🏡 Choosing an Alton Estate Agent
How do I choose the right estate agent to sell my home?
Look for an agent who knows your local area, communicates clearly and who you feel is a human being that you can build a professional working relationship with (remember you are trusting the agent to sell your home for you). A good agent will be open, realistic about pricing, and proactive about finding buyers – not just listing your property and waiting for the phone to ring.
What makes your agency different from others in the area?
We focus on personal service rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. You will deal directly with the same experienced professional as your main point of contact who handles every step of your sale, ensuring attention to detail and clear communication throughout. This allows us to take a really consistent approach ensuring that your property is marketed as you would like it to be and that buyers are given the best first impression of your property as possible.
Within the team we also have a practicing solicitor who, from an early stage, can provide legal input to ensure that any title or associated issues that may delay or derail your sale are spotted as early in the process as possible. This allows time for any issues to be resolved before a sale has been agreed in order to reduce the chance of your sale falling through. Attracting the right buyer can be tough at times, we want to do everything possible to ensure that once your buyer has been located that the sale then proceeds as smoothly as possible.
Are you a member of any professional bodies?
Yes, we’re fully registered with the Property Ombudsman as well as other required recognised industry bodies, which means we adhere to strict professional standards and a code of conduct designed to protect you.
Do you specialise in any particular type of property or area?
We primarily handle residential sales in Alton and the surrounding villages, with experience across everything from first-time homes to larger family properties and character houses.
Will I deal with the same person throughout the sale process?
Yes – you’ll have one dedicated point of contact from valuation to completion, so you’ll always know who to call and can be confident your sale is in safe hands. Whilst other members of the team may assist in areas that they specialise in your main point of contact will remain the same throughout.
💷 Fees, Contracts & Terms
How much do you charge, and what’s included in your fee?
Our fees are competitive and fully transparent, depending on any particular quirks that need to be accounted for our fees are commonly 1% of the sale price of your property plus VAT.
Our fees cover everything from marketing, professional photos, floor plan preparation, an initial legal review, accompanied viewings, to negotiation and progress-chasing once a sale is agreed.
If any third party services are required, for example the preparation of an Energy Performance Certificate, the cost of this will be discussed with you during our initial meeting.
Do you work on a “no sale, no fee” basis?
Yes. You only pay our fee once your sale completes – there’s no charge if your property doesn’t sell. Generally our invoice will be raised on exchange of contracts and your solicitor will pay our fee from the sale proceeds.
Are there any upfront costs or hidden charges?
No – we’re upfront about all costs from the start (this is really important to us and before marketing your property we will insist on having a written agreement in place that sets out the extent of our role and the costs that will be payable).
Optional extras such as premium listings, drone images or video tours will always be discussed before you decide.
What is a sole agency agreement, and how long am I tied in for?
A sole agency agreement means only one agent can market your property during the agreed period. We are confident in the service we offer so do not believe tying clients into long contracts (if you decide you want to leave and we insist on a long notice period it only gets a bit awkward which isn’t in either your or our best interests. With this in mind, if you decide that you would like to switch to a different agent you will only be required to provide us with 7 days notice of your decision.
If you wish to instruct two agents to market your property at the same time this is known as a multi-agency agreement. This is less common but something we are open to discussing in the circumstances. Typically the fee for marketing your property on a multi-agency basis will be higher than our normal fee as usually the agent that introduces the buyer is the agent that charges a fee with the other agent not charging for their time in marketing the property.
📸 Marketing & Presentation
How will you market my property?
We use a mix of online and offline marketing – professional photography, floor plans, all mainstream property portals (including RightMove and Zoopla), our website, social media promotion, a high quality printed window card at our office and our buyer database – to ensure your home reaches the widest audience.
With your permission we will also erect a high quality ‘gallows’ style for sale board in an agreed location outside your property – never underestimate the power of a for sale board.
Do you provide professional photography and floor plans?
Yes, every property we list benefits from high-quality photography and detailed floor plans to showcase it at its best. We take the images and videos used in our marketing materials in house which means that if these need updating there is no need to wait for a third party to confirm appointments – we can work around you.
Will you write the property description or should I provide one?
We’ll prepare a professional description for you, highlighting your property’s key features and lifestyle appeal.
It is really important to us that you are happy with the property description (during our initial meeting we will ask if there are any particular features that you feel are special about your property that you would like to be highlighted in our marketing material and we will use this to frame out marketing strategy).
Before your property listing is launched we will share the draft brochure with you for approval. We can then discuss any amendments that you would like to be made so that we ensure your property is marketed in the way you would like it to be whilst giving the property the best chance of appealing to as wide an audience as possible.
Will my property be listed on Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, etc.?
Yes, we advertise on all major property portals, as well as our own website and social media channels.
Do you already have people looking for a home like mine?
We maintain an active database of registered buyers and contact suitable matches directly as soon as your property is listed.
