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How can we sell your property faster than other estate agents in South West London? Well, in this blog post we reveal all...
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One of the most frustrating things about selling a home is how long it can take. It’s not just a case of finding a buyer and handing over the keys – if only!
Unfortunately, many estate agents either don’t know how to sell your home quickly or fail to make selling your home fast a priority.
So if you’d prefer to sell your house and move into your dream home faster, then find out why South West London estate agents Bartlett & Partners are a great option.
According to the property website Zoopla, a house can take 17 to 34 weeks to sell, from the first day it’s listed to handing over the keys. Selling a house in the UK depends on a variety of factors, including location, initial asking price, market conditions, seasonal trends, property type/condition and chain issues. Some of these factors are within the seller’s control, but others are external. For example, you can ensure your house is in good condition, but you can’t control the country’s economic climate and mortgage rates.
In today’s market, it takes an average of 185 days (around 26 weeks) to sell a home in the UK. The listing process is quick (1-3 days), but other stages, such as the conveyancing and mortgage application process (12-16 weeks), can take significantly longer.
Every estate agent in South West London can sell a property in the same timeframe, right? Well, not necessarily. Many of Bartlett & Partners’ clients have come to us because their current London estate agents are not selling their houses quickly enough.
We recently sold a £5 million house in just four weeks after it had been listed with another estate agent for 18 months. How did we sell the house that quickly? We know the area inside out, took time to understand the property’s unique selling points, have a network of potential buyers and the resources to create a premium-quality marketing campaign.
Let’s look at some of the most important considerations that impact how quickly a house can sell in South West London.
Even if the market is favourable, your price should still be realistic. If the price is set too high, it may deter potential buyers, leading to the house sitting on the market indefinitely. On the other hand, pricing the property competitively can attract more interest and potentially lead to a quicker sale. Look at the asking prices of other houses in the area and use them as a benchmark.
The overall state of the property market can affect the time it takes to sell a house. During a seller's market – known as a ‘hot market’ – with high demand and low housing inventory, properties tend to sell more quickly. Since demand exceeds supply, buyers might end up in a bidding war. Conversely, in a buyer's market (a ‘cold market’) with more available houses and lower demand, selling a house may take longer.
Houses only sell quickly if people want them, and marketing encourages people to want them. Your estate agent needs to be marketing to the right people. Online property portals, social media, traditional advertising, how your property is initially launched onto the market and video marketing help attract more interest and lead to a faster sale.
Never underestimate the power of a proactive estate agent who communicates regularly with buyers and sellers. A proactive agent should contact their database of prospective buyers and arrange viewings for your property, and they should keep up constant communication with your buyer throughout the process. Many estate agents will lose the sale by simply not communicating enough with buyers - and sales can fall through.
Properties in desirable areas with good amenities, transport links, schools and low crime rates sell faster than those in less desirable or remote locations. When houses go on the market in Richmond, Twickenham, and Teddington that tick all these boxes, they’re in high demand! Location is essential for long-term value since the house can be renovated, but you can’t change where it's situated.
The housing market is usually more active during spring and early summer when many buyers are looking to move before the new school year. Rightmove’s recent five-year study revealed that March is the peak time for buyer interest. Spring traditionally represents new beginnings with improved weather and flowers in bloom, so what could be a better fresh start than buying a new home? If you have the luxury of waiting until spring, you might sell your house more quickly.
We also find that families, in particular, want to be in their new dream home for Christmas, and therefore, there might be a flurry of sales in the run-up to this time.
If you’re looking to move, you’ve probably pondered, ‘how quickly can I sell my house?’ No doubt your thoughts lead to the maintenance and condition of your property because you know that a well-maintained house will attract more buyers. It’s true. Visually appealing and well-maintained houses sell faster than those in need of extensive repairs or renovations.
Every property sale involves searches and legal processes. The conveyancing process usually takes 12-16 weeks and starts as soon as the seller accepts an offer on the property. Your buyer’s solicitor needs to arrange the relevant checks, which include:
Your estate agent can’t control the speed of these checks as they depend on the reliability and responsiveness of the solicitor or conveyancer. The buyer’s survey might also find problems with the property that need addressing and fixing before the sale can continue.
Many transactions are part of a chain, where the sale of one property is dependent on the purchase of another. Delays or complications in any part of the chain can slow down the selling process. If you really want to know how to sell a house fast, opt for a chain-free transaction. A chain-free property sale can reduce the conveyancing process to just four weeks.
