Selling Your House Privately vs With an Agent - Which Option Is Best While Social Distancing?

The coronavirus pandemic has made a significant impact on the housing industry. Due to the complications it brought, many meetings had to be postponed or cancelled. Furthermore, putting up houses for sale became a much more challenging task than before.

 

However, if you wish to sell your home right now, it can still be done. Moreover, you can achieve it either with or without hiring a traditional estate agent. All you have to do is be prepared that you will have to adjust your approach to the social distancing restrictions.

 

With house sale numbers in England and Wales being noticeably lower than in the previous years, it begs the question: is selling your home privately worth it right now? Perhaps using an estate agent would make more sense in your situation? Here we will help you tackle this dilemma.

 

Additionally, this article will present you with different approaches you can take when selling your home. For instance, you will learn how to sell your house privately and is it the right thing for you to do in current times. Let's jump right in!

Can You Sell Your House Without an Estate Agent During the Pandemic?

Of course, you can! Do not abandon your plans of selling your home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, try to find solutions to the problems you will have to address.

 

Nowadays, many people who wish to sell their property decide to organise a virtual tour of their property. It is an excellent way to show homebuyers what you have to offer while keeping social distance!

 

Contacting your potential buyers via email is another great option that you can choose. Add a floor plan to your mail, so they can get to know more about the house you are selling without even setting their foot in it!

 

Additionally, if you already know someone willing to buy your property, you can contact them directly! Remember that you will have to know about signing legal documents virtually as our meetings face to face need be limited.

What Are the Main Things You Have To Do?

A crucial thing that will require your attention is marketing. Among other responsibilities, you will have to arrange viewings and show potential buyers around.

 

A smart thing to do in our current circumstances is to list your property on portals like Rightmove and Zoopla. This way, you can find people interested in buying your home even outside your local community.

 

Another thing that you need to do is getting an Energy Performance Certificate. Bear in mind that selling your property in the United Kingdom is impossible without one, so make sure to see it done.

 

Next, you will have to decide on an asking price. Take note of the housing market’s state in your area and adjust your approach to its needs. You should be able to find this information online easily!

 

Moreover, take care of how your house looks. Get rid of your old furniture and buy, for instance, a new L-shaped sofa for your home! This way, you will significantly boost your property's market value.

 

You can also contact some professionals to conduct all the needed repairs. Do not overlook anything that could potentially discourage a possible buyer. For instance, as experts from A1 Garage Repair emphasise, it is crucial to take care of your garage door. Apart from that, do not forget about the roof, the entrance door, and other essential elements.

 

Finally, after finding a buyer and agreeing on the price, you need to take care of all the required paperwork. Here you can also look for another way to deal with the paperwork than yourself.

 

For example, you can call or email a high street solicitor or conveyancer to attend to the legal documentation. A licenced conveyancer will undertake all legal work on your behalf for a reasonable fixed fee.

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Handling the selling of your house by yourself might be the right option for you if you have a lot of free time on your hands. It may also demand a significant effort on your part, especially nowadays, considering the social distancing restrictions. If you want to sell your property without losing too much time and energy, there is an alternative you should consider — hiring an estate agent.

What Does an Estate Agent Do?

After discussing selling a property privately, estate agents' role needs to be addressed. After all, they usually can find buyers who are willing to match the asking price swiftly. Their services might be invaluable during the pandemic!

 

There are two types of estate agents — online and traditional/high street ones (who also have to apply some online solutions in the current situation). The opinions about them may differ regarding who you ask. Nonetheless, the main difference between them lies in the groups of potential buyers they can find for your property.

 

Whichever type of an agent you decide to enlist, you can be sure that you will have to deal with a minimal amount of paperwork. If you are not someone who enjoys filling out the papers, use an estate agent’s services to have this work done for you.

 

Moreover, online estate agents will advertise your property on multiple property portals like Rightmove, Zoopla etc. They will also have less trouble advertising your property despite social distancing as they have access to various tools like teleconferencing apps.

 

On the other hand, using an estate agent can be costly as high street estate agent fees are usually 0.75% to 3% of the selling price. If you want to save some money, you should advertise the property you wish to sell by yourself.

 

Nonetheless, if you want to get rid of your property without spending too much energy, this is the right option for you. It would be best if you think about this possibility before you find yourself in the wrong spot.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, there are many factors regarding the house sale market. Get to know them all, and you will find out what you should do with your property in no time!

 

Remember that sometimes you can get frustrated throughout the process, especially when you see the lack of progress in those hard pandemic times. In this situation, remember about available options and do not be afraid to use them to maximise your chances to succeed!

 

The pandemic might have slowed things down, but it did not stop them. There are still many houses for sale privately or with an estate agent. With some patience on your part, your offer will bring the right buyer.

 

Nevertheless, try to approach your problem methodically. Now, when you know the answers to questions like "What does an estate agent do?" and "Is selling your house privately a good idea?" you are ready to choose the preferred approach and face the upcoming challenges, even with social distancing restrictions. Good luck!