Our people
All our Staff are qualified or working towards an NAEA or ARLA Technical Award in
Residential Sales, Residential Lettings and Property Management and our Sales Director
is both FNAEA and FARLA qualified which only a distinct few throughout the
country carry this dual qualification. We are dedicated to ensuring our staff
members have continued professional development in order for them to be the
best they can be at their role to offer a quality service to you, our client.
Getting the price right
Living Quarter prides it’s self on its people and this begins with your
initial contact with the office to arrange the valuation appointment right
through to the visit to your property to provide you with a personal, pleasant,
honest but most importantly accurate market appraisal of most peoples biggest
asset, their home. We will ensure we have all the information available to us
to support our findings and will be able to discuss the sales market and the
activity both locally and nationally that will affect the pricing of your
property at the time of the valuation.
Getting market ready
- De-Clutter - Focus on the hallway - clear away coats/clutter; the bathroom - hide all your products; and the kitchen - clear the bench surfaces of appliances, jars, tins, etc, and replace any ragged tea towels or smelly bins.
- Freshen Up – A fresh coat of neutral paint, new tiling or lino, and a couple of new kitchen doors can do wonders to smarten up a tired-looking property. If you can't stretch to re-tiling in the bathroom, re-grouting should bring it up new. The same effect can be achieved by installing matching chrome fittings; replacing broken light bulbs; re-painting the front door; ironing sheets in the bedroom; taking down any heavy dark drapes; installing up-lighters in the living room for subtle lighting; and strategically placing flowers throughout.
- Clean Up - It is still essential that the house be spotless, getting professional cleaners in to really make the place sparkle will be money well spent, have the carpets, sofa covers, oven and windows cleaned while you're at it. Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, which need to be inviting and hygienic, finish up with a new loo seat, fresh white towels and a strategically placed plant or two. Watch out for over-stuffed wardrobes - yes, people do look in them to check the amount of storage space - so clear them out.
- External - Don’t forget curb appeal, the garden is now seen as an additional room, so be sure to make your garden feel like a great space for entertaining and relaxing. Pay attention to flaky paintwork externally.
- Get the Word Out - Always have a board up, and tell your neighbours word of mouth is a powerful tool. You never know who might live just round the corner, waiting for your house to come to the market.
- Be ready for viewings - Everyone knows that first impressions count, and you'll want the house to appeal to as many people as possible. Turn the lights and heating on, air out the house and don't smoke or cook a curry before viewings. If you've got parking, leave the space free for the buyer this will add to the whole experience.
- Get organised - Put together a file containing all documents to do with the house. Include any guarantees for repairs, certificates for gas and electrical work, council tax bills and any other documentation you have. Your solicitor will ask for the lot. You will also need to provide proof of identity and of address to your solicitor, so dig out your passport and recent utility bills with names of all owners. Do this in advance and you will be ready to leap into action when an offer comes in. Taking time to collect together the relevant paperwork may make your seller nervous and at a time when some still feel cautious about the market it is not a good idea to give them anything to worry about.
- Get good financial advice - To make a fully informed decision about moving home you need to fully understand your financial position. This will allow you to ascertain how much you can sell your current property for and what you can realistically afford to pay for the next one. Taking time to do this will prove invaluable.
Marketing
Living Quarter never follow the crowd and strive to lead the way from
our customer service focused staff and ethos right through to our marketing
strategies which include the use of bill boards, petrol pumps, leafleting,
paper advertising, property portals, unique sales boards, property particulars
and our high street office.
Feedback
Once your property is on the market you will be kept fully informed on
both viewing times and what your viewer had to say. We will remain in close
contact with you throughout and will be on hand for advice and constructive
feedback.
Vendors Guide to selling
Once you have decided to instruct Living Quarter we will arrange an
appointment to take pictures and prepare property particulars taking into
account the detailed information we will have already obtained about your
property. This ensures that we prepare sales particulars that are bespoke
entirely to your property with no generic information used and 3D floor plans.
We can use this information to create the property as seen on our website,
property portals such as rightmove, window cards and paper advertising. Most
importantly our hardworking sales team will contact all clients on our database
that match your property criteria and generate early bird viewings where
possible.
Purchasers guide to buying
Registering with Living Quarter as an applicant’s ensures you will be
contacted as soon as we receive instruction on a property and not having to
wait till it is released into the public domain. We will be only too happy to
advise you on locations, amenities and facilities if you are unsure.
The selling process in brief
The seller's solicitor must get the deeds to the property. These may
have to be obtained from the building society or bank which is lending the
mortgage. The solicitor then prepares the contract and sends them to the
purchasers solicitors. With leasehold properties, in particular flats with
service charges, the solicitor will also have to obtain the 'memorandum and
articles of association' of the management company and the accounts of the
management company over the past three years. They will then be prepared to
reply to enquiries raised by the purchaser’s solicitors or the lenders. Once
all the enquiries, if any, are satisfied dates for exchange of contracts and
completion can be agreed.
The buying process in brief
The buyer's solicitor makes a local authority search. This will provide
details of who owns or is responsible for the roads or sewers and whether there
are any road-widening proposals near the property. Separate enquiries may have
to be made to the relevant water company. The draft contract form the owner’s
solicitor will be carefully examined and enquiries raised if necessary. Once
all the enquiries, if any, are satisfied and the mortgage offer has been
received dates for exchange of contracts and completion can be agreed.
Going the extra mile
Reading all of the above can make to whole process seems quite daunting
especially when solicitors tend to be very busy people and rarely do anything
without being asked. Don't expect your solicitor to be proactive , they might
be, but don't rely on it this is why we will keep checking up and asking if
there is anything you can do to help the process move along, navigate any
problems and relay progress to all parties along the way.
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