At Carnabys we know when you’ve made up your mind to sell your property it’s a time to make the right decisions and choices.

You are selling your most valuable asset. It’s important that the people helping you to achieve your goals are the best for the job.

You’ve chosen a great estate agent (hopefully us).

Now it’s time to instruct a solicitor. Sometimes referred to as a conveyancer or conveyancing solicitor.

Over the 10 years we’ve been in Burgess Hill we’ve dealt with hundreds of them. Some very good. Some very bad.

They really can be the difference between a property deal going through or collapsing.

A good solicitor certainly helps everyone involved in the buying or selling the property remain calm and well informed.

The three main things to look out for when picking a solicitor to handle your sale are:

Communication: Will they return your calls? Do they needlessly insist on replying in writing every time? Or if that’s what you prefer then will they always confirm things in writing?

Clarity: Does their quote include disbursements? These add on fees can really mount up. Be clear on what you are going to pay.

Customer Care:  Do they have a good track record? Do they have testimonials they share willingly? Ask your friends and family for referrals and their recommendations.

We work regularly with a company of solicitors who we highly recommend. The only thing we get out of it is the peace of mind of knowing our clients’ legal matters are in safe hands.

Get in touch and I’ll be delighted to share their details with you.

Thanks for reading,

Terry

Terry’s Top Tip: Don’t choose a solicitor purely on a cheap price. Like most things in life you get what you pay for and some ‘cheaper’ mainly online conveyancing companies can deliver a less than satisfactory service.

We love it when the clocks go forward. The days are longer, the evenings much lighter and people are starting to venture outside again.

Put simply most people love being in the fresh air when the better weather arrives.

We are also lucky in Burgess Hill as we’ve beaches down the road, the beautiful countryside around us and a great town to enjoy. There’s no excuse to stay indoors.

When spring takes centre stage, people tend to feel happier and serious buyers get out and about in droves.

However, some people who prepare their home for sale fail to ensure their garden looks as attractive as possible.

We have many prospective buyers who give us their property wish list. A garden is very often on those lists.

In some cases people are even more specific and state their new home MUST have a south or west facing garden so they can soak up the most hours of sunshine.

A good garden can be a huge plus point for buyers, especially those with young children or planning a family.

You don’t have to have the green fingers of an Alan Titchmarsh or Monty Don to make it more appealing. At the very least you should make sure it is tidy, clutter free and colourful if possible.

A trip to the garden centre can provide a lot of ideas about how you can breathe new life into your garden.

There are also hundreds of websites out there include Pinterest which are full of ideas to enhance your garden.

So don’t just think outside of the box when getting your property prepared to sale – think outside of your home.

Thanks for reading,

Terry

Terry’s Top Tip: If you have a front path or driveway make sure it’s clear of clutter if you’re preparing your home to go on the market.

Tonnes of chocolates, loads of bunnies, bonnets and binging on hot cross buns.

That’s right folks it’s Easter.

A time for reinforcing family traditions and in my case probably putting on a few pounds over a long weekend.

Some Easter traditions around Europe raise an eyebrow or two.

For example in parts of the Czech Republic and Slovakia there’s an Easter Monday morning ritual of men lightly whipping women! Apparently it’s so the women keep their health, beauty and fertility for the next year.

However the women get revenge in the afternoon by pouring freezing cold water over the men’s heads.

All in the name of tradition.

Closer to Burgess Hill it’s also traditionally a time when the property market goes up a gear as the lighter, warmer months approach.

There’s plenty of confidence in the local market at the moment.

I can’t see anything on the horizon to change that momentum. Which if you’re a homeowner thinking of selling is eggscellent news (sorry couldn’t resist it).

We’re not open on Good Friday or Easter Monday but will be open 9-4 on Saturday.

Thanks for reading and Happy Easter to you all,

Terry

Terry’s Top Tip: We love staying in touch with people and we’re becoming a lot more active on social media so feel free to head over to our facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

Hello and a happy St Patrick’s Day to you all.

Now I’m not Irish but I do like a party and March 17 is the perfect excuse to raise a Guinness and hail the ‘luck of the Irish’.

But when it comes to selling your property you should never leave things down to simply crossing your fingers and wishing for Lady Luck to lead the way.

So put your four leaf clover away and by following these simple steps you stand a better chance of not cursing any moving misfortune.

Here goes:

Choose your estate agent wisely. Don’t simply be swayed by the one who ‘promises’ you the highest sales price as often this doesn’t actually happen and you set yourself up for a price drop and a longer period of being on the market.