Can I approve the marketing materials before they go live?
Of course. We’ll send you the photos, floor plan and wording for approval before your property is launched.
Do you offer social media marketing or video tours?
Yes – we make full use of social media to reach local buyers, and can include video tours or reels where suitable to create extra interest.
⏱️ The Selling Process
How long does it usually take to sell a property in this area?
This is a really important question and one that it is not easy to provide a straight forward answer to. In short, it varies drastically depending on the time of year, buyer demand, the nature of your property and what is going on in the wider world.
It is really important to price your property accurately to reflect its true value, the most damaging thing that can be done is to launch your property at an inflated price to ‘test the market’ only to reduce the price a short while later. Serious buyers keep track of properties listed to the market and inflating the value can be a sure way to destroy trust and confidence right from the outset.
If a property is marketed at a realistic price with good quality images (putting world events to one side) we would hope to have a good level of interest from the outset with your property going under offer within 6 – 8 weeks of being launched.
If there isn’t the level of interest in a property we would like to see we keep our marketing strategy under review and will discuss proposed alternative marketing methods with you (this could be changing the description, changing the images or adding video tours or reels – there are lots of steps that can be taken rather than simply applying a price reduction).
What should I do to prepare my home for sale?
This depends very much on your property and we will gladly offer advice and guidance during our initial meeting.
First impressions really do matter – tidy up, declutter, and make sure rooms look bright and welcoming. Small touches like fresh flowers or neutral décor can really help buyers imagine themselves living there.
However, often it is not worth carrying out significant works (such as updating the bathroom, kitchen or replacing floor coverings) other than perhaps a coat of paint if a room is particularly tired. Whilst significant works can, in the right circumstances, make a property more saleable often this does not increase the value so before spending heavily on significant works this needs to be considered against the likely return.
Do you handle viewings, or do I need to be present?
We’ll take care of all viewings and provide full feedback afterwards – we understand how frustrating it can be waiting for feedback (especially if a viewing takes place over a weekend). This is why one of our promises is to feedback straight away after each viewing even if it is just our view of how the viewing went whilst detailed feedback is awaited from the potential buyer.
You don’t need to be present for the viewing unless you would like to be.
Will you provide feedback after each viewing?
Yes – we understand how frustrating it can be waiting for feedback (especially if a viewing takes place over a weekend). This is why one of our promises is to feedback straight away after each viewing even if it is just our view of how the viewing went whilst detailed feedback is awaited from the potential buyer.
How will you keep me updated throughout the sale?
You will receive regular updates on interest, viewings, offers, and progress – by phone, email, WhatsApp or text, whichever you prefer.
What happens once I accept an offer?
Once an offer is accepted, we will issue a memorandum of sale to all parties and liaise closely with solicitors to help keep the process on track through to completion. During this part of the process is where an experienced agent can really add value – buying and selling a property can be an incredibly emotional time and often the agent acts as mediator to ensure that any bumps in the road are passed smoothly to keep the sale on track.
If your buyer is having a survey or needs a mortgage it is likely that a surveyor or valuer will need access to your property. We understand that you may well be busy with life events and if it helps we are happy to facilitate supervised access to your property to allow any valuation or survey to take place whilst making sure your home is treated with respect.
Our role continues right up to the day of completion (often beyond this too) – on the day of completion we would normally receive your keys to the property once you have finished moving out and then once your solicitor confirms that completion has taken place we will hand over the keys to the new owner.
Can you recommend a solicitor or conveyancer?
Yes, our ‘sister’ business is a law firm and we are based in the same building meaning that we have really good lines of communication. In an ideal world, we would introduce you to the legal side of our business early on in the process so that whilst marketing materials are being prepared the legal work can be started.
When selling a property there is quite a bit of background information that a seller needs to provide. By being organised this can be prepared before a buyer is found so that you can complete an actions needed from you without the pressure of knowing that the buyer is waiting for information from you. We tend to see that this can help your sale go through smoothly in three main ways:
- Papers can be issued swiftly – as soon as the memorandum of sale has been issued your solicitor can issue the draft Contract and supporting papers to the buyers solicitor – if instructing a solicitor is left until you have a buyer this can mean that the Contract and supporting papers are not issued for a number of weeks which adds on to your transaction timescale;
- Quality – we tend to see that if the supporting information is prepared in advance this often means that more attention to detail is paid and the temptation to rush is avoided meaning that the quality of the information provided is much higher. This can then reduce the need for the solicitors to raise questions during the legal process which can again save weeks from the transaction timescale;
- Defects – if any defects are identified whether it’s a title related issue or missing Building Regulations certificate this can be rectified whilst viewings are taking place so that this issue is well on the way to being resolved (if not already resolved) before a buyer is in place.
