Using property web sites to sell your house quickly...
Property web sites have transformed the UK property market for buyers and sellers alike in two important respects.
First, under the right circumstances they can dramtically reduce the cost of selling your home. Secondly, they enable buyers to find your property more easily. Everybody wins.
The internet has also given rise to a new breed of
online estate agents.
Here we are talking exlusively about property web sites focusing on private house sales, possibly in addition to selling other services.
Property web sites - selling privately online
Online property advertsing can be used on its own or in tandem with an estate agent or auction strategy. A number of estate agents have agreements with umbrella sites that feature homes nationwide. Sites include
www.propertyfinder.com
,
www.findaproperty.co.uk
,
www.fish4homes.co.uk
and
www.rightmove.co.uk.
Some of the sites are trade only e.g. www.rightmove.co.uk.
However, selling privately you’ll be using web sites developed specifically for that or which have a search capability allowing you to search for private sales.
Online services have different areas of focus, features and pricing structures.
We like
www.home.co.uk
and
www.houseladder.co.uk
The terms and conditions of each varies. Home is free for sellers if they select the basic option. Paid-for services can be added. Houseladder charges for its basic listing service but on the other hand has links with a number of other sites (100 and counting ) including
www.fish4homes.co.uk
There are a number of flexible packages to choose from.
Choosing a property web site for your house sale
When choosing a service/site find out:
√ How much traffic a site gets
√ What their charges are
√ If they offer the option of a for sale board?
√ Whether you get a ‘hits counter’
√ Use of visual features like virtual tours and pictures
√ The impact on Sole Agency Agreements
And whatever you decide to do, don’t forget the pictures. In these situations a picture really does say a thousand words. It works the other way too. Poor pictures can put potential buyers off.