A guide to selling your home
Marketing your property
Karen and her team will be delighted to discuss how best to market your property, taking full advantage of the range of marketing tools at our disposal. During this initial conversation we will explain the whole process, including advice on the Home Report. We'll help you to complete the property questionnaire, carefully collate all the information required, take photographs and advise on how best to show your property. We will also provide you with an estimate of our fees and outlays for the transaction.
Home reports
Following legislation brought into force in Scotland in December 2008, properties have to be marketed with a Home Report. The Home Report is a pack of three documents.
Single Survey
The Single Survey contains an assessment by a surveyor of the condition of the home, a valuation and an accessibility audit for people with particular needs.
Energy Report
The Energy Report contains an assessment by a surveyor of the energy efficiency of the home and its environmental impact. It includes an Energy Rating in much the same way as there is for a new cooker or fridge, and also recommends ways to improve the energy efficiency. All properties for sale require an Energy Report, irrespective of whether or not a full Home Report is required. A copy of the energy report is held in the property and also at our office.
Property Questionnaire
The Property Questionnaire is completed by the seller of the home. It contains additional information about the property, such as Council Tax banding, alterations, and other important information that will be useful to buyers.
Home Reports can currently be obtained from local surveyors. We can arrange this for you if required.
Setting an asking price
Using our extensive experience of the local property market we will discuss an appropriate asking price with you, taking into account the valuation contained in the Home Report and current market conditions, with the aim of achieving the best possible price for the property. Properties are generally advertised at or around valuation, however, sellers are free to market their property at whatever price they wish. Properties are usually advertised at an “Offers Over” price, or sometimes at “Offers in the Region Of” as a general guide. Occasional we may recommend a “Fixed Price”, where the first firm offer received at the asking price is accepted.
At this stage we will require sight of the title deeds to the property to enable us to check everything is in order. If you have a mortgage the deeds will be with your lender. We will ask them to send the deeds on to us.
Initial title checks
Once the deeds have been received we will obtain an Ordnance Survey comparison report (“Land Report”) if the property is being sold for the first time since the Land Registration system of recording property ownership details was introduced to Shetland in 2003. Under this system, the title a purchaser receives is in the form of a Ordnance Survey map-based Land Certificate. The Plans Report compares the extent of the property as described in the title deeds with the OS map. If this highlights any discrepancies these may need to be remedied.
We will also ask you whether any alterations have been carried out to the property which would have required planning permission, a building warrant and / or any other consents. This is important because if not dealt with early on it can result in delays later.
If we have not acted for you before we will need to obtain proof of identity from you to comply with Law Society Regulations.
