What do Estate Agents Look for When Valuing Your Home?

24th November 2016

Asking an estate agent to appraise your property is an important first step on the road to selling your home, and one that can be richly rewarding with the right preparation.

This may be the first time that you’ve been given an entirely subjective opinion on the value of your home, and will give you a realistic expectation of what you can expect to sell for - and therefore how much you can spend on your next big move!

A market appraisal isn’t just about naming a price, however - estate agents will also be looking at the best way to advertise your home, ensuring that you get plenty of viewings and the best possible offers.

It’s important at this point to choose an agent who you can trust to represent your best interests and find you the best price. You need to look out for extensive market knowledge, as well as a friendly yet professional approach.

Make sure that the estate agent you choose is familiar with your area of Brighton and Hove, as someone who works predominantly in other areas may not be accustomed to the local micro-market, and could skew the valuation accordingly.

While you’re getting a feel for your estate agents, however, they’ll be appraising your home. Get ahead of the game by learning what estate agents are most likely to look for during the appraisal process, and how you can increase their estimations.

Who is the space suited to?

When it comes to advertising a new property on the market, estate agents are keen to know how extensive and flexible the space is. A house that can be realistically marketed as a family home is often likely to sell at a higher price than one which can’t accommodate more than two people.

In order to convince estate agents that your home is flexible enough to be used by a family, a couple or a single occupant, consider making the most of any extra space you have. The space under the stairs could double as a small study area, for example, while added storage will definitely grab attention when it comes to settling on a value.

Properties with multiple bathrooms are also far more likely to support a growing family, which is often a concern for first-time buyers. If you have the budget, adding a small en-suite could significantly increase the value of the property.

How is the decorative order?

When it comes to selling a home, the phrase about not judging a book by its cover doesn’t always apply. Any decorative issues, ranging from clutter and scuffed walls to stained carpets and chipped paint, could alter an estate agent’s gut feeling about the property - not to mention potential buyers’ opinions later down the line!

It could be that when investigating minor issues around the house, you discover some more pressing issues - for example, a stain on the ceiling could be a symptom of a leaky pipe from the floor above. It is important to investigate any such issues before the appraisal, as suspicion of leaks or damp may cause estate agents to drop their overall estimate.

Once a buyer has chosen your home, they will call in a property surveyor of their own. If they then pull out of the sale due to issues outlined by the surveyor, you could lose up to £3,000 - so investing in these repairs early on will certainly save you money in the long run!

Is there an outdoor space?

A garden, patio or even a balcony can drive up property prices. Advertising outdoor space can offer added value and secure a place on potential buyers’ ‘must view’ lists, so estate agents will be keen to make notes on any such space you have when they come to do their appraisal.

While the larger the space the better, a small South-facing garden or terrace can also generate a lot of interest. Regardless of the size and orientation of the garden, however, it needs to be well looked-after. Mow the lawn, plant up some colourful pots or break up a bare wall with a climbing plant and trellis to impress your estate agent and all potential viewers.

Is there potential for remodelling?

While it’s not something that a home seller necessarily has control over, potential for expansion or modification is a big seller when it comes to expanding families and long-term buyers. When conducting an appraisal, estate agents will find out whether the building is listed or in a conservation area - both of which are scenarios that would make modification difficult for future buyers.

Larger properties give options for internal modification, such as converting an attic or cellar space into an extra bedroom, while a large garden offers potential for a permanent extension, conservatory, or summer house.

If you are able to achieve planning permission for particular alterations prior to the appraisal, this is also a factor that can be mentioned in listings to drive up viewings and offers.

What is the immediate neighbourhood like?

It’s not just your home that’s under scrutiny during an appraisal - it’s your street as well. Homes situated on well-maintained, quiet streets with visible greenery and limited traffic will rank more highly in an estate agent’s evaluation than those near main roads and noisy bars.

While you can’t change your home’s surroundings, knowing a little about the local area can be of use to the estate agent carrying out an appraisal. For example, information about public transport options, local schools and amenities as well as the nearest green and open spaces could prove important. While an estate agent with local expertise will have many of these facts to hand, offering your personal take on the quality of life in the area is a positive step toward a higher property price estimate.

If you would like our property experts to carry out a free market appraisal and advise on the recommended sale price for your property, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. You may also be interested in our guide to adding value to your property - with tips for all budgets.

Testimonials

  • It was an amazing experience, everyone involved were fantastic. 

    Mr & Mrs Knight Woodingdean

  • The sale was dealt with swiftly, professionally and successfully. Thank you Maslen!

    Mrs Lincoln Hove

  • Paula is amazing!

    Ms Aspnall Gladstone Place

  • You were amazingly helpful throughout - a real pillar of strength with a very difficult sale.

    Mrs Parkin Fiveways

  • Very impressed with the service. Sharon Wareham works tirelessly, very professionally and is always there for advice. 

    Miss Matthews Kipling Avenue

  • We were very pleased with services provided by the Fiveways office.

    Mr & Mrs Sawyer Shaftesbury Road

  • Great service, always polite and friendly. Excellent contact and info all the way.