In the last three months, properties over £1 million in Richmond have been taking an average of 112 days to sell. In Ham, homes in the same price range are selling faster, taking an average of 91 days, while homes in the £500,000-£1,000,000 bracket are selling within just 65 days. In Teddington, houses over £1 million are taking longer to sell (142 days), but the houses just under that price are selling much faster (80 days). *This is accurate at the time of publishing this article.
Detached and semi-detached houses (both 93 days) in Richmond sell faster than flats (171 days), and it's a similar situation in other South West London neighbourhoods.
All of these figures demonstrate that sales in South West London are relatively fast compared to London’s overall average of 123-156 days on the market. Houses are in high demand in Richmond, so it’s always worth checking with estate agents in South West London to gauge the local speed of sales.
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Unlike many other estate agents in South West London, we offer the following services to get a quicker sale and better results for clients.
We create a buzz around the property by hosting open days rather than viewings scattered across a week. It helps to boost competition and a feeling of urgency among potential buyers. It’s the same type of social proof that you see in restaurant queues – if everyone wants to eat there, it must be good, right? Similarly, if you see other viewers responding positively to the open house, they must be interested in it.
People make faster decisions when they feel like they’re going to lose out on something. The same fear of missing out increases the chance of them making a competitive offer.
Unlike many other South West London estate agents, Bartlett & Partners offer viewings that aren’t rushed. As we limit the number of properties we have on the market at once, we’re always available to give viewers plenty of time to view your property - they won’t feel like they’re on a house viewing conveyor-belt.
The houses we sell are often spacious or have distinctive features, so this extra time provides more opportunities to look around, ask any questions, and start imagining if this could be their next home. This is especially important for houses that come with larger grounds. Our directors (Darren and Kristian) conduct all viewings in person, which helps to build a relationship with the people who are looking to make an offer.
Our marketing is more than just a bunch of sloppy house descriptions and lackadaisical photos taken on a phone camera. We’re determined to get your property seen by the right people. We don’t just create a slideshow of static images as ‘video marketing’ – we supply professional photography and videography.
These days, 58% of buyers expect to see videos of the home they’re interested in viewing. We say: give the people what they want if it means a quicker house sale! That’s why we have an inhouse videographer who can take a stunning video of your home and even drone footage of each property that goes to market!
Our high-quality imagery not only gives properties a much better marketing presence online, but it's also extremely shareable. The Bartlett & Partners Instagram account has over 27k followers and 1.2k likes on Facebook – that’s a combined following of almost 30k. Sharing all new listings to potential customers on social media gets good engagement and attracts interested buyers. We recently had 18,000 views on a video in a Facebook group. It may seem like a simple step, but it’s one not many other estate agents do.
If you’re wondering how to sell your house quickly from the get-go, our advice is to get an accurate valuation. Setting the right price at the beginning will contribute to a fast sale. Many estate agents over-value the property with unrealistic figures to win a seller’s business. Then just encourage (or harass) you to reduce the price later.
Suitable buyers who filter listings by price won’t even see your property if it’s priced too high. Not only does this waste precious time, but when homes are later listed at a lower price, it can take away their ‘fresh on the market’ appeal.
When we conduct valuations, we consider the current market demand to offer a realistic and achievable figure – no over-promising. Our honest ‘no games’ approach means a faster and more streamlined sale.
When sales fall through, it can add weeks or months to selling your home (not to mention a whole bunch of stress).
We (Darren and Kristian) not only speak to your buyer, but meet them in person, see what ticks their boxes, what they like about your property, and what their concerns might be. We build a relationship with them.
This means that when we meet an inevitable obstacle in the sale (there is no such thing as a simple sale!), we can use this relationship to ensure that we have the best chance to overcome the issue and continue the sale.
Our buyers have our personal mobile numbers and can message / WhatsApp us, just as our vendors can, to answer any questions or close any issues swiftly.
Selling a house is a complicated process, and the question of how to sell a house fast hinges on several unpredictable factors. It’s also dependent on a wide range of people, including the seller, buyer, estate agent, mortgage lenders, solicitors and buyers further down the chain.
One way you can lay the foundation for a speedy sale is to choose a highly experienced and well-connected estate agent in South West London. To ensure a smooth process from valuation to marketing, the quality of service is key. Bartlett & Partners combines efficiency with outstanding service and attention to detail. So if you’re looking for a quick sale, get in touch with us.
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Dec 2024
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