Sellers Guide | Godfrey and Barr Estate Agents

Sales

A tailored property valuation

After we view your property, you will receive an individual property marketing review to show you what steps you need to take to achieve a sale. You will also receive a carefully researched, honest valuation of your property drawn from what has sold or let in your area and from the many comparable properties that we have dealt with. It is very easy to look on-line at asking prices, but there can often be a huge difference between the asking prices and what a property actually sells or rents for!

We will always give you a realistic appraisal indicative of the current marketing conditions and not an artificially high price, just to try and get your business. Any fees will be discussed with you right at the beginning, so you will know precisely how much you will pay for our service. We will usually advise you of an upper and lower price level, which allows some latitude for negotiation. We may suggest that you embark on a pre-marketing campaign, whereby we 'test the water' with selected purchasers, who we feel may be best suited to your home.

Sales

Marketing

Formal marketing will commence with the preparation of printed and digital literature by our in-house design team, with floor plans, an energy performance certificate (EPC) and video tour (if required). We have always prided ourselves in being able to produce informative and imaginative property details of a very high standard. Your home will be promoted on our website and other property portals, including Rightmove, Prime Location, OnTheMarket and Zoopla, as well as on our social media, including Instagram and Facebook.

We also advertise in various print media, especially prestigious property & lifestyle magazines such as ‘Fabric’. Should you require specialised tailored marketing, perhaps the production of a printed brochure or specialised advertising, these will be agreed in advance and charged for separately. Viewings will be accompanied by a member of our negotiating staff, which we do both from a security aspect and because we find that we receive more honest feedback. Our patch is exclusively North-West London and Hertfordshire. We don’t spread ourselves thinly elsewhere and defy anyone to know our prime areas values and dynamics better.

On our latest website, buyers can view property particulars, stunning photographs, videos, 3D floorplans and build their own ‘property portfolio’ of homes that interest them.

Marketing methods vary, dependent upon the type of property and the interest that we receive. For instance, we sometimes advise our sales clients to sell by informal tender. This is a method whereby best bids will be submitted within a specific time frame and considered by the vendors on a due date. Additionally, we may recommend asking for 'offers in excess of' a certain figure, particularly if the property is unmodernised and the full potential is not immediately obvious.

Whatever method you choose, you can be assured that all our negotiators are experienced enough to advise you correctly in any given circumstance. They have the technique and patience to really understand their applicants’ requirements, building up a rapport, sometimes over many weeks, months or even years with each potential buyer. Buyers are assessed not only on the offers they make, but also on their ability to purchase, an aspect that is often overlooked. Anybody can offer any price on any property, but that does not mean they have the resources to proceed. We are incredibly careful about whom we will agree a transaction with. Despite the advent of the internet and social media with their numerous property portals, our business is still a people business and our success is based upon our professionalism and the ability to match the right person to the right property. We’re open more often than not, whenever you’re available and when buyers want to view. A 6pm meeting, a Saturday or perhaps a Sunday viewing? No problem at all. An estate agency that knocks off at weekends is like a restaurant shutting for lunch!

Services

A DEAL IS ONLY JUST BEGINNING WHEN A BUYER OR TENANT IS FOUND!

Clients are often under the false illusion that a sale or rental is done when a buyer or tenant is found. Often the very opposite is true! A good agent knows that their work is only just beginning! The hardest part of any transaction is often ensuring that the progress is smooth between the time of offer and exchange of contracts or finalising the tenancy agreement. This is where our extensive experience pays huge dividends. Knowing the right questions to ask buyers about their chain, their mortgage, their deposits - checking all the facts first before engaging lawyers is imperative to the success of any sale. Properly checking the tenants references and having a good 'feel' for a good purchase or tenant, only comes with expertise and practice which we have plenty of. At Godfrey & Barr part of our ethos is ensuring that our clients can rely on our knowledge and experience. In that regard the Partners are 'hands on' with all their deals, more often than not closing each and every sale and monitoring each through to conclusion. Having an open and honest and friendly relationship with each of their clients and knowing when to 'call' a bad deal and move on! This is a major part of what sets us apart from the big chains and property shops and it's part of how we justify our fees. Our success over the years speaks volumes as do many of our client reviews. Not all estate agents are the same, and it's our very 'differentness' that sets us apart from the crowd.

Fees

Our fees for sales are 2% of the sale price for a sole or sole selling rights agency. We charge 2.5% of the sale price for joint sole agency or joint sole selling rights and we charge 3% for the sale price for a multiple agency. All charges are plus VAT at the prevailing rate. Our full terms and conditions are available upon request. All charges are plus VAT at the prevailing rate.

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