Sales

Firstly, if you are selling, you will require a valuation. At Normans Property Group we can offer you a free, no obligation factual and accurate valuation of the current market value of your property.

Our experienced sales team will provide you with a valuation based not only on their in-depth knowledge of London and Essex but also utilising our extensive database of recent properties sold.

We will conduct extensive market research before we visit your property, you’ll be shown and left with market data to help justify our thoughts on value. We will not provide you with an over-inflated or unrealistic figure simply to win your business.

Furthermore, without any sign written vehicles, we will be discreet when we arrive to value your property, gladly providing suggestions to enhance your home’s saleability and eventual sale price.

Having received your valuation, and provided that you are satisfied with it, we will then proceed to prepare full sales details of your property.

Bearing in mind the importance of presentation, we will ensure that the details of your sale highlight the vitally important aspects of your property and ensure that your home is shown to its best possible advantage with the aid of full-colour photographs and if required, we can also set up a computerised 360 degree/virtual tour to feature on our website.

We will ask you to approve your sales particulars and will not start to market your property until you are completely satisfied with them.

We often recommend an allocated advisor from our sales team to visit your property, so they are familiar with your property when talking to prospective purchasers.

We can also organize an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to be carried out if need be, by one of our in-house energy assessors.

Once you have viewed and approved our particulars of your property, you will then be in a position to receive prospective buyers.

Appointments to view your property are made by our friendly team of advisors. We understand that some vendors do not want the hassle of showing potential buyers around their homes. 

We would be delighted to offer our knowledge and expertise by conducting viewings on your behalf.

Your property is now ready to market and we offer the following: 

For sale board 

• This is the most simple and effective marketing tool, we recommend a for sale board, your 24-hour-a-day salesman, but respect your wishes if you decide not to have one.

Office and window displays 

• External and internal photographs will be prominently displayed on our premises in order to optimise exposure to the marketplace.

Email 

• Wherever possible, all prospective buyers who register with us are asked to provide email addresses in order to ensure that they are notified of any new properties as soon as possible within 24 hours of receiving your instruction.

Mail shots (and telesales) 

• We will contact registered prospective buyers as soon as possible after receiving your instruction and your details will be forwarded to any new registered buyers immediately.

Website 

• This is updated daily and full-colour particulars of your property are placed on our website within 24 hours of being placed on the market. We also have an optional 360-degree/virtual tour which can assist in further enhancing your property.
• Besides the exposure on our own website, Normans Property Group is also affiliated with the following national property websites which will feature your property: Zoopla Property Group.

Advertising 

• We provide regular prominent advertisements of your property in the following publications – to ensure that your home is fully marketed.

In simple economic terms, this is our swift response to a supply and demand situation where the latter is now far outstripping the former, something which could be most advantageous to local homeowners thinking of selling in the near future. 

Selling your property by informal tender through Normans Property Group involves buyers being invited to submit in a sealed envelope their best offer, along with supporting information regarding their financial situation, buying position and other relevant information, on our prescribed bid document by the specified closing date.

All offers remain strictly confidential and immediately following the specified closing date, we will open and qualify the information of all the offers. Alternatively, we are happy to arrange for all sealed bids to be opened in the presence of our Seller.

The above procedure follows a period of us marketing your property at a figure we have agreed with you inviting OFFERS IN EXCESS OF the quoted price for a specified period to allow time for it to be thoroughly advertised and viewed by arrangement through Normans Property Group. 

Regarding viewing arrangements, we strongly recommend that this is carried out through our ‘Open House Events’.

Here is a summary of why a Sale by tender option is chosen:

• The form of sale works well if the seller wishes to sell within a certain timeframe
• Selling a property by tender will allow sellers to see all offers made for their property 
• Tenderers will be mindful of likely fierce competition for your property, which maximises the price achieved for its sale 
• There is no obligation on the part of sellers to accept the highest or any of the offers, if none is found acceptable, the option remains for us to revert to potential buyers to see if any of them are prepared to increase their offer
• When sellers make their decision, all parties will be notified whether they have, or have not, been successful
• The agreed sale price remains confidential 
• The sale progresses subject to contract within an agreed timeframe for the exchange of contracts
• It is an effective method for selling properties where competition is strong i.e. properties requiring modernisation or with development potential. 
• Properties with unusual characteristics, making them difficult to value
• Sellers in the position of being executors for an estate, with responsibility for testing the market before agreeing to a sale, are assured that the best possible price has been achieved
• The sale by tender process tends to lead to higher offers because each bidder will have to state the highest price they are willing to pay, unaware of what others may be bidding.

