Picture the scene – your first home was purchased in the not too distant past, but it no longer provides the accommodation you require.

Having examined the possibility of an extension, it still won’t suffice, so that house will have to go.

Nowadays, there is a lot of advice around for first-time buyers.

The poor old first-time seller, however, is all too often overlooked and yet, this can be as difficult and daunting a business as the original purchase.

First things first. Sellers will be all too aware of what they paid for the house (or how much they had to borrow to buy it). What they may not realise is how the market has changed since that time.

Property values have gone up and down over recent years and any seller will need to know the value in order to set the sale price.

It isn’t as simple as that though.

Take a trip round the local estate agents and see what similar properties in the area are being advertised at. Set the asking price of your house at some intermediate point.

The next step for the seller is to decide how they intend to sell the place. They can either use an estate agent or do it themselves.

They will, of course, need a Home Information Pack prepared, which they cannot do themselves.

Selling with an estate agent

The advantages of using an estate agent are many;

• Sellers will get widespread publicity among casual passers-by of the agent’s shop window, through local press advertising and probably further afield because many agents maintain a monitored mailing list.

• Sellers will also get a For Sale board outside their house, a viewers’ booking system and conducted viewings when they cannot be there.

• They will also get advice on presenting their property at its best.

• Potential buyers will be helped and advised on house purchase and will probably effect a sale sooner rather than later.

There will, of course, be a charge for all this, but in the long run, it will mean their house is sold quickly and satisfactorily, leaving them free to move on.

Selling alone

The advantage of selling as an individual, without using an agent, is that sellers will incur no charges at all and the entire sale price will be theirs.

However, there is a price to pay for this – sellers will have to do all the work themselves – if they have time.

In their innocence, sellers might imagine that everyone who views their home will be a genuine, potential buyer.

Well, think again.

There are some incredibly irritating people whose hobby is viewing other people’s homes, taking up incredible amounts of time then going away never to be seen again, as well as the bargain hunters who will try to beat sellers down on price.

And, there are others who will bring their children and allow them to run amok on the furniture.

More sinisterly, there are those who come with an entirely different motive, taking note of valuables, security and easy ways in.

The lesson here is to have a bare minimum of possessions on show, never to divulge the security measures and to keep all doors and windows securely locked.

Don’t despair though, there will also be a selection of nice, genuine people, one of whom will eventually want to buy the house.

Once a seller has a buyer and the sale is going through, they should go on showing people around until they have actually exchanged contracts, because even the most genuine buyer may have to back out for some reason.

At all stages throughout this difficult transaction, the estate agent will be there to encourage the seller and gee them up, so they won’t ever feel alone, unless that is, they’ve decided to go it alone and do it themselves.