FAQS

Frequently Asked Questions 

• What does it cost to market my home for sale with online estate agent mousesale? 
• Are there any additional 'hidden' fees to pay?
• How can I find out how much my house is worth? 
• What are the levels at which stamp duty applies? 
• Where will my property be advertised via online estate agent mousesale? 
• How do I prepare particulars of my property for sale? 
• How do I upload details of my property to your website? 
• How many photographs can I display? 
• Can I change my property details once they have been uploaded?
• How do I prepare my home for sale? 
• How do I conduct viewings? 
• How do I deal with offers? 
• What else can online estate agent mousesale help me with? 
• How can I obtain a free copy of your e-book, ‘The mousesale guide to selling without a traditional estate agent'? 
• What are the advantages of selling my home with online estate mousesale? 
• Do I need to sell via a traditional High Street estate agent? 
• What if I have already instructed an estate agent? 
• How easy is it to advertise and sell my property without a traditional High Street estate agent? 
• Can online estate agent mousesale offer me a personal service? 
• What will you spend the money you save on? 
• Do I need an Energy Performance Certificate before I can sell my property? 
• Ask the Expert

What does it cost to market my home for sale with online estate agent mousesale?

You can save yourself thousands of pounds in selling fees by using online estate agent mousesale!  Full details of our selling options can be found by clicking here.

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Are there any additional 'hidden' fees to pay?

No. That is it! There are no further selling fees to pay online estate agent mousesale no matter how quickly you sell your property or for how much!

You can however consider optional extras such as 3D Floor plans and Virtual tours if you think this may assist you in achieving a quicker sale. 

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How can I find out how much my house is worth?

The task of valuing properties is normally carried out by Chartered Surveyors as anyone who has paid a bank or building society for a property valuation for mortgage purposes will know. Estate agents can give you an indication of what your asking price should be usually based on the selling price of similar properties in the area. This "insider" information once the exclusive preserve of estate agents and lenders is now available to all via the Land Registry and other sources giving us not just the opportunity to be nosey about our neighbours but also to give realistic indicators of property values!

online estate agent mousesale can provide an automated valuation of your property plus a comprehensive report containing key information about the housing market, property values and other useful local information. Ideal for prospective purchasers! Click here for details.

When selling your home, it is always best to ask a realistic price but leave some room for negotiation. Don't over-inflate the price or you may find the property remains unsold for a very long time. On the other hand don't allow anyone to encourage you to accept a below-market offer in order to secure a quick sale. (A high turnover is much more profitable for an estate agent than a marginal increase in the selling price). We can also provide you with a 'Best Price Guide' using data from rightmove.co.uk and the Land Registry. If you would like advice from online estate agent mousesale regarding the valuation of your home, please contact us.

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What are the levels at which stamp duty applies?

You can check out the latest thresholds of Stamp Duty Land Tax here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/Taxes/TaxOnPropertyAndRentalIncome/DG_4015918  

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Where will my property be advertised?

Nowadays most people look for their next home via the Internet. In addition to marketing your property via www.mousesale.co.uk we will also promote it for sale on our Partner sites such as Rightmove, Primelocation, Globrix and many more including numerous regional newspaper sites - giving access to millions of potential purchasers every month!

Online estate agent mousesale is also able to provide you with a professional for sale board to alert people locally to the fact that your home is available for sale. This is one of the best forms of local advertising.

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How do I prepare particulars of my property?

Your local mousesale agent will arrange to do this on your behalf after visiting your home. Once details are uploaded to our website, prospective purchasers can print off a colour copy of the sales particulars.

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How do I upload details of my property to your website?

Your local mousesale agent will also arrange to do this on your behalf. To help speed up the process, you can follow the simple on screen instructions to upload your details directly to our website with your own secure log-in code and password. It really is very easy to do. Don’t worry, no details will go live on our website until we have verified them and you have confirmed that they are correct. Once uploaded to our website, details of your property will be automatically copied to our partner sites.

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How many photographs can I display?

Up to twelve photographs and five floor plans.  By law, one image displayed needs to be of the EPC graph from the energy Performance Certificate.

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Can I change my property details once they have been uploaded?

Yes. When we first upload details of your property to online estate agent mousesale they will normally appear on our website and those of our partners within two to four working days. By using your unique log-in and password, you can amend details at any time thereafter – subject of course to us verifying compliance with the Property Misdescriptions Act.

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How do I prepare my home for sale?

When preparing your house for sale the aim is to appeal to as many purchasers as possible. For home-staging tips from the mouse doctor, please click here.

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How do I conduct viewings?

Utilising the latest technology from online estate agent mousesale, we are able to offer virtual viewings of your home! No more Nosey Parkers traipsing around your home with no intention of buying!

However, seriously interested parties will need to see your home. mousesale will arrange viewings on your behalf. The following is practical advice for viewings should you decide to conduct them yourself:

• mousesale will provide full details of anyone who wishes to view your house including name, address and telephone number.
• Take sensible precautions when inviting people you do not know into your home. Always have a friend with you and remove any valuables from sight. 
• Do not be afraid to ask if they have a house to sell as a first time or ‘cash' buyer can proceed much more quickly than someone who has to sell their existing house first. Take this into account when negotiating a sale price. mousesale will do this on your behalf.

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How do I deal with offers?

online estate agent mousesale will handle offers on your behalf and deal with all negotiations. It is always best to ask a realistic price but leave some room for negotiation. Do not over-inflate the price or you may find the property remains unsold for a very long time. On the other hand do not allow anyone to encourage you to accept a below-market offer in order to secure a quick sale.

once an offer is made, mousesale will need to know the following information as a minimum:

• Name and address of purchaser(s)
• Their contact details.
• Do they have a house to sell? If so, is it on market or sold?
• Do they require a mortgage?
• When do they want to exchange/complete?
• Who is their solicitor/conveyancer?