If you need to sell your property within defined timescales we may recommend an Open House to deliver maximum exposure at the earliest opportunity. We would attend perhaps on a Saturday between 12:00 to 13:00 on the first or second weekend of your property coming onto the market.

NB: Sellers do not have to accept open house viewings, however, this method reduces the inconvenience of repeated viewings during the week. 

Here is a summary of why an Open House option is chosen:

• These exclusive viewings help to achieve the best possible price, often leading to offers above the guide price
• Those viewing the property are made aware that other potential buyers are scheduled immediately to follow their viewing and this really focuses their decision
• Open house viewings between given times on a specific day reduce the inconvenience of repeated viewings during the week.
• Sellers have the opportunity to dress their homes only on one or two occasions for a display to many potential purchasers, rather than having to do so repeatedly
• Open house events tend to create a sense of urgency between purchasers and so considerably maximise offers. It is not unusual for multiple offers to be made within a very short time frame
• Many purchasers prefer to view properties without the seller present and will often discuss openly their interest in the property to the advisor in attendance
• Open house events will always be manned by one or two members of our experienced sales team throughout its duration. This allows for questions to be addressed, ensuring that viewings are conducted in an organised and secure way

At Normans Property Group, we pride ourselves on our conscientious sales management.

We aim to keep you regularly apprised of your sales process right through to completion and liaise with your purchaser, the legal representatives, surveyors and mortgage lenders in order to ensure that your sale is progressed as smoothly and as stress-free as possible.

Any offers we receive are promptly verbally notified and then followed up in writing. Our competent sales team will negotiate between you and your prospective applicant in order to achieve the strongest buyer.

We will inform you of the position of the buyers and liaise with you until an accepted offer has been agreed.

Should you require your sale to be completed by a certain date, this is when you should notify us and we will endeavour to satisfy your request wherever possible.

At this stage, you should also provide your list of fixtures and fittings which will be negotiated separately between the solicitors and forms part of the final contract.

NB: Please note that all offers are “subject to contract” and therefore neither party is legally bound until the contract is actually signed.

At this point (if you have not already done so), you will need to instruct a solicitor and, should you require assistance, Normans Property Group will only be too pleased to recommend local firms.

The solicitors will then write to all parties involved, and the buyers representative will instruct a surveyor to conduct a survey of your property (the “agreed sale” is subject to the contract and survey) and the buyers’ mortgage offer (if required) will also be subject to the results of the survey.

The sellers’ solicitors will request the TITLE DEEDS from the lender (if appropriate) or yourselves as the seller and the FIXTURES AND FITTINGS form must be completed at this stage.

The solicitors draw up a DRAFT CONTRACT which sets out the Terms of the Sale and sends it to the buyers’ solicitor together with all relevant documents. Any enquiries will then be raised, the Title Deeds and Lease (if applicable) will be checked and LOCAL SEARCHES will be carried out.

We will chase solicitors, brokers, buyers and the whole chain to effect a smooth transaction and keep you informed and updated. 

Our experience and expertise help us to identify potential problems before they occur, making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. 

On average 25% of transactions fall through before the exchange of contracts but with our experience, we can reduce this figure considerably.

Once the draft contracts have been approved, they can be signed by both parties.

As long as the mortgage offer has been received and cleared funds placed with your buyer’s solicitor, a mutually convenient date can be agreed upon for the exchange of contracts and a date for completion.

Completion usually follows a few days or weeks after the exchange of contracts. Your actual house move can take between 7 to 28 days depending on all parties and their respective solicitors.

The first requirement is for you to register your details and property specifications which can be achieved in several ways such as: by email, phone, or in person. This will give us an insight into your personal requirements, thereby enabling us to modify the details sent to you.

