1. Choosing an Agent. Get this right and your house sale will be considerably easier. Firstly you must research who is the best agent for your house. Look at which agent has the most amount of Sold By boards in your area specifically for your type of property. If you’ve got a house to sell make sure the Sold By boards are for houses and not flats or maisonettes in houses look similar to yours. If boards aren’t allowed in your area then you will have to go by the agents magazines and property portals to see which agent is marketing SUCESSFULLY recently, houses similar to yours. No use going with an agent who is great at selling flats if you want to sell a house. Finally choose an agent you can get on with. This might take some months and you will speak to the agent many times before you move.

2. Don’t over negotiate on the fees. Everyone wants to get a bargain but if you push the agent too much you will disincentivise them. He’ll be inclined to offer “the other house” before yours if he’s agreed a higher fee on that one. It’s human nature. You could consider offering a cash incentive, say £500, to the individual negotiator who sells your house, above the fee you agree with the agency. This will make your house stand out way above all the others and give you the best chance of grabbing that good buyer.

3. Presentation is critical. Buyers want to feel that they could live in your house, so neat and tidy EVERY WHERE is important. Get rid of all clutter and make all rooms feel as big as possible. How your house smells is critical. draw the curtains and make sure the windows are clean - let that light in. Some people are more sensitive to aromas than others. Again, if it smells nice, then it’s easier for a buyer to imagine living there. No buyer wants to live in a house that smells awful.

4. Make viewings easy. It can be very intrusive not to mention inconvenient to have people coming round to see your house but if you make it difficult then they will just go to “the other house”. Try not to put too many restrictions on when the agent can come round with viewers.

Contrary to popular belief the market in central London is still strong. Whilst the number of new buyers entering the market is considerably down on the first half of the year, there is still a strong demand for correctly priced flats and houses presented in good condition and in good locations. There is still good demand from local buyers as opposed to those from overseas who may be affected by the current world banking situation or those struggling with a strong pound. Londoners and those living here long term still need somewhere to live and changes in family circumstances is still providing good demand.