With the popularity and widespread use of the Internet more and more people are turning to the World Wide Web to find them a new home. On the other side of the coin sellers eager to avoid high commission rates charged by estate agents are also beginnings to cut out the middlemen and advertise their properties online through such websites as www.sellmypropertyonline.co.uk
So what are the pros and cons of selling online?
Pros
Well for starters there is the saving on commission to estate agents as previously mentioned. On a ?250000 property charging 2% that amounts to ?5000 plus the VAT of ?875.
Convenience. In this hectic world that we live in it is much easier to register online, take a few snaps of the house or property on a digital camera or mobile phone and simply upload them to a website. The alternative to this is to arrange an appointment with an estate agent who will try to tie you into the longest sole selling agreement at the highest commission rates that he or she can, and then post the details in their shop window and onto a website like rightmove.co.uk
Cons
It is a well-known fact, that like other skills and jobs, there are good estate agents and bad ones. A good proactive estate agent may get a sale much quicker than someone advertising solely on the Internet.
Security. I think this is an issue because someone advertising on the Internet is potentially exposing themselves to criminals. A good feature of www.sellmypropertyonline.co.uk is that when registering you can choose which personal details are displayed on the website. If, for example, you do not want your phone number, email address, or home address displayed you can simply select that these details are left out. Once you have registered at www.sellmypropertyonline.co.uk an account is created for you from where you can add a property and images. You can also receive messages from potential buyers through the site without using your email, just by simply entering your login details. As regards to arranging viewings at your property common sense must play a large part. Try and make sure a neighbour is informed prior to the viewing and let them know when the potential buyer as vacated the property. Don't leave out valuables or advertise expensive items. Remember a criminal will be after valuables that are easily portable. It is unlikely they will want to take a TV or sideboard with them. Also ask for id prior to the viewing and ask them to prove their id before you allow them into the property with a passport or driving licence. Again, inform a neighbour of the person's id.
Concluding, why not utilise both methods - arrange to sell your property through an estate agent and also upload your property to a website like www.sellmypropertyonline.co.uk Uploading your property to a website like this will not effect your agreement with your estate agent because you are advertising your property for a private sale and so you can get the best of both worlds.