How to Sell Your Home Without Using an Estate Agent

Estate Agents fees can be a huge amount to add on to the cost of moving. It's no surprise that some people prefer to sell their homes themselves. This option does not appeal to everybody and many prefer to use the skills of an established estate agent to see them through this stressful experience. But around a third of us are open to alternatives.

By far the largest benefit of selling your home through an estate agent is the exposure they can give to your property. They are easily able to put your property in front of people looking for a home exactly like yours. However, in these internet savvy days there are a whole heap of websites ready to offer your home even greater exposure.

Many property websites will offer you this service for free - however, do be careful, because it really is a case of 'you get what you pay for'. There is a brilliant website called private-house-sales.info which reviews private sale websites. This should give you a good insight into which website might be best for your property. Typically the more exposure a website can give your property the greater the cost. However this could greatly increase your chances of making a sale.

Don't disregard other avenues like your local classifieds or other websites such as eBay, Facebook or You Tube. With some clever marketing techniques they could result in a sale.

Prior to putting your home up for sale privately you will need to decide on a price. You won't have the benefit of an estate agent's expertise here, however you should be able to get a good guide price from looking at the prices of houses up for sale in your local area. Alternatively you could contact a local estate agent and get them to value your house for free, whilst having no intention of putting the house up for sale through them. Beware that whilst there is no obligation, there is a certain expectation that you will use them for the sale and you may have to fend off their calls for many weeks to come.

After deciding on a price, you'll then need to promote your property. This is best achieved by taking photographs. The more the better. Try to think back to what attracted you to that property in the first place. Ensure you get good photographs of the kitchen and bathroom as they are what supposedly sells a property.

You'll need wording to accompany these photographs and measurements. Check on large sites like Right Move to see how they describe properties and what information you should include. Remember to include crucial information such as a local sought after school nearby, outside space and any parking spaces.

You must be accurate when describing your home as you don't want to fall foul of the Property Misdescriptions Act.

When you have received and accepted that all important offer you will then need to instruct a solicitor. You can take care of your own legal work but for speed and efficiency it is best left to the professionals. Agree a timescale with your solicitor and contact them regularly for updates and to ensure the timescale is being adhered to. Ensure you keep the buyer informed of any hiccups as this will include them in the whole process and ensure they are less likely to pull out at the first sign of trouble.

The final stage is the handing over of the keys. Just make sure you have your solicitor's confirmation that the funds have been received prior to parting with the keys.

There is of course slightly more work involved in marketing your own property, however the financial benefits should make it all worth while.

Lisa Mills owns two commercially driven websites, one selling baby baskets and the other promoting toddlers toys.