1. How much does it cost to sell if I use getontheladder?

£99.00 is all you need to sell your property by yourself. Traditional estate agents typically charge anywhere between 1.0% and 3.0% which can mean a hefty bill. The one off fixed price allows you to advertise your home on sites used by the traditional estate agents and also have a board erected outside your house .  What’s the catch…….. apart from showing people round your own house and not using the agent there isn’t a catch. All you need is a little time to carry out the measurements and set up the advertisement on the site and the rest is no different to selling a car.

If you feel uncomfortable negotiating we can help you with this and field the calls from your vendor. However for this service we would charge a one off fixed price of £149.00 and the for sale board will have a dedicated number for the getontheladder sales team.
See how much you can save us.!!!!!!!!!

If you feel you need assistance in producing your advert, one of our staff will visit your property, take all pictures and write your copy for your advertisement. For this service we charge a fee of £149.00 on top of whichever option you wish to sell under. (please refer to terms and conditions for areas covered for this service).’

2. I’m not sure if my home will be advertised properly?

The one off fixed price allows you to advertise your home on sites used by the traditional estate agents and also have a board erected outside your house.

getontheladder advertise in the same places that traditional estate agents use with the exception of the shop window. But who has time to brows all the agents shop windows. 75% of all vendors now use the internet to save time and identify the right properties at the right prices in the right area. The versatility of the search engines on the internet makes this a very simple exercise.

3. How much can I save using GetOnTheLadder?

Getontheladder have created the site to help save people money getting on the ladder. We also like to think we can help people who are moving up the ladder save some money. We want you to advertise your properties with us to pool the affordable housing for struggling first time buyers to get on the ladder. If you are looking to save money and are moving up the ladder, the chances are you have an appropriate home for a first time buyer to buy. We have provided a table which shows how much you could save. Our one off fixed price allows you to advertise your home on sites used by the traditional estate agents and have a board erected outside your house.

We would like to think that you would sell your property quickly using getontheladder However we know that the property market can fluctuate and is affected seasonal cycles. With getontheladder although we cannot guarantee that you sell your property quickly, we can guarantee that we will advertise your home for sale on the getontheladder site for as long as you want and for as long as it takes to sell your home.
Once you have paid the one off fee which includes the “For Sale” board you will have access to all the getontheladder services to help you sell your home. After you have registered your property we will continue to advertise your property until it has sold.

There are many ways buyers can find your property details when you sell your home through getontheladder. By using our web site your home will be automatically advertised on the main property websites used by over 75% of buyers looking to find their next home.
Your home will be advertised on over 100 local websites which are viewed by buyers within the area and national for buyers looking to move into the area.
Once buyers are interested in your home depending on the service you have selected they will either contact you direct via your contact number on your website advert, or through our sales team if selling via option 3.

No. There is no legal requirement to do so. Times have changed and the need to use traditional estate agents to sell your home is no longer a necessity. Before the introduction of the internet it was necessary to advertise your property through and estate agent to guarantee the marketing of your property within the local area. Buyers would normally brows through the estate agents windows looking for desirable properties. If you were looking to move into a new area you would have to physically travel to the agents shop or call and ask for details to be posted to you. They would advertise through local papers and shop windows. With the introduction of the internet 75% of buyers find properties through the internet before actually contacting the agent. A sign board outside is also one of the most useful marketing tools.  All estate agents now use the web to advertise the properties and put a sign board outside your house. With getontheladder you get a signboard and also advertise on the internet alongside other estate agents for a fraction of the cost.

7. But I am already with an Estate Agent?

If you are already using an estate agent then the estate agent you will have signed a contract which allows them to do this on your behalf and confirm the commission that would be payable on completion.  It is important to check your contract to ensure that you do not breach the terms if you intend advertising with getontheladder. The usual contacts which they may use and listed below:

• "Sole selling" agreement - your estate agent will be the only one with the right to sell your home. If you find a buyer yourself then you will still have to pay their commission. This is a very restrictive contract and one that should be avoided at all costs!
• "Sole agency" agreement - your estate agent can claim a commission only if they introduce the buyer and sell your property. They can also claim a commission if you instruct another traditional estate agent during the period of sole agency who then sells your home
  
  However, a "sole agency" agreement does not prevent you from selling your home privately. You can do this yourself using an internet based property advertising service such as getontheladder.co.uk. Such a service does not act as an estate agent and therefore does not put you in breach of contract.
  
