agents.

据说同时找几个中介代理的话，你要给的comission 要double
我们看房子的时候，试过同一个房子跟不同的中介去看，差异很大。有些中介告诉我们，pretty much the asking price，另外一家就说，大概能讲下来个两三万
所以开高价，并不代表能卖高价
有些房子，虽然开价底，却很多人抢着买，卖的很快。
所以楼主如果急着卖，价钱方面就要比市场价开的底点才会好卖

Thanks Sun_Juana!

I have decided to market it at 215k, which is a sensible asking price, in my point of view.

how does a contract with the estate agent last? The Agent (Townends) said 16 weeks are standard now, though they reduced to 12 weeks. How long is better really in the current market?

anyone can recommend a good conveyancing agent in surrey? even better in Guildford.