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Property sellers’ guide

Uncover the process of selling property with Hearnes, your local estate agent servicing Bournemouth, Poole, Ringwood and popular areas in between.

Selling a home is all about ensuring you gain the best sale price, with as little hassle, and in the time line you need, in some cases, as quickly as possible. The selling process can seem a little complicated to those who have never sold property before or don't move regularly. With Hearnes, we provide clarity to our clients from the outset, so you feel confident about the journey ahead. You can learn more about the steps of selling a property on the south coast with Hearnes, right here.

Why sell your home with Hearnes?

Hearnes is one of the leading estate agents operating exclusively in Bournemouth, Ferndown, Poole, Ringwood, Wimborne and surrounding areas, selling more properties in BCP than any other agent for many years. When you choose Hearnes to sell your home, you benefit from:

  • Estate agents with extensive local knowledge
  • Phone calls answered by individuals, not queued in phone systems
  • Personal email addresses and mobile numbers for all sales staff and managers
  • High-quality advertising of your property with quality photography
  • Accompanied property viewings for your peace of mind
  • Feedback after every viewing
  • Communication tailored to your needs
  • Regular marketing updates by email or phone
  • Conveyancing support from managers and dedicated experienced sales progressors

Getting ready to sell your property

Before you decide to sell your home, you’ll probably want to know what offers you can expect. You can do this with a professional property valuation. Hearnes offers property appraisals with a high degree of accuracy due to our extensive knowledge of the local market. We will also provide advice on how best to present your property and any improvements you may be considering.

If you do decide to sell, next up is working out when you want to list your property. Keep in mind that it can take weeks or months to receive the right offer and complete the sale. You might want to come up with contingency plans in the event that you sell quickly without finding a new property for yourself, which we can advise on and help with.

To get the best sale price, there could be aspects of the property you wish to fix or improve before you take it to market. For example, research suggests that interior and exterior cosmetic renovations can increase the sale price by up to 5% in most cases, and other improvements can make substantial gains whilst others again may not be cost effective. You’ll need to arrange an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your property as well, which requires you to enlist the services of an accredited EPC assessor. Hearnes can help with all these elements.

The other tasks of preparing to sell are to collect important documents regarding property ownership and any existing mortgage. You may want to start engaging with a conveyancer to prepare the legal aspect of the property sale even at this early stage.

Choose an estate agent

Choosing an estate agent is one of the crucial decisions when selling property. An excellent estate agent will provide a top quality service, generate more interest in your home and offer sound advice when making decisions, such as what property improvements are and aren’t worthwhile before listing. The best will also make their service fees 100% transparent from the start, which is exactly what we do here at Hearnes.

The importance of our local market knowledge should never be overlooked. Local knowledge is key to launching an effective selling campaign and finding the right leads and buyers. This is why Hearnes has set up multiple branches and dedicated teams for specific areas throughout our slice of the south coast.

Communication

High street offices are essential when you choose an estate agent so that you can pop in for a chat any time you want to. Also having personal email addresses and mobile numbers for your agent are imperative to be able to communicate using all available mediums 24 hours a day.

Photo showing an estate agent evaluating an empty house

Book your property valuation!

Discover how much you can expect to achieve by listing your property. Contact Hearnes for an accurate property valuation.

Prepare for viewings

Prepare your property for viewings by making sure all planned work has been completed and the home has been cleaned. In some situations you might want to go one step further and use property staging services, which is when someone comes and styles your home with furniture and other decor. Property staging isn’t used often but there is some data to suggest staged homes attract higher offers and spend over 70% less time on the market than unstaged homes, so it should be considered in some cases. We can help you make this decision.

Viewings are best conducted by your estate agent without you as the homeowner present. The psychology behind it is that if the owner is there it feels like you are walking around someone else’s home, whereas if not, you can dream a little and feel like you are walking around your future home. We understand that you may wish to be present for the viewing to keep an eye on your property or to simply provide helpful information. However, buyers are usually less honest about their views and ask fewer questions when the property owner is present, which isn’t beneficial to the selling process. Rest assured that Hearnes will always be present at viewings to ensure the security of your property and any belongings.

Be ready for negotiations

While the marketing and viewing process is going on, it’s worth instructing your solicitor/conveyancer as there are numerous forms to fill out and ID to supply. That way once you agree a price there will be no delays on your side.

After viewings have taken place, you might receive one or multiple offers from buyers. If the offer is already acceptable to you, you can let your Hearnes estate agent know that you wish to accept the offer. If the offer is below your expectations, you can choose to negotiate with the buyer, who may or may not decide to increase their offer.

If you’re unsure of how to negotiate, you can always ask our estate agents for professional input. However, we can never guarantee that a buyer will be willing to negotiate or whether they will withdraw an offer. Our experience in the market will be an invaluable resource during this sensitive process, but no estate agent can offer 100% guarantees. A general rule of thumb though is to try to negotiate quickly to avoid the possibility of your buyer seeing something else or just talking themselves out of it if they don’t think they’re going to be successful in securing a purchase.

