How to sell a home in Blackpool: top tips, and a stress-free solution

Anyone who has sold a house will tell you how stressful it can be.  Many people put it up there with divorce and getting fired as one of the most stressful experiences.

We spoke to Chris Hodgkinson, Managing Director of property buying specialists House Buyer Bureau to get his tips on how to sell without losing yourself to stress and worry.

Chris says “We’ve bought and sold over 3,500 properties, so we know a thing or two about how to sell a house.  Much of the stress and frustration comes from feeling ‘out of control’ because you’re always waiting for things to happen, often not knowing what is going on, or are worrying that something will go wrong.  But there are some simple steps you can take to improve things.”

There are a few steps to take before you put your property on the market.

#Tip 1: Do your homework

Understanding property prices is a bit like forecasting the weather – things are always changing and can be very different from one town to the next. A simple tool to find out if your local market is hot or not, is Propcast designed by the experts at The Advisory. It will instantly tell you whether you’re living in a buyers’ or sellers’ market – and then it will give you some great independent advice on different ways to sell. 

In Blackpool, if you’re selling in an FY6, FY7, FY8 or FY10 postcode then the market currently favours buyers, so you’ll need to be realistic with your asking prices, whereas properties in FY1, FY2, FY3, FY4 or FY5 are quicker to sell so sellers’ hold the upper hand.

# Tip 2: Be realistic

Get 2 or 3 estate agents to value your house, and don’t just go with the one who gives you the highest figure. Rightmove’s latest data suggests you can find a buyer within a month if your asking price is realistic, but if you set it too high then it can take almost 4 months just to find a buyer. And then another 6 months to complete the sale (assuming it goes through). 

Chris says “If you look at properties for sale in Blackpool, 20% of them have been listed for sale for 6-12 months and another 10% have been on the market for over a year (source home.co.uk) Getting your asking price right from the start is essential.  You should ask the agent what price will generate the most interest in your property.  You need to be getting viewings within the first 2 weeks or else you risk the process taking months and you’ll have to reduce your price.”

# Tip 3: Know your priorities

Chris says, “In our experience, sellers who know what they want to achieve are the ones who are least stressed by the experience.”  At the start of the process think about your priorities and what matters most to you:

• Price – do you want the maximum amount you can get for your property.
• Time – how long are you prepared to wait; do you need the sale completed by a certain date.
• Certainty – do you need a guaranteed sale.

Your answers to these will give you a good idea of how to approach your sale. 

If you can afford to wait several months to sell, and can be flexible about moving dates, then you can wait for your perfect buyer to make an offer.

If you need to sell your property fast, then make sure your property has the lowest asking price in your area, and invite offers from cash buyers.  A cash buyer will expect to get a discount, but as they don’t have a property to sell or need mortgage finance, they can usually complete the sale much quicker.

# Tip 4: Have a Plan B

Chris says: “Selling a house is a complex process where lots can, and does, go wrong. The calmest sellers have a ‘plan B’ in mind if things aren’t going to plan.  This can be anything from withdrawing the property for a while till the market improves, to proactively reducing the asking price and switching agents, to looking at other sales routes like auction or property buying companies.”

The key thing is not to panic or get stressed. 

One way you can avoid the stress and hassle of selling on the open market is to sell direct to a property buying company like House Buyer Bureau. You will get less money for your property, but in exchange you will get a simple, guaranteed, cash sale that can be completed in a timescale of your choosing.

Chris says: “Every year hundreds of people sell their property to us, not because they are desperate, but because they are choosing a faster, guaranteed, and stress-free sale.  Exploring this route doesn’t cost anything as any genuine property buying company will give you a quote for free and will cover all the costs involved.  So as plan B’s go, it isn’t a bad one to have.”

You can hear it directly from one of our happy customers, Mark – watch his video here.