  The Office of Fair Trading has guidelines on internet based property services and you should be aware that getontheladder complies with these. The way getontheladder operates is not in conflict with a "sole agency" agreement
• "Ready, willing and able to buy" agreement – If the estate agent finds you a buyer they are able to claim their commission even if your home is not sold or indeed if you sell to another party. This is a very onerous clause and you should make sure that this is removed from your contract. The consumer standards agency frowns on such clauses.

Under a standard sole agency agreement, you do not have to pay commission to a sole agent if you find your own buyer privately. As well as saving a substantial amount of money, you will also improve your chances of selling your home quickly. It does depend on the exact terms of your estate agent contract which you should check carefully. A "Sole Selling Rights" contract would allow the agent to charge you commission regardless of who you sell to even if they don't introduce the buyer.

We would recommend that you discuss this with your estate agent before you do anything to avoid any misunderstanding over commission at a later date. But don’t forget that this will also serve to focus their minds on marketing your property more aggressively as they know they will not receive their commission if they don't introduce your final buyer.

8. Do I need to use an estate agent to value my property?

An estate agent does not value your property, they estimate the asking price based on similar properties sold in your area. You can now find this information for free on the internet through the Land Registry. To get a valuation you will need to engage the services of a qualified professional surveyor who officially values properties?

Refer to our value your property section which will aid you in doing this.

When obtaining an estimate on the value of the property from an estate agent you will need to remember that the commission they earn from the sale runs their business. It is in the interest therefore to try and inflate the price of your house to increase their commission. This may leave you in a situation where several weeks later and after no inquiries, the agent suggests dropping your price. On the flip side, if you feel their estimate is too low, it might be because they want to make a quick sale so they receive their commission faster,
Don’t forget that, at the end of the day, the estate agents are salesmen.

9. How do I know the value of my home?

There are a number of websites where you can look up how much homes have sold for in your area for free. This information has recently become accessible to the public in the last few years and is a valuable tool. There are some good sites which are linked through to Land Registry and are listed on our “value your own home” page. This information will tell you what price other homes in your road/area have actually been sold for.

In areas of similar houses or where local estates are being extended, house prices are very much set from recent sales. Price differentials will only arise where extensions or other improvements need to be taken into account. By comparing your property to similar properties that have been sold in your area, you will soon be able to work out the value of your home.
In the vast majority of cases valuing your home is easy. Most homeowners know their own local market and this knowledge comes from looking in local papers, estate agents windows and on the internet.

You may of course wish to get the opinion of a number of local estate agents as to an estimate of the value of your house. Most estate agents will provide a free no obligation market appraisal/valuation. In a lot of cases the estate agents will be looking at the same information (available on the internet) as you on which to base their judgement as to a sensible asking price.
If you are not confident with this approach, we have provided a link to “Hometrack” who charge a small fee for a more in depth on line market appraisal taking into account the prices of property in your area, inflation and market influences etc. The cost for this service is approximately £20.

The most certain method of obtaining the market value for your property is to engage the services of a local surveyor. They will visit you house, take measurements and fully appraise the value of your house. This is the same service the mortgage companies use when assessing the valuation of a property for the purposes of a loan. This costs anywhere between £200 and £300 and can be shown to the potential vendor as a robust market valuation. Find a surveyor in your area through Local Surveyors Direct - Link
In summary, you can value your own home by:

• Looking at the price similar properties have sold for in your area by using the many sites on the internet that list the price homes have sold for.
• Ask a few local agents for a no obligation market appraisal
• Look in the local paper at other properties for sale
• If you are using an estate agent as well as GetOnTheLadder to sell your home then you can use the agents asking price.
• Use a local surveyor.