    Mr Wells Bishops Road

  • First class service. Friendly and professional.

    Mr Thorne The Avenue

  • Brilliant. Well done to Sharon and the Woodingdean team.

    Ms Curtis The Ridgway

  • A very committed team who made the sale process very easy.

    Ms Rees Ticehurst Road

  • I was new to the area and viewed a lot of properties with a lot of different agents. Maslens were by far the best I came in contact with, so when i...

    Mr & Mrs Heer Lewes Road

  • Please thank Paula at Lewes Road - Excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Nuthall Lewes Road

  • Very professional service. Thank you!

    Miss New & Mr Jackson Buller Road

  • Maslens as a whole were really friendly and professional. I have to thank and congratulate Paula Carter for being superb at her job and exceeding m...

    Ms Warren Hove

  • Very thorough & very informative.

    Mr Michnowicz Waldegrave Road

  • The Woodingdean team were very friendly and approachable.

    Mrs Palmer Pitt Gardens

  • Harvey was helpful and easily reachable at the beginning of the process and Sharon kept us informed and was always happy to help.

    Ms Murch & Ms Mapa Ticehurst Road

  • Thanks for an excellent service. 

    Mr King Hove

  • Excellent service as always

    Mr Field Ringmer Road

  • I have bought and sold 7 properties, and this was the best experience of an estate agents services I have found.

    Mrs Shepherd Hertford Road

  • Sold within 2 weeks for asking price "excellent!"

    Mr Grundy Bishops Road

  • First class service from a first class team.

    Mr & Mrs English The Ridgway

  • Ben and Paula were calm and reassuring throughout a very difficult process!

    Ms Easterbrook Bear Road

  • In February 2016 I was looking to buy and sell very rapidly. Competition among buyers at the time was very high. Sharon @ the Woodingdean branch sh...

    Ms Helen Lyons Woodingdean

  • Sharon was excellent - kept us well informed, thank you so much!

    Ms Waters Cowley Drive

  • Best Agents in Brighton.

    Mrs Field Tarner Road

  • Excellent customer service throughout. I will definitely recommend you, and use you again. Thank you.

    Ms Longley Kingsbury Street

  • Hugely impressed with Ben & his team.

    Mrs Mead Upper Lewes Road

  • Ben was particularly enthusiastic and helpful. Martin, Paula, Sam and Will are all hard workers.

    Ms Goodey Franklin Road

  • A good team at Woodingdean helped us through a stressful time.

    Mr & Mrs Penton Sycamore Close

  • Excellent service from the Lewes Road branch. Martin Timms secured a quick sale & at a good price & Paula Carter worked really hard to secure...

    Ms Schulte Bear Road

  • We were delighted with the service received from all the staff with whom we had contact,

    Dr Crichton The Ridgway

  • Paula's role was brilliant. Having someone office based and available was so appreciated and her promptness an impressive service - every Estate Agent...

    Ms Wynn-Jones Baxter Street

  • The team worked very hard over a long period to ensure my sale went through - excellent service!

    Mr Patrick Gladstone Terrace

  • As always, an excellent service. 

    Mr & Mrs Field Lewes Road

  • Quality advice about when and how to sell, which was spot on. Thank you.

    Miss Coleman Buller Road

  • Very, very happy we chose you, felt right from the start! Thank you!

    Miss Blackadder Coniston Court, Holland Road

  • Extremely efficient. Nick and Paula are excellent. The weekly phone calls were much appreciated. 

    Ms Gray Lewes Road

  • Nick and Paula are total stars! They were incredibly supportive and present throughout. Thank you!

    Miss O'Haire Hove

  • All agents at Maslen were extremely helpful and polite from the beginning to the completion of sale. 

    Mr Johnson Fiveways

  • All very professional, kept updated throughout. Very pleased - Would recommend. 

    Mrs Hammond Hove

  • Very comprehensive and professional. Nice people to work with and highly recommended. 

    Mr Alderton Ladysmith Road

  • Thanks David, all very professional.

    Mrs Flowers Foxdown Road

  • Many thanks to Nick. It was an easy process thanks to you! I'm extremely satisfied with how the sale went, great job.

    Ms Mayanobe Aymer Road

  • Our local office manager, Sharon Wareham was warm and friendly and kept us up to date at all times.

    Mr Hope The Brow

  • Thank you for everything!

    Ms Tucker Willow Close

  • Sharon was amazing! She kept us up to date the whole way through the process. We cannot fault Sharon or the rest of her team. 

    Mr & Mrs Ashley Woodingdean

  • It was a long, drawn out process that the people at Maslen helped me through, without the impression that it was a chore. So extremely professional...

    Mr McLagan Lewes Road

  • Very impressed with all dealings with Maslen. Paula Carter was in particular very knowledgeable and helpful. 

    Mr McBlane Hove

  • Sharon, Harvey and James were all excellent - very professional. Totally opposite to what I have experienced with other agents. Maslen have restore...

    Ms Lyons Woodingdean

  • Excellent communication and advice throughout. It felt very reassuring to be in good hands.

