Some common property dilemmas

• I’m thinking about moving but don’t know where to start with selling my own property…

We would first suggest arranging a market appraisal (also often called a valuation) for your property to discuss your individual requirements. This would give you a detailed assessment of the potential value of your property and its saleability within the current housing market conditions.

Following this, a meeting with an independent financial advisor is often a good idea to consider your lending options, if required.

Once you know an approximate value you can potentially sell your property for and how much you can afford to spend and/or borrow, we can assist you in coming up with a plan of action for your move. This can include providing tips on getting your property ready for market, preparing your home for viewings and helping you to search for your onward move.

You can call our office on 01904 404558 to book a completely free, no obligation market appraisal or simply complete our online contact form here.

• My wife and I are getting divorced and have decided to sell our jointly owned home. How will this be dealt with?

We are used to selling properties under all sorts of different circumstances. As joint homeowners, we would initially need to meet with you both, either together or individually, to discuss how we’d go about selling the property and how you’d prefer us to communicate with each of you. Unless otherwise instructed, we would keep in regular contact with you both, ensuring you were updated on any progress at the same time.

In a situation like this, it is helpful for us to know if you both intend to purchase new properties in connection to the sale of your joint property. A ‘split chain’ is something we are very used to handling in terms of our sales progression and this would be reinforced by managing any potential buyer’s expectations.

• My father has recently passed away and my siblings and I are unsure of the procedure we need to follow to sell his home…

The loss of a family member or friend naturally brings feelings of grief and sadness but there can also be the added worry and anxiety of handling their estate. The term ‘estate’ is used to refer to everything owned by a person who has passed away. This can include property, investments, personal belongings, life insurance and even money owed to the deceased.

We would always recommend appointing a trusted solicitor to advise you of the next steps and are always happy to provide the details of our local recommendations.

Once you and your siblings have been granted permission to sell your father’s property, we can then deal directly with the executor during the course of the sale.

We regularly undertake sales of this kind and have good established relationships with the Wills & Probate departments of many Yorkshire-based solicitors.  

• We want to upsize as we’ve outgrown our family home but are completely overwhelmed at the thought of having the photography done with toys all over the place!

So many families have this same concern - the answer is to just break it down, room-by-room. As soon as you have agreed an offer on your property, get started on the packing immediately. Everything will eventually need to be packed up, so get a head start and it will feel much more manageable in the long run.

Reduce as much as you can by donating and giving away anything that is no longer used, needed or wanted and organise what’s left into only the things you’ll need for the next six months. Box everything else up in cardboard boxes or plastic tubs and store them in the garage, loft or with a friend or relative. There are also plenty of storage units located in and around York and Tadcaster that we can recommend.

On the day of your photoshoot, the photographers are very unlikely to take photos of the inside of cupboards, garages, sheds or the downstairs toilet, so use these spaces for any last-minute clutter. It’s not uncommon for us to find our vendors squeezing the clothes airer, dog bed or kitchen bin into the boot of the car just as the photographers arrive.

Nobody expects your property to look like a show home – lived in is also fine. However, do try and make sure the space doesn’t look cluttered, as this can potentially make the space appear small and put people off if they think they’re likely to outgrow the property.

• I’m a first-time buyer - how do I go about purchasing my first property?

As it is most common for first-time buyers to fund their property purchase with a mortgage, your first port of call should be to meet with an independent mortgage advisor. A mortgage advisor will be able to tell you how much money you may be able to borrow by calculating your saved deposit with your regular income minus any outgoings.

Once you are aware of this and therefore have a more accurate budget, you can actively start registering for property alerts with estate agents and on property portals.

Haven’t quite reached your deposit saving goals yet? No problem, take a look at our first-time buyer advice here.

If you’re ready to start talking to an independent mortgage advisor, be sure to give us a call and we can put you in touch with someone we know, trust and have all used personally.