January 2026
October 2025
Buying a new home is a huge adventure – but for those who already own a home, it’s only part of the process. Here are our top tips for selling your home.
Before you do anything else, it’s important to be prepared for the costs that come with selling your home. In addition to estate agent fees, there are others which you might not have accounted for. Here’s a quick breakdown of the typical costs of selling a house:
If you are specifically looking to buy a new build, Persimmon offers some great schemes to make the process of selling your home and moving into the new one easier, quicker and more affordable.
Part Exchange: If you haven’t yet put your house on the market, Part Exchange is a fantastic hassle-free way to move. If you’re eligible, Persimmon will agree a fair price for your home with you and appoint estate agents to market your property on our behalf. This means you won’t have to deal with chains, estate agent fees or delays.
Home Change: Ideal for taking the fuss and cost out of moving house, Home Change works in three simple steps. We’ll agree a price for your home so you can part-reserve your plot, help find a buyer for your home, and then manage the sale once a buyer has been found. Giving you more time and money to spend on your new home!
Deposit Unlock: If the costs of selling your home are eating into your deposit, Deposit Unlock could be a great option. The scheme enables participating mortgage lenders to offer 90-95% LTV mortgages on new builds, meaning you could move with a deposit of just 5%.
Before putting your home on the market, make sure it looks appealing to buyers. First impressions matter, so start outside. A tidy garden, clean windows and doors, and a neat driveway can instantly improve kerb appeal.
Think about who you want to attract. For young professionals, keep rooms clean and minimal. For families, show how much storage and space the home offers by keeping everything organised.
Decluttering is essential and will also make moving easier. Take time to freshen up your home by fixing scuffed walls, replacing chipped tiles and giving carpets a deep clean. Mirrors and lighter paint colours can help maximise natural light.
Finally, remove personal items such as photos, toys and sentimental décor. This helps buyers imagine the home as a blank canvas and picture themselves living there.
At this point you’ll also need to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which is a legal requirement. A certificate remains valid for 10 years, and you can easily find out if yours is still valid on the gov.uk website.
If you need a new EPC, you can obtain one through an energy assessor or ask your estate agent to sort it out for you. A new EPC will typically cost between £60 and £120.
Before you approach any estate agents for valuations, do some research on property websites such as Zoopla and Rightmove to see what similar houses in your area are selling for.
The general consensus when selling is to get at least three valuations. If one is especially high ask why. This could be purely a ruse to attract your business. If in doubt, keep an eye on the property pages and look at similar houses for sale on the internet. Before choosing an agent, double-check the small print and don’t be afraid to negotiate on fees and levels of service. Local newspapers will give you a clear idea of the estate agents in your area and the type of houses they are used to selling.
Selling through an estate agent isn’t your only option – some people opt to sell their houses themselves, or use a cheaper online agent such as Purplebricks – but a high street estate agent will look after the whole process for you and have more knowledge of the local market.
Before you receive and accept an offer on your house, it’s a good idea to appoint someone to get the legal work done so that it will be ready when you do have an offer.
You can use a solicitor, most of whom will offer a conveyancing service, or you can use a licensed conveyancer. It’s the conveyancer’s job to draft a contract, apply for the title deeds, and arrange all other aspects in transferring ownership of the property.
With all this done, hopefully it won’t be long until you receive some offers on your property. But choosing a buyer isn’t as simple as going with the highest bid. Consider factors such as who is able to move soonest, who is chain-free or has the shortest chain, and who is in the least likely to pull out. Although you don’t have to get on like a house on fire, also think about who seems reasonable, polite and less likely to make the process difficult.
Find your new home! Want to get moving? Contact us at one of our developments with your enquiry for friendly, no-nonsense help and advice.