Our ‘sister’ business can only act on one side of the transaction (one solicitor can only act for the seller or the buyer) and so we work closely with several local solicitors and can recommend trusted firms who communicate well and keep things moving smoothly.
There are a number of firms we have worked with previously who can be challenging to work with, rest assured if we see that your buyer is proposing to use such a firm we will happily raise this with you and if you agree encourage the buyer to seek alternative representation.
💰 Valuations & Pricing
How do you decide what my property is worth?
Producing a valuation for a property is not an exact science – we combine local market knowledge, recent comparable sales, and an honest assessment of your property’s condition and appeal to suggest a realistic and competitive asking price.
As part of our market appraisal process we suggest three values for your property:
- Optimistic Price – this is the best possible price we think the property could achieve. It should be noted, however, that adopting this strategy may result in a longer marketing period and could ultimately require a price reduction, which can affect initial buyer interest;
- Market Price – this is what we consider to be a realistic and competitive price, likely to attract good levels of interest from proceedable buyers;
- Strategic Sale Price – this is the lowest price we would recommend if a quick sale is a priority. This approach can be particularly helpful where there is an onward chain to protect or where maximising interest is key. It must be remembered that this may mean you are not maximising the potential value of the property.
We will then discuss the above with you to ensure that the price included on the marketing materials is a price you are comfortable with.
Do I have to go with the price you suggest?
No – it’s entirely your decision. We’ll always provide guidance, but the final asking price is your choice.
It is really important to price your property accurately to reflect its true value, the most damaging thing that can be done is to launch your property at an inflated price to ‘test the market’ only to reduce the price a short while later. Serious buyers keep track of properties listed to the market and inflating the value can be a sure way to destroy trust and confidence right from the outset.
What happens if my home doesn’t sell at the asking price?
We’ll review feedback and market activity together, then discuss whether a price adjustment or fresh marketing approach is needed.
Can I change the asking price later?
Yes, you can adjust the asking price at any time after discussion with us.
Is there a charge for a valuation/market appraisal?
No – our market appraisals are completely free and without obligation.
🧾 Offers & Negotiations
How do you qualify potential buyers?
Once you have confirmed that an offer would be acceptable to you we check the buyers’ financial position by a number of methods including:
- Seeking proof of funds – if a buyer claims to be a cash buyer we will ask for evidence of the location and source of the funds);
- Seeking evidence of mortgage arrangements – if a buyer is organised they may have a mortgage offer in principle (an agreement saying that based on the buyers financial circumstances they borrow up to a certain limit). Sometimes an offer in principle might be misleading, for this reason we will ask a buyer to speak with a mortgage advisor that we know, like and trust (at no cost to you or the buyer) to make sure that the buyer’s offer is realistic.
Once the above information is to hand we will then report back to you before formally accepting the offer. This needs to be covered in detail prior to formally accepting the offer to ensure that time is not wasted progressing a sale with a buyer that ultimately cannot afford to buy your property.
Will you negotiate on my behalf?
Absolutely. We handle all negotiations to achieve the best possible price and terms for you.
Can I refuse an offer?
Yes – it’s entirely your decision whether to accept, reject, or counter any offer.
What happens if multiple buyers are interested?
We will manage the process fairly and transparently, often inviting best and final offers so you can make an informed choice.
How do you make sure buyers are in a good position to proceed?
We confirm their financial details (see “How do you qualify potential buyers?”), check their chain position, and liaise with their agent or solicitor to verify that they’re ready to move forward.
🔄 Practical & Legal Questions
Do I need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)?
Yes, it’s a legal requirement for most properties. We can arrange this for you if needed.
What documents do I need to provide before marketing my property?
We will need proof of ownership (title deeds), ID for anti-money-laundering checks, and basic property information such as fixtures and fittings details.
Do I need to tell you about any building works or alterations?
Yes, please let us know about any extensions, conversions or alterations, along with relevant planning permissions or building control certificates.
How do you deal with chain situations?
We maintain close contact with all parties in the chain and their solicitors to keep things moving and reduce the risk of delays. Where a chain is involved we like to put together a detailed chain sheet so that we, you and the buyer know exactly where you are placed in the chain.
What happens if my sale falls through?
We’ll quickly remarket your property, re-contact previous interested buyers and help get things back on track as soon as possible.
🏠 After-Sale Support
Do you stay involved after the offer is accepted?
Yes – we continue to manage the sale right up to completion, liaising with solicitors, surveyors, and buyers to help avoid delays.
Can you help me find my next home?
Of course – we’d be delighted to help you find your onward purchase and can coordinate both transactions for a smoother move.
Will you liaise with solicitors and other agents in the chain?
Yes, we see communication as key to a successful sale. We’ll keep everyone informed and updated until contracts exchange and completion.
What happens on completion day?
Your solicitor will confirm when the funds have transferred, and we’ll release the keys to your buyer. Once that’s done, your sale is officially complete!