Even if you accept an offer, it is best to leave the property on the market until contracts are exchanged.

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What else can online estate agent mousesale help me with?

Our aim is to offer you a first class service and help you save money in all aspects of house moving. Please click any of the links below for information on other services we can help you with:

• Mortgages
• Conveyancing
• Life Cover & Protection
• General Insurance
• Energy Performance Certificates

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How can I obtain a free copy of your e-book, ‘The mousesale guide to selling without a traditional estate agent'?

We are able to provide each client with a free copy of our E-book, The mousesale guide to selling your house without a traditional estate agent. For details, please click here.

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What are the advantages of selling my home with mousesale?

• We are online estate agents, many of our agents are members of the National Association of Estate agents and the Ombudsman Scheme for Estate agents and abide by the OEA Code of Practise. (Copy available on request).
• We provide a helping hand with all aspects of the house sale process including handling enquiries and negotiations.
• Maximise exposure of your property and reach an audience of millions of purchasers every month.
• Save £1000s in selling fees. Online estate agent mousesale does not charge commission. We charge a one-off fee regardless of how much your property is being sold for. There is no more to pay when you sell your property.
• Sell via online estate agent mousesale and you should NOT have to pay any expensive selling fees to estate agents.
• Our website has tens of thousands of hits per month and we have many waiting buyers on our automated mailing list.
• Flexible selling options. Choose a package to suit you and change your property details yourself at any time via your own unique log-in and password details. (Terms and conditions apply).
• mousesale for sale board – will encourage passers by to obtain more information via our website from where they can contact you securely.
• Save ££’s in conveyancing fees with competitive fixed fees guaranteed and no completion, no fee service.
• Local support. online estate agent mousesale is more than just an online estate agent. We have a growing network of affiliates and partners across the UK offering personal face to face service too!

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Do I need to sell via a Traditional High Street Estate Agent?

Absolutely not! If you property is well priced and properly presented, there is a good chance it will sell quickly. Online estate agent mousesale will provide you with all the tools you need to help elicit an early sale - without charging you a big fat fee!

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What if I Have Already Instructed an Estate Agent?

If you have instructed another agent on a sole agency and/or sole selling rights basis, the terms of those instructions must be considered to avoid the possibility liability to pay two sets of fees. We can advise you on how best to terminate or renegotiate your current contract with your estate agent if required.

A useful source of information about the statutory obligations of traditional estate agents is the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

We strongly advise vendors never agree to "sole selling rights" or any similar restrictive contract, as this could entitle the agent to a fee on completion even if they don’t find a buyer.

The following was taken from the OFT web-site

Selling a property.

The contract.

When you instruct an estate agent to act for you, you enter into a legally binding contract. Before agreeing to it, read the contract carefully and make sure you understand it.

Find out whether you have the right to cancel the contract. Check how long it will run. It should allow a reasonable length of time to market your property and find potential buyers. Beware of ending up tied to an estate agent for an unreasonable length of time. If you are unsure about a contract, seek independent advice from a solicitor or your local Citizens Advice Bureau before agreeing to the terms.

You may come across the following terms in a contract. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to.

Sole agency

The estate agent you appoint is the only agent with the right to sell your property (for the term of any contract you may have signed).

Sole selling rights

The estate agent is the only person with the right to sell your property. It differs from sole agency in that if you find a buyer yourself, you still have to pay the estate agent. If you appoint more than one estate agent to sell your property under a sole agency or a sole selling rights contract, each agent has the right to claim their fee when the property is sold.

Ready, willing and able purchaser

With this type of contract, you have to pay if the estate agent finds a buyer who is prepared and able to buy your property and exchange unconditional contracts. You still have to pay even if you withdraw from the sale and unconditional contracts are not exchanged.

The terms sole agency, sole selling rights and ready, willing and able purchaser must be explained in writing if they are used in a contract.

Multiple agency

You can instruct several estate agents to act for you on a multiple agency basis. Only the estate agent which sells the property will be entitled to a commission. The rate of commission is likely to be higher than for a sole agency or sole selling rights contract. A few estate agents offer a joint sole agency contract. In this case two agents agree to share one commission.

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How easy is it to market and sell my property without a traditional High Street estate agent?

Very easy! Over 90% of prospective purchasers use the Internet to find their next home. Online estate agent mousesale has a fully optimised state of the art website and also partner with hundreds of other websites to expose your property to millions of potential purchasers. A professional mousesale for sale board will help attract local buyers too.

Traditional High Street estate agents v selling with mousesale

What does a traditional estate agent provide? What canonline estate agent mousesale do by comparison?

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Can mousesale offer me a personal service?

Yes. We are more than just an online estate agent. The Internet is a powerful tool that can reach across the globe, but at online estate agent mousesale we never underestimate the importance of local knowledge.

We have a nationwide network of Partners and Affiliates throughout UK and will no doubt have someone close to you who can provide you with a personal service.

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What will you spend the money you save on?

New Car? Kitchen? Holiday? Bathroom?

let the mouse sell your house & save thousands in selling fees!

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Do I need an Energy Performance Certificate before I can sell my property?

EPC's are now compulsory for most properties in England and Wales - before they can be offered for sale or rent.

To order your EPC on-line from online estate agent  mousesale now click here.

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Ask the Expert

If we have not been able to answer your specific question here, please contact us and we will endeavour to respond within 48 hours - usually sooner. If we don't know the answer - we will find someone who does!

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Details correct at 24th March 2012.

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