10. How do I measure my home?

Measuring your home is really easy. All you need is a tape measure.
When you measure your property, take the maximum dimensions of each room, including porches and utility rooms. If you are more comfortable using feet and inches then that is fine. GetOnTheLadder particulars can show feet and inches or metres.
The majority of houses have regular shaped rooms and therefore measuring them is a matter of taking note of the two main dimensions (that is, width by length). Where a room is slightly irregular you may wish to show a dimension as “maximum”. This will alert any particular viewer of your property particulars to the fact that the room is not rectangular/square.
Please be as accurate as you can. There really is no point exaggerating the size of a room. It will not be seen as clever when a potential purchaser views. The viewer will wonder what else you may have misrepresented.
When you have measured the whole of your home then the dimensions can be entered onto the GetOnTheLadder property particulars for your home. Please take the time to ensure that you are entering them accurately. GetOnTheLadder will help you spot obvious errors but only you know the true size of a particular room.

11. How many photographs can I display?

Providing potential purchasers of your home with photographs is one of the best ways of attracting interest in your property. We would encourage you to include between 5 and 10 which will cover all main elements of your house.

12. Can I upload plans of my home?

Floor plans are another really good way to generate interest in your property and increase the number of potential buyers. This is not currently available through getontheladder however this can be easily obtained through our affiliates Metropix. For a relatively small amount of money software can be downloaded which will allow you to draw up your plans in around 30 minutes. The plans can be then added to your advertisement for viewing on our web site.

13. Do I have to have a "For Sale" board?

No, but why wouldn’t you as it generates up to 25% of all enquiries? The key to selling your home at the highest possible price is to generate as much interest in it as quickly as possible. With this in mind your home needs to be as visible as possible to potential purchasers driving around your area so they are alerted to your home being for sale. They can then make a search for details of your property. When looking for a home everyone at some point has driven around and seen a “For Sale” board and thought “I must contact them to arrange a viewing”.
GetOnTheLadder believe that “For Sale” boards are important and recommend that you put one up. The erection of the GetOnTheLadder board is included within the price you pay to register with us under options 2 and 3, under option 1 you can separately buy a board for self erecting
Our “For Sale” boards are very prominent and designed to be easily memorable to potential purchasers that may be walking or driving by. The boards show the www.GetOnTheLadder.co.uk web address which is synonymous with home buying. We feel that this is more memorable than a telephone number and through the website will allow potential purchasers to get to your sales particulars.

Depending on the service you have selected the sign board will either have the website contact details or a number linked through to our sales team. Should you need a replacement board for whatever reason, this is free of charge, please contact us by e-mail at info@getontheladder.co.uk or call us on 0161 886 8877.

14. Can I sell a leasehold property on GetOnTheLadder?

The sale of leasehold property is no different to the sale of freehold property. You will need to be able to provide the prospective purchasers with a copy of the lease and up to date details regarding service charge and ground rent expenditure.

15. Can I change my details once I have uploaded them onto GetOnTheLadder?

With GetOnTheLadder you have the freedom to make as many amendments to your details as you wish. By using your account login you can amend your details at any time. Our system automatically updates your details and informs interested parties that your details have changed. For example the property, details, asking price or updating your contact details.

17. Preparing my house for a viewing

To ensure you achieve the maximum value for your property it is important that you present your home by showing its best attributes which will not turn off a potential vendor. Some of the principle is simple and straight forward. Don’t forget, people looking to buy your home try to visualise themselves living there. If you can sell a lifestyle, they will certainly get a good feeling and may indulge in putting an offer in.

• Ensure the approach to your home is tidy and clean. A lick of paint can brighten the home up no end. Most purchasers will make a decision about a home in the first few seconds.
• Ensure the grass is cut and the flower beds tended. Consider a hanging basket or flower boxes
• Tidy up the house. Clutter and mess puts purchasers off. If you have too much stuff or bulky items consider putting this in storage for a couple of months.  You are moving after all so some early packing will not hurt and an uncluttered house looks great.
• Turn on table lamps or wall lights if you feel any rooms are a bit dark.
• Make sure the house smells fresh. Opening windows in advance or air fresheners can be a good idea. The smell of baking bread or freshly brewed coffee in the kitchen is very inviting.
• Not everyone likes pets and can be put off, for example, by unfriendly or excitable dogs. Please keep them under control or leave with a neighbour during viewings
• De-personalise your home. Simple plain interior allows the vendor to see opportunities and future possibilities.  
• It may be a good idea to get the dirty carpets and floor coverings cleaned. This is relatively inexpensive and will freshen up your home.
• You may wish to tone down fashionable paint colours and redecorate in more neutral or muted colours.
• Consider printing off the advertising page from your account to hand out to viewers when they come to your home.