Property sales

The commission depends on the value and type of the property and on the form of the agreement, and usually falls between 2 and 4 per cent of the sale price. You pay only on completion — photography, marketing and advertising are included in our fee, and there is nothing to pay up front. We give you the exact figure at the first meeting, along with the price analysis.

We work from sales that actually completed in your district, not from asking prices — the difference between the two is often 5–10 per cent. On top of that we weigh the condition of the building, the floor, the finish, the aspect, how many competing properties there are and how long they take to sell. The result is a price range, with an explanation of what selling at the bottom of it and at the top of it would each mean.

Almost never. A major renovation before a sale rarely pays for itself, because the buyer will want to do it their own way regardless. Small outlays return far more: clearing the personal clutter, freshening the walls, changing the lighting and putting right the small defects. We give you a specific list with approximate costs after the visit.

A well-prepared, correctly priced flat in a good district usually sells within four to eight weeks of going on the market. Add three to six weeks to complete if the buyer is using a mortgage. More expensive or unusual properties naturally take longer, because their circle of buyers is narrower.

Not obligatory, but we recommend it. When a property is entrusted to one agent, it goes out at one price, with one story and one standard of presentation — and the market sees a professionally prepared offer rather than five different listings with five different sets of photographs. It is sole agency that gets the full marketing budget and the paid advertising.

It depends on the circumstances. Usually no tax is due if you have owned the property for more than ten years, or if it has been your declared place of residence for the last two. There are other exemptions — for instance where the proceeds are put into another home within a year. We always recommend confirming your own situation with a tax adviser, and we help gather the information they will need.

We look at the data: how many views, how many enquiries, how many viewings. Few views means the problem is the listing or the ad targeting. Plenty of views but few viewings means the problem is the price or the photographs. Plenty of viewings and no offers means the problem is the property itself or the way it is being presented. In each case we propose a specific action rather than an automatic price cut.