In this week’s edition, we discuss:
The winter period is often a time for assessing current living arrangements and planning what comes next, whether it be a move from rented accommodation into home ownership, a step up to a bigger and more suitable family home or swapping a now too large family home for something smaller and more manageable with a view to retirement.
Homeowners who decide to sell early rather than later, can take advantage of the fact that there are generally fewer properties on the market to greet the sharp upturn in demand from serious buyers in the first few months of the year, which is often reversed come spring when the market becomes more crowded.
After that, the crucial decision is…who to entrust with the sale of your home? Some owners go straight to the bottom line and decide solely on cost, which is incongruous as a home is likely their most valuable investment – and a precious repository of memories and emotions. Why risk selling it on the cheap, or worse, with someone unknown operating solely online? It takes no skill to list a property and sell it to the first buyer who comes along, compared to a professional agent with a long-standing reputation and vested interest in ensuring your home is marketed to a wide audience, attracts maximum interest, and sells for the highest price possible.
A good gauge is to ask around locally. Excellent service is the foundation for word-of-mouth recommendations, but other visible service indicators include having an established, local high street office offering a standard of service evidenced by high-calibre marketing and presentation, including professional photography and videography, floorplans – all the high-tech investments designed to present properties to maximum effect.
Estate agents are not all the same. Some over-price or over-egg properties to secure the business then fail to deliver, while others lack the necessary experience, knowledge and awareness of local supply and demand fluctuations to be able to advise clients accordingly. For those buying and selling in and around the central belt of Scotland, Halliday Homes is a highly respected, independently owned firm with high profile branches in Bridge of Allan, Auchterarder and Linlithgow, all staffed by locally based property professionals who are experts in their individual fields, be it estate agency, letting or financial services.
