I joined the Estate Agency industry around two years ago, and during this time it has amazed me that parts of the sales chain appear to have no concept of achieving targets and timeliness at all which is really disappointing particularly as moving home is one of the biggest emotional as well as financial investments that people can make.
Recently, two of our sales had been ready to complete for a number of days, everything was in place and our clients were ready to move, however ‘further down the chain’ we were dealing with a solicitor unable to commit to or achieve deadlines, and another sale where an extra call centre (sales progression handler) was simply another cog in the wheel making the process more complicated and slower – and don’t even get me started on call centres.
Our clients had their removal companies sorted, boxes packed and utilities ready to change hands. At David Phillip Estate agents we work very proactively at sales progression and conversations starting with “hopefully, we’ll do our best or fingers crossed” really infuriate me beyond belief and mean we are often unable to provide our clients with solid timelines – this is just not right.
What you can do to speed up the sale
We are certainly working in challenging times, but we learn to adapt, change the way we work and introduce new technology, however, there are some things that vendors can do as soon as they think of selling their home to speed up the whole process.
We use a property information questionnaire that spans all the information sellers need to gather about their home which can help to speed up the whole sales process such as :-
– Is your property a listed building?
– Is your property in a designated conservation area?
– Are any trees on the property subject to a tree preservation order?
– Have there been any disputes and complaints regarding the property or a property nearby?
– What services are connected to your property?
– Are you on main drainage or private drainage?
– Do any drains, pipes or wires cross your neighbour’s property?
– When was the boiler last serviced?
All these things are key and worth finding answers for sooner rather than later, however, there are other key elements that you can start to get in place as soon as you instruct your Estate Agent to market the property.
– Get your mortgage agreed in principle and be transparent about your financial position
– Ensure you have a solicitor lined up, and make sure it is a good one, this can make all the difference to the speed of the sale
– Identify issues early on
– Have details of your service providers including when things were installed or repaired
– Sign all paperwork promptly and have all important document to hand
– Pay for your searches as soon as your contract has been issued, some local authorities can be slow, however, Leeds tends to be one of the faster ones.
– Book your survey early – your mortgage lender will almost certainly require a valuation of the property to make sure it provides sufficient security for the loan
– If you can afford to be picky, look for properties where the upward chain is short, or even better non-existent
Choose an agent best for the job
Also, ensure you choose an agent that is best for the job. At David Phillip Estate Agents we have just been awarded the Best Sales Branch of the Year in Yorkshire – Silver from the Customer review site All Agents. Customer Experience is key to us and enables us to sell your property as quickly as possible and at the best price too.
So if you are looking to move home call us for a free market appraisal on 01134 676 400
w: davidphillip.co.uk
a: 86, Leeds Road, Bramhope, Leeds.
This is an advertorial blog for David Phillip Estate Agents