Ask to see comparables of similar properties and what they sold for. Ask for recommendations and look at an agent’s testimonials on their website.

Select your solicitor based on recommendations and transparent pricing. Know exactly what you’ll be paying for. Have a chat with solicitors before you make your choice. You need to gauge if you can build rapport with them.

Prepare in advance all the paperwork you might need to give to a solicitor. Such as receipts, warranties, deeds and your mortgage offer. This will help speed things up a little.

Pick a removals company with a good track record and again, ask for testimonials and seek reviews. Make sure they have full goods in transit cover to protect your possessions in case of an unexpected disaster.

And hopefully once everything has gone through successfully you’ll be able to raise a glass or two and really celebrate your ‘good luck’.

Slainte (It means good health in Gaelic),

Terry

At Carnabys we love the month of March.

The clocks go forward. The days are longer, evenings much lighter and people are starting to venture outside again.

Put simply most people have more of a spring in their step when the better weather arrives.

When spring takes centre stage, people tend to feel happier and serious buyers get out and about in droves.

However, some people who prepare their home for sale either fail to ensure their garden looks as attractive as possible.

If you are selling in winter you might just get away with an untidy garden but in spring buyers will take not of your outdoor space with a keener eye.

At Carnabys we have many prospective buyers giving us their property wish lists. A garden is very often on those lists.

In some cases people are even more specific and state their new home MUST have a south or west facing garden so they can soak up the most hours of sunshine.

A good garden can be a huge plus point for buyers, especially those with young children or planning a family.

You don’t have to be Alan Titchmarsh or Monty Don to make it more appealing. At the very least you should make sure it is tidy, clutter free and colourful if possible.

A trip to the garden centre should provide a lot of ideas about how you can breathe new life into your garden in time for spring and summer.

So don’t just think outside of the box when getting your property prepared to sale – think outside of your home.

Thanks for reading,

Terry,

I heard someone say the other day that all estate agents do is to ‘plonk property onto the internet and then collect the commission when it sells.’

If only it were that easy. There’s actually a lot more to successfully selling people’s most prized asset than that.

Here’s a typical timeline of what we do when we are instructed to market a property following a valuation visit where we explain why we think Carnabys are the best agency to market the property.

First step is drawing up floor plans and getting photos taken.

Then we organise an Energy Performance Certificate if that’s required.

We’ll compile all the properties details to gain the attention of would be buyers.

Then contracts are sent out clarifying fees. The property details are uploaded onto the property portals and our own website.

We’ll go through our buyers list to contact people who have shown interested in particular types of properties.  This is where we match people with the properties they shown an interest in.

We’ll deal with all enquiries and accompany the vast majority of viewing to make the seller’s life easier.

When an offer comes in we’ll negotiate if necessary, always ensuring the best price for our client, the seller.

During the ‘legal’ period once an offer is accepted we’ll regularly contact solicitors involved in the sale and feedback to our clients.

Then contracts are exchanged and the completion date is set.

On completion and when we’ve been informed by solicitors that the monies have been transferred we’ll release the keys. With that will be the culmination of usually between eight to ten weeks work.

Hurray!

So a fair bit more than ‘plonking it on the internet.’

Thanks for reading.

Terry

Just like a host of English Premier League football clubs we’ve gone into the transfer market recently.

Thankfully we didn’t spend millions to acquire the services of a south American defender no one has heard of and is likely to hear of again.

We’ve bolstered our team at Carnabys by welcoming two top quality new ‘signings’.

Fiona Knight is our new Lettings and Property Manager. She brings years of experience in the industry as well as total professionalism and a friendly, down to earth manner.

She said: “I’ve worked for a large corporate in a number of senior roles and a well respected independent management company. I’m really looking forward to working in a small, close knit team which genuinely cares about its clients.”

Fiona is joined by our new Sales Manager, James Potten.

He began his career in estate agency in 2005 and has valuable sales and customer care experience from other roles in the leisure industry.

James said: “I’m very excited to be joining the team at Carnabys and looking forward to continuing to provide the top quality service and care we are renowned for.”

Well said James.

I’d also like to wish our former colleague Wendy all the best with her move away from the area. She was a great asset for us but I’m really confident that Fiona and James will not only continue our tradition of great service and expertise but will add to it and enhance it even further.

Another feature of our commitment to excellent customer care is the introduction of our Client Charter. It outlines exactly what you can expect from us in good old fashioned plain English.

