Preparing your property for sale in Norfolk requires some forward planning and forethought.

We’ve touched on this in a previous blog post in terms of the practicalities of house kerb appeal, decluttering etc, but here we thought we’d expand, effectively doubling your selling checklist.

1. Choose a Norfolk estate agent wisely. Now by this we mean asking some leading questions of the agent you invite out to value, like: are you on the major portals? We are. What’s your percentage of sale price achieved? We can tell you our average is currently 100.2%, yes you are reading that correctly we achieved above asking price more than we have under.

2. Use a For Sale board if possible. This alerts neighbours and their friends to the fact your property is for sale, and even if you hanker after discretion, thechances are they will most likely have spotted your house for sale online anyway. Houses can often sell to people close by – this is a fact and one you should capitalise on by using the For Sale board.

3. Make sure your estate agent is social media savvy. Search for their Facebook and Twitter feeds and blog posts and see if they’re updated frequently. We do with ours, and our social media pages have generated many viewing requests and even offers.

4. Begin looking for a new property once yours is under offer, so as to avoid disappointment if your own property takes a while to sell. You will also be in a stronger negotiating position as a buyer this way.

5. Price your property realistically to sell, not to hit an estate agent’s listing targets. We have written at length about this and used the flying a kite analogy – read it here.

6. Find an estate agent you can trust. Here, at The Norfolk Agents, we’ve been trusted with many house sales since our inception, with more properties marketed weekly. You can trust us just take a look at some recent feedback we received.

7. Read estate agent terms and conditions closely. Some tie in you in for 26 weeks, seducing you by offering an unrealistically high valuation and then spending the next 6 months persuading you to bring their valuation figure down. Also check commission fees carefully – we are transparent with ours at The Norfolk Agents, we have no tie-ins and you can choose from several flexible fee options, as we are here to help you sell your house quickly and for a price you are happy with. Are others?

8. Beware of chains. A property chain can often be inevitable in a house selling transaction but the longer the chain, the greater the likelihood of a deal collapsing. Sometimes the best offer on your property can be a slightly lower one if the buyer has nothing to sell, or is a cash buyer.

9. Chase. By chase, we mean: be proactive. Ask your estate agent how the sale is progressing and if there are any pointers on how to help sell your home quicker if need be. Then once your house is sold talk with your conveyancing solicitor and mortgage broker, to keep things moving along and minimise the risk of your house sale falling through, or ask The Norfolk Agents to do this for you.

10. Avoid gazundering. If your property has issues, it’s best to be open about this and either remedy the problems, or negotiate a reduction early on – you can fix a slipped tile/slate, a leaky tap, a condensation issue in the loft. That’s better than letting the purchasers surveyor find the problems, as this can lead to tense discussions about price and possible last minute gazundering, which is not good for your stress levels or bank balance.