    Mrs Brooker Buller Road

  • From start to finish the sale was dealt with in a thoroughly professional manner.  

    Mr Gibbs Lewes Road

  • Sharon was excellent, she kept us informed at all stages and was a really calming objective influence in the process.

    Ms Frederick Channel View Road

  • Paula was absolutely amazing!

    Mr & Mrs MacKay Lewes Road

  • I would recommend Maslen to anyone. 

    Mrs Tripp Woodingdean

  • Fantastic service. By far the best agents we have ever used, I cannot recommend you highly enough.

    Mr Field Mafeking Road

  • Thank you Paul and Archie, you gave an excellent service, as well as Kelly. I look forward to working with you again. 

    Mr White Fiveways

  • Superb service as usual, I would always recommend you.

    Ms S Hike Blackthorn Close

  • We were very impressed with the Nick from start to finish. 

    Mr & Mrs Smith Lewes Road

  • Good team. Straightforward. No nonsense.

    Mr Standing Newmarket Road

  • Very pleased with the excellent service throughout. Professional, friendly, efficient and no hard sell. Achieved above asking price. Thank you!

    Mr Witten Lewes Road

  • Very happy with the service we got from you guys, everyone we dealt with was extremely friendly, professional and helpful. Thanks!

    Mr Brown Titian Road

  • Very helpful and patient team.

    Mrs Shea Selborne Place

  • The whole team were excellent, each one of them felt like family. Sharon had a lot of sorting to do at times but coped very well, a true profession...

    Mr Vernon Woodingdean

  • I wish we had used you to sell our property! Nice to meet honest people, who are genuinely interested in helping. Very pleased.

    Mrs Porter Taunton Road

  • Service exceeded my expectations overall at all stages of the process - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you. Thanks. 

    Ms Greene Lewes Road

  • Thank you. We found all the staff knowledgeable and really pleasant to deal with. 

    Ms Ansloos Lewes Road

  • The staff were very helpful, an excellent service. I would recommend you to others.

    Miss Hockly Fiveways

  • Cannot express our appreciation enough of all the efforts made by the Woodingdean team - they were fantastic.

    Mr John Mogridge Woodingdean

  • Thank you Maslens, you were all excellent!

    Miss Jasper Taunton Road

  • Sharon and her team could not have done more in what was a difficult sale. 

    Ms Daly Woodingdean

  • Best Estate Agents ever experienced - professional, approachable, competent and exemplary. 

    Mr & Mrs Guest Riley Road

  • Exceptional service throughout the process - should we decide to sell in the future we wouldn't hesitate to use your agency. You're a cut above the...

    Ms Windels & Mr Barham Fiveways

  • The whole team were very committed from start to finish.

    Mr Pilgrim Lewes Road

  • Very pleased with the service. Many thanks to Sharon and the boys!

    Mr Flynn Woodingdean

  • A completely painless experience from start to finish. Thank you.

    Mr Woolven & Mrs Bessant-Woolven Lewes Road

  • Compared to your rivals, your service was excellent

    Ms McGrigor Milner Road

  • Very impressed with the efficient and friendly service, the staff were a pleasure to deal with. 

    Mr & Mrs Gill Lewes Road

  • Paula was fabulous and we felt really informed and supported. 

    Mr & Mrs Walker Lewes Road

  • A really good experience.

    Mr Tibble Lewes Road

  • An efficient, professional and friendly service. Helpful and a pleasure to do business with.

    Mr Beddington Brading Road

  • Graham Griffin provided us, and continues to provide us, will all-round excellent advice. We trust his knowledge and expertise.

    Mr Blackmore & Ms O'Sullivan Financial Services

  • Already recommended you! Thank you.

    Mr Edwards The Ridgway

  • Excellent Service from start to finish.

    Mr T Mole Cromwell Road

  • Very pleased with the experience. I would definitely recommend you and use you again.

    Ms D Edmonds Horton Road

  • All the staff I dealt with were excellent. Sharon worked really hard to complete the sale.

    Mrs Bent Falmer Gardens

  • Very impressive - professional and friendly, both Martin Timms and Paula Carter were excellent at keeping in contact with sensible advice based on...

    Mrs O'Connor Hove

  • Outstanding service from Sharon. James is an asset to Maslens & Harvey was so helpful and polite.

    Ms Cianchetta Selhurst Road

  • We cannot recommend Maslen's estate agents enough.

    Many thanks to Paul, Donna, Janette and the...

    Linda & Les Wigmore Close

  • Paul Wilkinson was extremely helpful and efficient. The only problem was the vendors solicitor and Paul warned me of this. A good transaction all r...

    Mr Lavender Fiveways

  • Paul was absolutely brilliant. 

    Mrs Tasker Fiveways

  • I found the service to be courteous, friendly and efficient.

    Mr Upton Buller Road

  • A very positive experience - I had most contact with the Fiveways office and they were so friendly and helpful.

    Ms A King Balfour Road

  • Very good service and communication. Paula was excellent.

    Mr & Mrs Scarboro 1 Pevensey Road

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