Kirstie & Phil's Property Guide: Index Property Guide: Carlisle & Bath

Date Published:

18/07/2008

Kirstie and Phil give us their weekly update on the property world - with a look at selling your home online - and find out what Housing Minister, Caroline Flint has to say about the current market situation.

Selling your home privately can save you estate agents' fees - and any saving in the current climate has to be good. Plus, it puts you in control of what's happening. But how can you ensure you get your pitch right, and is it easier to sell on the web? Mark Desvaux of houseweb.com, a private sales website, gives us his tips.

But I'm Not A Salesperson!

'I think anyone who's comfortable with the idea of actually showing people around their home can sell it. You don't have to actually really be a salesperson to sell privately - this is one of the big misconceptions. My real belief is that a home usually does sell itself,' says Mark.

How Will People Know My Home Is For Sale?

'The tradition has been to go to the estate agent on the high street, but now statistics are showing that around 70 per cent of people are actually starting their search online,' continues Mark.

Isn't It Easier With An Estate Agent?

'Some people prefer to have the actual estate agent standing in the way, but what we've found is that sometimes, when the estate agent is removed from the process, it can actually speed up the process of communication because you're not actually going through two steps to get to the end user,' says Mark. 'The classic case is if you need to speak to somebody on a Sunday evening about an issue that's happened with the progress of the chain, you can get on the phone and speak directly to each other. You both know exactly what each other is saying... and they're always available. They are both looking after their own interests, where often with an agent, you're having to possibly compete for their time because, obviously, they're looking after more than one home seller.'

How Do I Set The Asking Price?

'We've found that typically about 90 per cent of houses sell for a different price than the asking price. We tend to call it the starting price rather than the asking price,' says Mark. 'These days, people are very savvy about their property and its value.'

'Where I see a For Sale sign, I'd go straight on the internet to see how much the house is selling for - so it's all there at your fingertips. There's also nothing to stop a person who is thinking of selling privately still to ask an estate agent round to get an estimation of their price. The agent can then have a chance to pitch for the business and put the opposite side across. I don't recommend this, but that is what people do.'