Can I sell my Property without using an Estate Agent?
There is no law saying that you need to use an estate agent when selling your home / property. The bigger question is not so much can you sell in regards to legally, but can you sell in regards to finding a buyer and completing the transaction!
So if you came to this blog post in order to know if you have to use and estate agency or not when selling you home then you will be pleased to know that you do not have to. Though nearly all property sales in the UK happen by an agency of some kind or another, there as still plenty of services out there supporting those who look to sell by their own means.
Today, you are likely to sell a property by an estate agency, online / hybrid agency, auction, solicitors. Most of us start with the traditional estate agent when it comes to selling our homes, the local agency who are able to value, list, undertake viewings, negotiate offers, handle the sales process and will likely be the one to hand over the keys upon full completion. Estate agents will also provide help with financing advice and recommendations such as for removal services, renovation works etc.
So already we see that an estate agent handles quite a bit of work when it comes to selling property and they will of course endure all the costs of photography, property details, listings on Rightmove / Zoopla, local newspaper adverts and more. It’s only when you complete your sale that you will see the charges for their services come in to play – It is still very works by no sale no fee.
You do not need an Estate Agent. Or do you?
So, can you sell your property on your own successfully?
Well once again we say yes, depending on how you intend getting the message out about your property will ultimately decide how successful you will be. You will need an EPC in order to put your property on the market, though much of the other estate agency actions you can undertake yourself:
- Valuation: This can simply be you stating the price you want or with a bit of research pricing accordingly to the local market and similar property. A check on Rightmove will give you plenty of ideas on where your price point should be (check recent sold prices too) – You can also use free valuation tools online though these are less than accurate.
- Photography: Easy! Mobile phones can capture great images.
- Listing: Not so easy and possibly costly unless you have a big audience already. Think about social media, websites / pages initially though extend out to private listing websites online that allow sell it yourself options. You can easily make a for sale sign or order one online. You can easily include your property in the local paper or place card adverts in local shop windows or on to message boards at supermarkets.
- Viewings: Easy. Take viewings yourself and just make sure that you get as much details from people as possible and take caution when inviting third party people to your property.
- Accepting offer: Once again, easily done and from there you simply instruct your solicitor to get the paperwork underway with your buyer.
For some strange reason the option of selling your property on your own isn’t that popular in the UK. Though many have tried to build online websites dedicated purely to private sales, none have really taken off. People still prefer to use an estate agent to sell their property and even buyers prefer to handle purchases this way – There seems to be a note of caution when people see property being sold privately. You can also today use the likes of hybrid agencies (Yopa / PurpleBricks) which act slightly different to traditional estate agency in that a charge upfront is required and you can simply pick and choose from added extras such as photography or accompanied viewings etc.
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