Selling the family home well.

Valuation

Ask three local agents to value it. They are free and they are all slightly optimistic, because they want the instruction. Look at what similar houses in the street actually sold for (the Land Registry data is on the property portals under "sold prices") and pitch a little above that, not at the highest valuation. An overpriced house sits, gets stale, and sells for less in the end.

Choosing an agent

• Ask each one: how many similar homes have you sold this year, how long did they take, and what did they sell for against the asking price?
• Negotiate the fee. 1% to 1.25% plus VAT on a sole agency is normal for an easy-to-sell family house. Ask what it includes: professional photographs, floor plan, portal listings, accompanied viewings.
• Ask for a short tie-in (8 to 12 weeks) so you can change if it is not working.
• Choose the one who talked to you about your house, not the one with the biggest number.

Presenting a lived-in home

Buyers of family houses are usually families. They want to see space, light and potential, not your life. This is where the clear-out pays twice:

• Clear surfaces, half-empty cupboards, nothing on the stairs. Put a third of the furniture in the garage or storage if you can.
• Paint anything tired in a pale neutral. It is the cheapest thing that adds value.
• Fix the small stuff: dripping taps, sticking doors, the cracked pane. Buyers assume small neglect means big neglect.
• Garden tidy, gutters clear, front door clean. First impressions are made from the pavement.
• Show what the rooms are for. The "junk room" becomes a bedroom again with a bed in it.
• Be out for viewings. Buyers talk more freely and agents sell better.

The paperwork

Delays in selling are nearly always paperwork. Gather it before you go on the market:

• EPC (valid for 10 years; check the register before paying for a new one).
• Building regulations certificates and planning permissions for any work: extension, loft, windows, boiler, electrics. If something was done without them, tell your solicitor early; indemnity insurance often fixes it.
• Guarantees: damp-proofing, windows, roof, boiler.
• Boiler service history and the gas safety records if you have them.
• If leasehold: the lease, service charge accounts, and the freeholder's details.
• Details of boundaries, rights of way, shared drives, and any disputes.
• The property information forms your solicitor will send (TA6 and TA10 in England and Wales). Fill them in fully and honestly.

Offers

An offer is not just a number. Ask: are they chain-free, do they have a mortgage agreed in principle, what timescale do they want, and have they sold their own place? A slightly lower offer from a chain-free buyer with finance ready is often the better one, especially if you have found somewhere.

Keeping it manageable

• Let the agent do the viewings. That is what the fee is for.
• Set viewing days rather than being on call every evening.
• Have one folder with everything in it, and one person (you, a child, the solicitor) who chases.
• Do not accept the first offer on the first weekend unless it is the right one. Do not hold out for a fantasy price either.

Selling to a developer through part exchange is quicker and certain, and usually below market value. Get two independent valuations before you agree a figure. Selling first or buying first.

A note on the numbers. Tax thresholds, benefit limits and typical costs are correct as far as we know at the time of writing (2026) and, unless we say otherwise, are for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland differ in places. Rules change and your circumstances matter. This is information, not advice: check the current position and talk to a solicitor, an FCA-authorised adviser or a tax professional before you act.