Deciding the best way to sell

Deciding the best way to sell

We recommend a Bespoke Sales Strategy to suit your individual needs. Here are the main options:

Selling by Private Treaty

Most estate agents set a Guide Price for your property, advertise it at that figure, and ask potential buyers to make an offer. This is called selling by Private Treaty and is an excellent way to sell property that is in good condition, but it is often not the best way to sell probate property.

Selling by Informal Tender
(or Sealed Bids)

This is often the best way to sell property that needs modernisation, is in a poor state of repair or has potential. It works by setting a deadline by which potential buyers must submit their formal written offers, along with all evidence that they are able to proceed (mortgage in principle, bank statements, etc). We market the property with an Open House to maximise interest and create a sense of competition. After the deadline, once bids are submitted, you can choose the highest offer from the buyer who is in the best position.

Selling by Auction

There are circumstances when selling by auction is the best option, for instance when a property has structural issues that will make it hard to mortgage, considerable development potential, or for one-off properties that will generate very high levels of interest. There is the certainty of knowing that when the gavel falls, contracts have exchanged, with completion 28 days later. It is more expensive than other alternatives – we charge 2.5% plus VAT and auction costs to sell by auction – but the competitive environment can get excellent prices for the right properties.

Getting seen in the right places

Getting seen in the right places

At The Probate Property Shop we have an extensive database of buyers looking for probate property, whether developers, investors, builders or individuals looking for a “project”. We know exactly what they are looking for and many are in an excellent position with either cash in the bank or finance agreed up-front.

We combine access to this database with the expert marketing of our associate estate agents, BigBlackhen.com, who advertise on the major property websites including Rightmove, Zoopla and Primelocation.

It is this unique combination that gives our clients a powerful Targeted Marketing Campaign with maximum visibility to ensure that they achieve the best possible market price.

Guiding you through the sale

Guiding you through the sale

We visit the property to give you a probate valuation and our recommendations for what steps need to be taken to make the property secure and ready for sale.

Once we are instructed by you, we appoint a dedicated Customer Service Representative who will arrange for a police-approved key Safe to be fitted at the property, and for local trades and property professionals to provide quotes for works we have agreed with you. Once you have approved those estimates, we manage access to the property to get all works completed.

When everything is ready, we visit the property to take measurements and photographs, and write to get your approval to begin marketing and to set a date for the Open Day.

Once we have offers, we discuss them with you, and once formally approved by the executors we start the conveyancing process with the solicitors.

We follow-up as the sale proceeds, update you on progress, and can even help by reading the meters and, of course, hand over the keys to the new owners on completion.