First steps

You will want to know the value of your property. We can give you a valuation estimate over the phone and a more accurate free valuation following a visit to your property. The property valuers at Gilli know the area really well and understand the dynamics that affect property prices locally and seasonally.

They’ll take into account many factors, including, current and anticipated demand, prices asked and achieved for similar property close to yours and the proximity to transport, shops and schools. But not until they’ve seen the property for themselves will they be able to give you a minimum and maximum achievable price.

Wouldn’t it be cheaper to do this all myself?

Unless you’re prepared to do your own valuation, pay for your own advertising, put up a home-made sale board, answer telephone enquiries and take care of a dozen other time consuming details, you’ll need an Estate Agent you can trust. They’ll value and market your property for you and advise on appointing a solicitor if you don’t already have one, to handle the legal side of the sale.

Gilli's experienced property consultants will have managed the problems that can occur with a sale time and time again. We will help with difficult negotiations, deal with chains and offer valuable advice.

How much is this going to cost me?

Well it may cost you nothing at all. A sales agent will know the market well and may be able to achieve a higher asking price than you could do yourself directly with a purchaser.

At Gilli the initial valuation of your property is free. You only pay commission when we successfully sell your property and you’ll always have access to a specialist team dedicated to sales.

Another agent may inflate the value of your property. If you accept this, your property could remain unsold for many months and consequently you may find it difficult to move onto another property quickly.

Preparing your property for sale

Before putting your property on the market, take a cold hard look at it and check what decoration and cleaning needs to be taken care of before selling. If you are residing at the property, it can sometimes be difficult to see what needs to be done as you live within it every day, so it’s worth getting a second opinion from a friend or from one of our friendly advisors.

For some advice on preparing your home for sale, read our Selling Tips and Advice page on this website. It’s full of tried-and-tested tactics which will give your home an immediate face-lift that will increase your selling price and lead to a quicker sale. If you’re too busy to take care of this yourself, we can organise a professional spring-cleaning of your property to include steam cleaning of carpets and redecorating if necessary.

Conducting a property viewing

Depending on a buyer’s availability, viewings are conducted 9am - 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am - 5pm on Saturdays. We will check that a time is suitable prior to confirming a time with a prospective buyer.

We usually conduct property viewings; you need not be present. We normally keep keys and can access the property to suit your instructions. Make sure all keys are available to open windows, fire escapes or a garage if you have one.

Before a viewing have a quick tidy final up, make sure the house is freshly aired and there are no nasty cooking smells or pet odours. Turn the TV off!

Give time for viewers to discuss the property alone before they leave.

Resist the temptation to ask viewers if they like your property. They may spontaneously tell you. Either way, it makes negotiating easier if we handle feedback until matters progress to an offer.

How long does it take to find a suitable buyer?

According to market demand and the desirability of your property, anything from between several days to a couple of months. At Gilli we are able to maximise the speed of sale due to our computerised systems that match properties to potential tenants and inform them by email and text/SMS.

We also undertake all the usual marketing in newspapers and on the web. Our property boards are further coded with a unique property reference that enable the property to be instantly located on our website.

Receiving an Offer

As soon as a prospective buyer has made an offer, we’ll let you know, verbally and in writing. The offer will be subject to a contract being signed and there are no legal obligations on either side until this is done.

Sometimes there may be a process of price negotiation in the price. This can be difficult, but by working with Gilli you'll benefit from our expertise in this area.

Accepting an Offer

If you are happy to accept an offer, don’t rush to take your property off the market. Sales fall through for a variety of reasons, the buyer might try to negotiate a better price or find another property they prefer.

You will need to appoint a solicitor to prepare a Contract of Sale. This will then be sent to the buyer’s solicitor who will make the necessary enquiries, complete a satisfactory local search, etc. before proceeding to Exchange of Contracts.

Exchange of Contracts

To prepare your Contract of Sale, your solicitor will need certain documents from you. It can take a while to obtain these, so to help towards a swifter sale, take time to obtain these in advance.

If your property is freehold, you will require:

• Title documents (from you or your Bank/Building Society)
• Evidence that your last Council Tax has been paid
• Paid utility bills
• Guarantees and warranties related to damp-proofing, etc.
• Gas safety check certificates
• NHBC certificates
• Planning and Building Regulations approvals for extensions etc.

If your property is leasehold the documents will be as above, except:

• Leasehold title deeds will replace title documents
• You will need to show a history of service charge payments
• You will require a history of ground rent payments

The draft Contract of Sale, a copy of the title deeds (if the property is leasehold it will include a copy of the lease) will then be sent to the buyer's solicitor for their perusal. This checking process may involve many specific queries.

When the buyer's solicitor has obtained a satisfactory local search and if applicable a copy of the buyers mortgage offer, the contract will be signed and a cheque for the deposit will be sent by the buyer to your solicitor. Exchange of contracts can then take place and the transaction becomes legally binding.

Don’t forget to organise your building insurance at this point as technically the property is now owned by you.

Completion

The final stage of the sale normally happens two to four weeks following Exchange. The buyer's solicitor hands over the remainder of the purchase money to your solicitor who will pay your Building Society or Bank, if there has been a mortgage on the property. Legal fees and our fees are also paid at this time.

Matters to attend to after a Sale

Write instructions and find the manuals for the operation of appliances you may be leaving in your kitchen. Don’t forget, central heating instructions.

• Leave a note about the days for refuse and recycling collections.
• Arrange to redirect your post.
• Contact gas, electricity, phone suppliers and the council about new owners taking over accounts. Take meter readings before you vacate the property.

Please read our Jargon Buster if there are any terms here that you do not understand.