Question:
Why do I need to register?
Answer: You don't need to register to look for properties on our site, if you do register you can save your search criteria so you can come back and perform the same searches another
time. If you want us to we can send you an email when a new property is advertised
that exactly matches your search criteria. You can create a shortlist so you can track properties you would like to see. Registration also allows you to use our free checklist to help you manage the whole moving process, even if you dont advertise with us. We will not pass your details on to any
other companies and will not send you any unwanted eMails (click
here to see our privacy policy)
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Question: How much money can I save by
selling my own property?
Answer: With Direct Home
Sales you can spend as much (or as little) as you want to. Go to our
Selling
page to see what options you would be interested in. The average house
price in the UK is £190,000. Estate Agents can charge anything up to 4%
commission on the sale price of property. Remember that most agents will charge
VAT on the final amount and some charge extra for taking details, glossy
brochures or virtual tours. Here is a simple online calculator to help
you work out how much you could save: First enter your the price of
your property:
Next
enter the agents commission:
%.
Next
enter roughly how much you would expect to spend on your own advertising:
Finally
press
.
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Question:
I'm already using an Estate Agent. Can I still sell my house privately?
Answer: According to the Governments own Office
of Fair Trading web site you can sell you house privately as well as having an estate agent. You will have
to check the wording of your contract to see if you will have to pay the agent
commission. If your contract states ‘Sole Agency’ then you
will not have to pay any commission to the agent if you sell
your property through your own marketing. If your contract states ‘Sole
Selling Rights’ then you will have to pay
commission regardless of who sells the property, if this is the case We suggest
you review the arrangement Estate Agents as there are plenty of agents that will accept a ‘Sole
Agency’ agreement. Please refer to the Governments own Office of Fair Trading
web site (http://www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Your+Rights+When+Shopping/Home/estate+agent+selling.htm)
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Question: I have a 'Sole Agency' contract with my agent. Am I still liable to pay commissions?
Answer:
If your contract states ‘Sole Agency’ then according to the Governments own Office of
Fair Trading web site you
will not have to pay any commission to the agent if you sell your house through
your own marketing. Direct Home Sales are not agents, we simply provide the
tools and services to help you effectively market and sell your own home. You
are completely within your rights to sell your own home and save thousands in
commission. Please refer to the Governments own Office of Fair Trading web site
(http://www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Your+Rights+When+Shopping/Home/estate+agent+selling.htm)
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Question: I
have a 'Sole Selling Rights' contract with my agent. Am I still liable to pay
commissions?
Answer: If your
contract states ‘Sole Selling Rights’ then you will have to pay commission
regardless of who sells the property, if this is the case I suggest you ask for
the contract to be changed or change Estate Agents as there are plenty of
agents that will accept a ‘Sole Agency’ agreement. Please refer to the
Governments own Office of Fair Trading web site (http://www.oft.gov.uk/Consumer/Your+Rights+When+Shopping/Home/estate+agent+selling.htm)
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Question:
What do the terms 'Ready, willing and able to buy' mean?
Answer:
Some estate agents put the terms 'Ready, willing and able to buy' in their contracts with regards to purchasers they find for your property. simply put this means that you may be requierd to pay the agents commission even if you do not end up selling the property so long as the agent found someone that was 'ready willing and able to buy' your property. We strongly advise anyone not to sign a contract with this clause in it.
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Question:
Should I tell my estate agent I am advertising my property privately?
Answer:
In our experience honesty is always the best policy, it will avoid any missunderstandings later. It might actually help the agent focus on selling your property if they think
they might lose out on their commission.
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Question:
I would like to sell my own property but I am not sure I know everything I need to do?
Answer:
Most property sales are actually quite straight forward and nearly always follow
the same pattern. We have constructed online checklists to guide you through all
the steps of buying or selling a property. The lists have been constructed from
consulting experts in the estate agency field, property developers, solicitors and
of course feedback from users of the site. When buying or selling a house most of
the 'complicated' work is actually done by the solicitor, using a good and reputable
solicitor is by far the most important thing to do. The checklists should cover
everything you need to do (and some you probably don't need to do).
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Question:
I would like to sell my own property but I am not very confident in face to face
negotiations, what can I do?
Answer:
There is a good chance the buyer feels the same way! When conducting viewings it
can be a good idea to tell potential buyers that if they wanted to make an offer
you will need a few hours to discuss the offer with your family before answering
them. This ensures you will not feel under pressure and will always give you time
to think about everything. We have several items on the negotiation process in our
online checklist.
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Question:
Who is Direct Home Sales?
Answer:
Direct Home Sales Ltd is a UK registered company. We are registered for VAT and Data Protection. We are not an Estate Agent, our aim is to provide you, the seller, with similar advertising and exposure as you would get with an Estate Agent. It is ultimately your responsibility to sell your own house. We do not act on your
behalf. We do not value properties, take details, conduct vewings and will not negotiate with any potential buyers.
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Question:
How do I contact you?
Answer:
Please feel free to email us
customerservice@direct-hs.co.uk or phone us on 0845 868 9439 (Local Rate - no more than 4p per minute on a BT line).
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Question:
What are your Terms and Conditions?
Answer:
Click here to read our terms and conditions.
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Question:
Do you have a Privacy Policy?
Answer:
We have designed our site and Privacy Policy to allow you to choose how much of your contact details you release in adverts and to users of the site. We can assure you that we will not pass any of your information to other companies or organisations under any circumstances.
Click here to read our Full Privacy Policy.
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