If you’re considering selling your property, this guide will outline the excellent service provided by Justin Kinsella & Associates, and will answer many questions you may have about the sales process.

First steps

The first thing you will be curious about is the value of your property. We can discuss local market conditions and give a brief estimate over the phone, but a fully accurate sales valuation can only be provided following a visit to your property. The experienced sales staff at Justin Kinsella & Associates know the local area extremely well and understand the dynamics that affect property prices. In achieving the optimal price for your property, they will take into account many factors, including, current and anticipated demand, prices achieved for properties similar to yours and proximity to local amenities.

Wouldn’t it be cheaper to do this all myself?

Not really. You’ll need an estate agent you can trust to perform the valuation, pay for the advertising, put up a sales board, answer telephone enquiries and take care of a dozen other time consuming details. We’ll value and market your property for you and advise on appointing a solicitor if you don’t already have one, to handle the legal side of the sale. Justin Kinsella & Associates experienced property consultants have dealt with the problems that can occur with a sale time and time again. We will help and offer valuable advice during difficult negotiations.

How much is this going to cost me?

Potentially the process will cost you nothing at all. You only pay commission when we successfully sell your property and we believe that through experience and our knowledge of advertising and marketing properties, our sales agents will be able to achieve a higher asking price than you could yourself by dealing directly with a purchaser.

While another agent may suggest an inflated value of your property, accepting this could see your property remain unsold for many months.

Preparing your property for sale

Before putting your property on the market, take a long look at it (or better yet, get someone else who can take an impartial look at it) and decide what decoration and cleaning needs to be done before selling. We can advise you in this matter if needs be.

For some simple advice on preparing your home for sale, read our Selling Tips and Advice page on this website. It’s full of tried-and-tested tactics which will give your home an immediate facelift, make it more appealing and lead to a quicker sale. If you’re too busy, we can organise a professional cleaning of your property to include cleaning of carpets and redecorating if necessary.

Conducting a property viewing

Depending on a buyer’s availability, viewings are conducted 9am - 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am - 5pm on Saturdays. We will check that a time is suitable before confirming a time with a potential buyer.

You need not be present at the property viewings as we usually conduct them ourselves. We normally keep keys and can access the property according to your instructions. Please try to ensure that all keys are available to open windows, fire escapes, or other buildings on the property such as garages or sheds.

Before a viewing, please have a quick tidy up, make sure the house is freshly aired and there are no cooking smells or other odours.

Give time for viewers to discuss the property alone before they leave. Resist the temptation to ask viewers if they like your property as they will usually tell you if they do and simply avoid the question if they do not. It generally makes negotiating easier if we handle feedback.

How long does it take to find a suitable buyer?

This can range from a few days to a couple of months according to the desirability of your property and above all, the current market demand. Our online system of matching properties to prospective purchasers speeds up the process and we also undertake widespread exposure of your property through marketing and advertising.

Receiving an Offer

As soon as a prospective buyer has made an offer, we’ll let you know, verbally and in writing. The offer will be subject to a contract being signed and there are no legal obligations until this is done Very often, there is a process of price negotiation. This can be difficult, but by working with Justin Kinsella & Associates you'll appreciate the dedication of our staff in this area.

Accepting an Offer

Although you may be happy with an offer, it’s best not to rush to take your property off the market as a sale may fall through for a variety of reasons.

You will need to appoint a solicitor to prepare a Contract of Sale. This will then be sent to the buyer’s solicitor who will make the necessary enquiries before proceeding to Exchange of Contracts.

Exchange of Contracts

In preparing the Contract of Sale, your solicitor will need certain documents from you. Please take time to obtain these in advance as they can take a while to gather.

If your property is freehold, you will require:

• Title documents (from you or your Bank/Building Society)
• Evidence that your last Council Tax has been paid
• Paid utility bills
• Guarantees and warranties related to damp-proofing, etc.
• Gas safety check certificates
• Planning and Building Regulations approvals for extensions etc.

If your property is leasehold the documents will be as above, except:

• Leasehold title deeds will replace title documents
• You will need to show a history of service charge payments
• You will require a history of ground rent payments

The draft Contract of Sale together with a copy of the title deeds (if the property is leasehold it will include a copy of the lease) will then be sent to the buyer's solicitor for their perusal. This checking process may involve many specific queries.

When the buyer's solicitor has obtained a satisfactory local search and, if applicable, a copy of the buyers mortgage offer, the contract will be signed and a cheque for the deposit will be sent by the buyer to your solicitor. The transaction then becomes legally binding when exchange of contracts takes place.

Completion

The final stage of the sale normally happens six to eight weeks following the exchange of contracts. The buyer's solicitor will hand over the remainder of the purchase money to your solicitor who will pay your Building Society or Bank. Legal fees and our fees are also paid at this time.

Matters to attend to after a Sale

• Write instructions and find the manuals for the operation of appliances you may be leaving in your kitchen. Don’t forget, central heating instructions.
• Leave a note about the days for refuse and recycling collections.
• Arrange to redirect your post.
• Contact gas, electricity, phone suppliers and the council about new owners taking over accounts. Take meter readings before you vacate the property.

Please read our Jargon Talk if there are any terms here that you do not understand.