Here’s a link to it.

https://www.carnabys.co.uk/approach/

Thanks for reading,

Terry

Less is more so kill the clutter

If you put your hand onto a hot stove you would not be surprised to burn it. That’s obvious I hear you cry.

And if you go for a stroll when it’s hammering down with rain you’ll get soaked, right? Duh, of course, you’re now probably thinking ‘tell me something I don’t know’.

However, it’s also pretty obvious that if you put your property on the market and it’s filled with clutter it is a much harder home to sell.

It makes your home look smaller and I’ve never had a potential buyer say to me ‘I’m looking for somewhere really small and cluttered’.

Sure we deal with lots of people downsizing but they still want ample space to live in and enjoy.

We recently surveyed the team in our office asking for their top property tip.

Leading the way by some distance was the vital importance of keeping a property clean and clutter free when people are coming round to view it.

You want viewers to marvel about how big your bedroom seems not be turned off by the fact there’s no floor space due to unnecessary items left everywhere.

Less is very definitely more in this scenario as untidy properties tend to stay on the market a lot longer than smart, clean and tidy ones.

So spend a bit of time decluttering your property before it goes on the market. If you have items you can’t part with, put them into storage. Just don’t leave them lying around for a potential buyer to step over.

The few hours you spend ridding your home of unnecessary clutter could make you thousands in an increased sale price.

Put simply, space sells, clutter doesn’t. It sounds obvious but many people dismiss this advice.

Our team are always delighted to answer any of your questions on preparing to bring a property to market successfully.

Thanks for reading,

Terry,

We all know first impressions count – whether it’s a job interview, a date or viewing a property.

Home buyers nowadays make even quicker snap judgements than they did a decade ago.

We constantly find buyers want properties that not only appeal to their eyes but also their noses.

We’re sure you’ve read or heard about how properties where the smell of coffee brewing or freshly baked bread makes viewers swoon.

However, in the real world it’s highly unlikely that you’ll have an endless stream of homemade loaves in the oven or a constant cafetiere on the go – unless you’re selling a coffee shop of course.

And Burgess Hill has plenty of those.

Realistically the best way to create an instant, positive impact on someone’s sense of smell when they have just stepped through your front door is a combination or ALL of the following:

• Fresh flowers – not only look good they smell good.
• Freshly painted walls – always a good investment when preparing a property for sale.
• Clean crisp bed sheets and don’t forget there are some fantastically subtle plug-in air fresheners are on the market now.

The smells to avoid like an overflowing fish bin on the hottest day of the year include:

• Stale tobacco.
• Food caddies which are full of old food in the kitchen.
• Cheap and nasty air fresheners.
• Old cat litter, damp dog blankets and any other animal related smells.

Put simply nice smells sell while stale air fails.

Thanks for reading,

Terry

We’ve reached the middle of January – how are you doing with your resolutions?

According to an article I read on the internet 50 per cent of people have broken all of their resolutions by January 14^th.

With that in mind I’ve come up with a resolution that’s reasonably easy to keep and can help your property sell faster and often for more money.

Let me begin. If you put your hand onto a hot stove you would not be surprised to burn it. That’s obvious I hear you cry.

And if you went for a stroll recently when it was hammering down with rain you’ll get soaked, right?

Duh, of course, you’re now probably thinking ‘tell me something I don’t know’.

However, it’s also pretty obvious that if you put your property on the market and it’s filled with clutter it is a much harder home to sell.

It makes your home look smaller and I’ve never had a potential buyer say to me ‘I’m looking for somewhere really small and cluttered’.

Sure we deal with lots of people downsizing across Burgess Hill but they still want ample space to live in and enjoy.

I recently surveyed the Carnabys’ team asking for their top property tip.

Leading the way by some distance was the vital importance of keeping a property clean and clutter free when people are coming round to view it.

You want viewers to marvel about how big your bedroom seems not be turned off by the fact there’s no floor space due to unnecessary items left everywhere.

Less is very definitely more in this scenario as untidy properties tend to stay on the market a lot longer than smart, clean and tidy ones.

So spend a bit of time de-cluttering your property before it goes on the market. If you have items you can’t part with, put them into storage. Just don’t leave them lying around for a potential buyer to step over.

The few hours you spend ridding your home of unnecessary clutter could make you thousands in an increased sale price.

Put simply, space sells, clutter doesn’t. It sounds obvious but many people dismiss this advice.

Our team are always delighted to answer any of your questions on preparing to bring a property to market successfully.

Thanks for reading,

Terry