Hopefully the right offer will be made and you can agree to the sale. At this point, your conveyancer will start to communicate with the buyer’s conveyancer to complete the legal process of the transaction and to exchange the signed contracts of sale. You’ll probably need to accommodate the buyer’s property surveyor who will check the property before signing.

Moving out

Once contracts have been exchanged and signed, you’ll know the property settlement day and when the buyer becomes the legal owner of the property. You must vacate the property by this date and will need to prepare to ensure your belongings have been removed. Don’t leave this late so you can find the right removal company. If you leave it until the last minute, many removalists could be booked out and some might quote you higher.

Make sure you advise all services and take a final meter reading. Also advise banks, etc. of your new address. May be worth setting up a mail forwarding service for a few months with the Royal Mail.

Moving is known to be one of the most stressful processes, but it can be made easier with a moving checklist. Rather than sporadically packing items, make a methodical plan of how you will do it in advance. Your plan will also help you calculate how many moving boxes you need or how long it will take.

Free home valuation

Find out what your property could sell for with Hearnes by receiving a free property appraisal. Get in touch now for yours!

Search for a property


More information

Discover more about Hearnes and our array of services by clicking the links below. From property valuations to meeting the team and reading recent reviews, you can find everything you need to know below.

Aerial photo of Wimborne Minister

Search for your next property

Search for your next property

Please view our current listings. Alternatively, get in touch if you don’t see any listings that match your criteria. We provide expert guidance to support your property search.

Photo of a river

What's your property worth?

What's your property worth?

Don’t hesitate to contact Hearnes for more information on how we will accurately value your property. Our team are on hand to fully explain our property valuation service so you know exactly what to expect.

Aerial photo of Badbury Rings

Marketing your property

Marketing your property

Do you have a question about how we’ll market and sell your property? Read on for answers to all your queries about our comprehensive service for sellers today. We guarantee 100% clarity from the outset.

Photo of a bench overlooking a river

Latest info

Latest info

We write regular posts to share information on the world of property. Many of our posts provide real-time insights into local property trends. Take a look to find out more.

Photo of Poole beach huts

Our reviews

Our reviews

Here at Hearnes, we have many happy clients. Read some of our reviews to see how we have helped buyers and sellers just like you.

Photo of a woodland walk

View our branches

View our branches

We have five branches, each dedicated to helping buyers and sellers in their local area. Find information, including contact details, for each of our branches here.

Photo of a country walk

Meet our team

Meet our team

Each of our branches has a dedicated and professional team ready to help buyers and sellers in their local area. Find out more about each of our team members here.

Aerial photo of Blue Lagoon, Lilliput, Poole

Where service counts

Where service counts

Here at Hearnes, we are a people business operating within the property sector. We are all about service and going the extra mile to ensure our clients get the home they want as smoothly as possible.

Photo showing an anchor in front of a building

Contact us

Contact us

We're always happy to help. Whether you are looking to sell your home, buy a new one, or just want to chat with someone about how we can help with a stage in the process, get in touch, and we'll see what we can do!

Aerial photo of Wimborne Minister

Search for your next property

Search for your next property

Please view our current listings. Alternatively, get in touch if you don’t see any listings that match your criteria. We provide expert guidance to support your property search.

Photo of a river

What's your property worth?

What's your property worth?

Don’t hesitate to contact Hearnes for more information on how we will accurately value your property. Our team are on hand to fully explain our property valuation service so you know exactly what to expect.

Aerial photo of Badbury Rings

Marketing your property

Marketing your property

Do you have a question about how we’ll market and sell your property? Read on for answers to all your queries about our comprehensive service for sellers today. We guarantee 100% clarity from the outset.

Photo of a bench overlooking a river

Latest info

Latest info

We write regular posts to share information on the world of property. Many of our posts provide real-time insights into local property trends. Take a look to find out more.

Photo of Poole beach huts

Our reviews

Our reviews

Here at Hearnes, we have many happy clients. Read some of our reviews to see how we have helped buyers and sellers just like you.

Photo of a woodland walk

View our branches

View our branches

We have five branches, each dedicated to helping buyers and sellers in their local area. Find information, including contact details, for each of our branches here.

Photo of a country walk

Meet our team

Meet our team

Each of our branches has a dedicated and professional team ready to help buyers and sellers in their local area. Find out more about each of our team members here.

Aerial photo of Blue Lagoon, Lilliput, Poole

Where service counts

Where service counts

Here at Hearnes, we are a people business operating within the property sector. We are all about service and going the extra mile to ensure our clients get the home they want as smoothly as possible.

Photo showing an anchor in front of a building

Contact us

Contact us

We're always happy to help. Whether you are looking to sell your home, buy a new one, or just want to chat with someone about how we can help with a stage in the process, get in touch, and we'll see what we can do!