Once registered, you are then in a position to receive details from us directly in person, via mail, or email or you can access, download and print these out from our website. We also offer an SMS text service direct to your mobile phone.

Our friendly team of advisors are available to arrange those all-important viewings of your selected properties. 

Our offices are open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00, any viewings out of hours are via appointment only. 

Please contact us to arrange a mutually convenient time for your viewing.

Get in touch ➟

In order to speed up your house-buying process, it is advisable wherever possible, to get a mortgage agreed in principle before any final decision on your new property is made. 

This has the advantage of providing you with a clear indication of what is affordable and the fact that you have a mortgage agreed in principle is also attractive to sellers.

Once you have located your ideal property, your offer will be submitted by us to the vendor for their consideration. This is done both verbally and in writing.

NB: Please note that all offers are “subject to contract” and therefore neither party is legally bound until the contract is actually signed.

As soon as your offer has been accepted by the Vendor, you should instruct a solicitor to act on your behalf. Your solicitor will handle all legal requirements of your purchase (property conveyancing).

At this point, you also need to formally proceed with your mortgage application and instruct your mortgage consultant/broker accordingly.

The next step is to obtain the Mortgage Valuation, as required by law. This will be conducted by a Chartered Surveyor acting for your Lender. 

The report is to provide a Valuation, i.e. determine whether the amount to be loaned is secure and also deals with the basic condition of the property. 

Since you as the buyer are also provided with a copy, it allows both parties to evaluate the findings before entering into a commitment to purchase.

NB: However, we would not recommend that a buyer relies solely on the Mortgage Valuation survey as the inspection is limited and although it may cost a little more to obtain a more detailed report yourself, this could in the long run save you from making a costly mistake.

There are two types of surveys available:

Homebuyer Survey/Valuation

• This is the mid-range option as it is more expensive than the Mortgage Valuation but less than the Building Survey (see below).
• It is a basic service and therefore more appropriate to properties in apparently good condition and conventionally constructed. The survey’s purpose is to highlight any pressing or significant defects and problems which are likely to have an overall impact on the value of the property.
• The objective of the Homebuyer Survey is to provide a more in-depth report which will assist the buyer in making an informed decision on whether to proceed with the purchase and also whether the agreed price reflects the actual value. 
• Moreover, the professional opinion of the surveyor as contained in his report will also set out particular features of the property which may possibly have an effect on the present value and potential future marketability.

Building Survey

• Unlike the Homebuyer Survey, this is suitable for all types of property whether conventional or unconventional. The term “unconventional” encompasses properties that have an unusual construction, are historic or Listed Buildings, have been extensively altered or where major work is planned.
• The Building Survey is comprehensive and lists full technical details of the construction, materials and condition. It highlights the full spectrum of defects from the more serious down to the insignificant and the terms of the survey are therefore tailored to fit the client’s specific needs.
• However, it should be noted that this does not include a valuation and is only conducted by prior agreement.

These are conducted by the buyer’s solicitor who submits a local authority search to the local borough council. Its purpose is to ascertain if there is any planning consented previously granted on the property or if there are any other local issues which may have an impact on the purchase. In some instances, the search may also include an Environmental and Drainage search.

The draft contract is drawn up by the seller’s solicitor and is forwarded to the buyer’s solicitor for consideration. 

Any additional queries or questions will be asked and answered and the contract amended accordingly, subject to final approval.

The Lender is now in possession of the Mortgage Valuation survey and, subject to the findings of this report; receipt/approval of the mortgage application and provided all references and checks have been conducted satisfactorily, the Lender will send a formal mortgage offer to the buyer and their solicitor. 

The document is then signed and returned and funds requested by the buyer’s solicitor.

Once the contract has been signed by both parties, a deposit (normally a small percentage of the purchase price) is paid by either bank transfer or banker’s draft.

At this stage, the parties agree on a date for completion.

Completion usually follows a few days or weeks after the exchange of contracts.

The balance of the purchase price is transferred by the buyer’s solicitor to the seller’s solicitor and the keys are released. 

Congratulations! You are now the owner of your new home!