Sell your Glasgow West End property online - as a private seller

If you have property in the West End of Glasgow that you would like to sell, one of the best sales channels to exploit is the Internet. And you can do it yourself; you don't have to get an estate agent. It is easier than ever to organise the sales process - by posting your property on a private seller website. It is not that I don't think estate agents do a good job - I think they do and my experience of using them has been a positive one - however this article explores the alternative route for those who are considering doing the selling themselves.

Of course you can take the conventional route - and put a sales board outside your home and an advert in the local Estate Agent's window - but you will reach a much wider buying public if you advertise via the web. Most estate agents now use the web to advertise their own properties - if you are selling privately you may well find your property on the same sites as the estate agents anyway.

Advantages of selling privately online:

• Usually a one-off fee - so you know up-front what your costs will be
• Advert remains online until the property is sold
• No commission on sale - unlike estate agents who usually take a percentage of the final sale - sometimes up to 3% of the price. And on top of that they charge for their newspaper and estate agent adverts.
• More space for text and photos
• Descriptions that can be updated
• you can get a virtual tour created, add it to the website and give people a better idea of what to expect without having to physically visit.
• Many private property sales sites have sharing agreements with other websites so your property can get a lot of exposure across the web.
• Save on high agent fees.
• You deal directly with people who inquire then organise viewings at a time that suits you both.

Things to be aware of:

• You will set the asking price yourself. Finding the right price will take some research. There are free sites where you can check the selling price of properties similar to yours in your street. (e.g. www.houseprices.co.uk and ononemap.com). You can of course still ask an estate agent to give you an estimate - they will be keen to win your business so are likely to be happy to help.
• You will still need a legal professional to carry out the conveyancing (a solicitor or conveyancer). This is one thing you can't do yourself. You can console yourself by the fact that estate agents aren't qualified to do this either, generally they have a relationship with a solicitor or conveyancer to complete this part of the process.

Good photos are important for your online adverts

People like photographs to look at as they browse properties on the web - so make sure you get good quality photos (and lots of them) showing your property off to its best advantage. People browse property pages very quickly - it's the photos that catch the eye and will make them stop and read your advert; assuming of course you property fits the general description of the size, price and location they are after.

Online Auction Sites

Another option for selling your Glasgow West End property online is online auctions. Those who specialise in this state the advantages as:

• Speed - the transaction is completed at the drop of the hammer.
• Price - in some sales the price will be higher than a conventional sale

Auction sites takes a percentage for selling the property so check the sites carefully for their fees and percentages and also how long you can list the property for before it has to be re-listed. You can list the property on US sites too; you never know who may want to buy your home and just haven't figured out how to look for one yet. A popular site that has real estate auctions is EBay. EBay is a huge site and, of course, very popular for lots of things besides property.

Before you sell online, get your property into shape

Just because you are listing your property on the Web doesn't mean you don't need to get your place in good order - whoever buys it is still going to come to the door and look around before they sign the cheque. It may be worth hiring someone to do the sprucing up for you; someone who knows what the market likes and knows how to make the best of what you have. When we sold our flat in Hillhead we asked Kathy Sharpe - who specialises in preparing properties for sale - to give the flat a make-over. It was worth the outlay, because the flat was sold within a fortnight of being on the market. Mostly it was just a case of tidy up and freshen up - only the kitchen and bathroom needed a bit more attention.

A few words of caution

However you decide to sell your property in Glasgow, use caution in your dealings and thoroughly research the companies you decide to use. If possible, talk to former clients to find out if work carried out is satisfactory. Getting a solicitor involved early in the process is a good idea, to protect your interests and to see that everything goes smoothly in the sale and the transferring of the papers.

Do your homework and you will have a worry free experience selling your property at a good price too. Having a good experience is as important for both the sellers and buyers; it makes for a much smoother transition for the buyer and peace of mind for the seller.

Here on the Glasgow West End website we have a page where people put up their private properties for sale - and the feedback we get from sellers has always been very positive.

Jim Byrne

Add your comment below if you have property selling advice to share or if you have a comment about this article.

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