Deciding on an asking price

Needless to say this is a vital part of any house sale as it will determine how many people look at your property and in turn how many request a viewing. If you are currently with an estate agent then they will have recommended a price for you however if you have decided to sell your own home without an agent then you need to decide this yourself.

There are various ways to do this:
 

• Home Reports and Home Information Pack (HIP) – its now essential for you by law to have either a home report (Scotland) or HIP (England & Wales) prior to marketing your property and included in this is a valuation. You can of course choose to accept it or set your own price however buyers will use these reports as a benchmark.
   
• Look at what properties have really sold for – you can now look online and search for houses in your area to see what they sold for. This can be a good indicator when setting your price. You need to consider however when the property sold as prices pay have risen or dropped, and also if you’re property is in Scotland you are likely to sell on an ‘offers over’ basis so your price will need to be set lower than the prices achieved. A good website to use for this is House Price Spy – you will need to register but it includes some useful information.
   
• Look at other property websites and newspapers - see what other houses similar to yours in the same area are selling for – aim to at least match if not undercut what they are selling at to get some interest. You are always better to pitch lower and get viewers than pitch high and get no viewings.
   
• Estate agents windows – again you will be able to see what similar properties in your area are selling for
   

If you need help deciding how to value your home don't hesitate to contact us.

Why not try us before an estate agent and see what you can save? Register for a free account first to see what we can offer you, and how easy it is to Sell Your Own Home