The Selling Process

Once you've made the decision to sell your house and have made any necessary preparations and improvements, it's time to put it on the market. You will need to think about the best time sell, bearing in mind the time of year and the state of the property market.

The next decision you need to make is whether you will market your house yourself, or sell through an agent. Whichever route you go, make sure you get a good valuation and are aware of the issues involved in the legal contracts that selling entails.

If you're selling a house that is a second home or a rental property, you will probably have to pay Capital Gains Tax on the profit you have made, so you will need to take that into account in any estimation of selling costs.

In this section, we take a look at all these issues, along with information on the new Home Information Packs. There's also some handy advice on how to sell at auction, as well as some useful tips about accepting an offer.

When to Sell: Deciding the best time to sell your house.
The Cost of Selling: A look at how much you'll need to budget for when selling property.
The Home Information Pack: The new information pack introduced in 2007 to help speed up the selling process.
Setting the Asking Price: Finding out how much your house is worth.
Selling by Estate Agency: A look at the most common way to sell your house.
Selling Privately: Although not an option for the fainthearted, selling your property without an agent may save you a lot of money.
Selling at Auction: Selling your home under the hammer.
Accepting an Offer: How do you choose the best offer?
Paying Capital Gains Tax: If you're selling a property that isn't your principle home, then you'll probably need to pay CGT on the sale.