[ellied]

OK so after 17 years of living this particular dream I have decided that I need to sell up and move on.  This isn't an easy process as I've 17 years of stuff in the house, the garden shed, the garage and pretty much everywhere I look!  Anyway, that's what I'm sorting through at the moment but my next step is to get a valuation.
Now I have a solicitor but they're not known for advertising smallholdings so I plan to use them only for the conveyancing and advertise myself through various forum connections equestrian and smallholding, I reckon I can get enough interest that way and save some ££.
But I want to get a valuation to know where to price and the last 2 times (2008 and 2010) I bought home reports from Graham & Sibbald who do all the valuations in this area house and land alike.  But I didn't actually sell and home reports are another expense that only last a wee while anyway so I'd end up paying another when I actually want to put the sale through in about November. 

My actual house isn't des res enough for CKD Galbraith, it's a 2 bed 70s bungalow with 10 acres not a stone cottage of mansion..  They suggested (8 years ago!) that I use McRae & McRae who are more 'my level' but I'm not wanting to sell through an agent so feel I might be wrong to get the agents to price and not use them.  Is that just what they expect and people do all the time?   

Or do I work on some calculation of house price changes over 8 years and pitch where I think, then get a HR when I'm actually ready for viewings?

[Scotsdumpy]

I know it's not an exact science but have you looked at Zoopla? It gives a rough idea as to how much your property is worth. Take it with a pinch of salt though. It also gives you recently sold prices in your area.

[Womble]

That's sad to hear, Ellied. Your place has bags of potential as either a smallholding or for horsey people though, so I don't think you'll struggle to sell it.


Zoopla valuations aren't all that helpful for unique rural properties IME. Personally, I would adjust the home report value from 2010 by the change in the Halifax house price index for your area, to get a rough idea.

The thing is, you can't officially advertise it until you've had a home report anyway, so why not wait until you're ready to accept viewings and then get a HR done and advertise all in one go?

[ellied]

Thanks, I put figures in an online calculator but it came out about 2/3 of what I was quoted 10 years ago so is obviously based just on the house.  The company called back tho and offered a free presale valuation so I know more or less where to pitch it and whether my previous advice is still valid re limiting works to internal decor and strimming etc rather than trying to do bigger things that stand out from my POV as kerbside offputting features   I have been persuaded to let them look next week while I'm still doing the prep, and as you say Womble I'll get the HR when it's ready to go to market.

Thanks again and maybe I'll be looking for new pastures shortly with any luck!

[Rupert the bear]

I a bit thick what is HR ?

[cans]

Home Report?

[CarolineJ]

Sorry to hear that, Ellie

Yes, as Womble says, you can't legally advertise it for sale anywhere, whether it's you advertising it or a solicitor, without a home report.  Who's your local agricultural mart run by?  Do they do property as well?

[Rupert the bear]

I've just looked up home report, good thing we wont be selling then , wonder how a 150yo croft house with no double glazing , insulation and heated by wood burner would fare.
I thought all this stuff was covered in the survey that would be done, or is this the replacement ?

[farmers wife]

Why not get a proper valuation?  Im confused you haven't got to sell it through them.  I would never guess plus you can get as much feed back as poss. 

[Lesley Silvester]

Sad you are selling up. Do you have plans yet for what to do in the future?

[SallyintNorth]

Congratulations on making the decision, finding homes for the ponies that need to move on, and getting on with the next stage of your life .   

[doganjo]

Have you tried any of the new hybrid eatate agents?  Purple bricks etc? 

https://www.hatched.co.uk/blog/192/what-is-a-hybrid-estate-agent

[Womble]

The company called back tho and offered a free presale valuation so I know more or less where to pitch it and whether my previous advice is still valid re limiting works to internal decor and strimming etc...

That sounds like a good move. I'm trying to sell my Father-in-Law's house at the moment, and the estate agents were really helpful as to which repairs / changes would pay for themselves and which wouldn't. They actually said that some changes would likely not change the selling price at all, but might make the house sell quicker, which was an interesting viewpoint.
We listed it with Purplebricks in the end, and they've been brilliant so far. Talk about tech disrupting established industries!

[CarolineJ]

I've just looked up home report, good thing we wont be selling then , wonder how a 150yo croft house with no double glazing , insulation and heated by wood burner would fare.
I thought all this stuff was covered in the survey that would be done, or is this the replacement ?

I bought something very similar to that a few years ago  

Yes, a home report is basically a full survey, paid for by the seller, so the buyers don't need one (although many lenders will ask for an updated valuation before a mortgage completes).  It shook up the system a bit when it came in - better for buyers, in that they weren't getting house after house surveyed and then not buying it because their offer over wasn't as over as someone else's, but worse for sellers in that it more or less ended the days of people paying well over the offers over price, because the house now had a firm valuation from the start. 

We sold in England in the brief window where you needed a home report and bought in Scotland before the system came in, so got shafted on both ends of it!  But a house near us that we looked at before we moved was on the market at offers over £95,000 and sold for £156,000, needing serious work - that almost certainly wouldn't happen now.

[mojocafa]

Hi 

I am across the Tay from you in Angus! This is My recent experience.

I had a large, modern new build with 3 acres.

I got Graham and sibbald in Dundee to value my property. This cost approx £150, but when I went ahead to get the HR completed, the £150 was deducted from the HR price. So basically I got a valuation for free to give me an idea the figures I was potentially going to be dealing with.

With Internet exposure, I don't think it matters who your property is on with, be it a solicitor or an expensive land and grand company ie.  ckd Galbraith, rettie, savills.

I fired my house out everywhere, on here and every Facebook house for sale page I could find. I kept renewing/refreshing. Put it on my face book time line and got all my friends to share it.

On Facebook property pages, you can word it as so...
Awaiting home report, just putting my property out there to see if it generates interest, put on photographs, if you know someone with a drone, get some Ariel footage of all your land.

Facebook is an excellent way to get your property out there. Join every house group, so I joined houses for sale or rent in Scotland, Tayside, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen, small holdings for sale. And this advertising was all free. People like it, share it, tag people in it. So maximum free exposure. You have nothing to lose. Also if you can arrange a private sale then obviously you won't have estate agency fees. It is definitely the way forward, if you make the time to keep a track of all the messages.

Can I finally add, The folks that bought my house, saw my house on here, not in tspc, right move, zoopla, but on accidental smallholder forum! 

Exciting times ahead, good luck