Residential Sales

Residential Sales

Ely

Histon

Cambridge

Great Shelford

Sawston

Saffron Walden

For more than 30 years all of us at TuckerGardner have striven to build a reputation based upon high levels of personal service and attention

to detail, underpinned by reliability and integrity.

The result is that our customers have continually recommended us, to the extent that we are now entrusted with over 3,000 properties

to sell or let each year, across our network of six local offices in Cambridgeshire and North Essex.

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Selling Your Home

Not every home sale is the same. Although each time a property is sold there are common processes, every sale is unique. This brochure explains how at TuckerGardner we tailor our service to meet the challenge of selling each individual property – and how we would help you to sell yours.

Not every agent offers the same service. Our staff are motivated by giving you the best help possible throughout the whole process of selling your home. Over the years we have built and retained experienced and mature teams, able to respond to changing and sometimes difficult circumstances, in order to get the best possible result for you.

TuckerGardner marketing for your home will be professional and widespread – yet as important to us is that your experience of selling is smooth and leaves you feeling satisfied with the service provided.

Your future recommendation is important to us.

Fees

TuckerGardner operate on a ‘no sale, no fee’ basis. At the outset we will agree one competitive, inclusive fee which covers all aspects of our service, with complete transparency and no hidden costs. The fee only applies if your house is sold.

Many other agents seek to tie their clients into long exclusive contracts, which can be for up to 18 weeks. We will not impose a lengthy sole agency instruction upon you, relying instead on our ability to offer an impressive, helpful and successful service, that you remain happy to use.

The Highest of Standards

We are advocates of improving service levels within estate agency. As such, many of our employees are members of the National Association of Estate Agents, widely recognised as the leading professional bodies for residential property in the UK. It is also part of our group policy to offer discounted rates, structured training and support for those wishing to become members.

We are also members of the Property Ombudsman for both sales and lettings.

Pre-marketing preparation

Following our market appraisal visit, we will confirm our valuation and advice in writing. There is no pressure for you to sell your house after the appraisal - if you wish to proceed, you just let us know.

We will then make two further appointments with you: one for the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and floor plans (if applicable), the other to prepare the property description and to take marketing photographs.

EPC and floor plans

From October 2008 it became law that an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required for every property that is built, sold or rented out. The certificate provides ‘A’ to ‘G’ ratings for the building, with ‘A’ being the most energy-efficient and ‘G’ being the least. Please note, Listed buildings are currently exempt from the requirement to have an EPC.

As standard, TuckerGardner will therefore arrange for an independent Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) to attend your property to prepare and register the EPC where one is not already in place. In preparing the EPC the assessor will also take the measurements for the floor plans. It is therefore essential that the assessor visits you at the earliest opportunity because not only do we need the EPC but also research shows that detailed floor plans are one of the main things that help sell a property.

NB: There is a separate EPC administration fee to cover the cost of the production and registration by the third-party DEA. Our valuer will discuss payment terms which will also be outlined in full on our agency contract.

Sales particulars

Another key element that will sell your property is a gallery of high-quality images. Our valuer will revisit your property to take marketing photographs and prepare a property description. Combined with the floor plan and EPC, these form the full property details.

To prepare for your home to be photographed please consider:

• tidying up• completing minor repairs• mowing any lawn• clearing the front of your property (of cars, bins, etc.)

We will send you a draft of the property details for your approval prior to publication. We will also ask you to complete a brief property questionnaire so that we have all the essential information on file. Once we have your go ahead we will commence marketing.

Money Laundering Regulations

There is a regulatory requirement for all Estate Agents to positively identify vendor clients in accordance with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

Our Sales Process

All beneficial owners must therefore provide hard copy proof of identity (full name and current address) before commencement of marketing. A list of suitable identity documents can be supplied on request.

Viewings and negotiation

Viewings can be accompanied by one of our representatives or, if you wish to conduct the viewings personally, be arranged for times convenient for you. Our valuers can give you advice if you wish to show buyers around yourself.

Following all viewings we will contact the prospective purchasers and will report any feedback received back to you.

We are duty-bound to report every offer that we receive on your property and will do so with a recommendation about whether to accept or not based on the offer and the state of the market. Our role is not only to achieve the best price for your property but also to assess the strength of the purchaser’s offer. We look for genuine interest, ability to afford and ability to proceed. We want to maximise the chances of the sale completing.

Sales progression

Receiving an offer is only the beginning of the sales process. You need to know exactly what is going on and what will happen next as the sale progresses.

TuckerGardner operate a unique sales monitoring system so that you, and all other parties involved, can speak to a named, fully briefed, office-based member of our staff at any time. This highly trained expert is assigned to your sale, dealing with any issues that arise from the first moment of marketing right through to completion. Sellers, buyers, solicitors, surveyors and lenders can all get instant help – speeding up the whole process and helping to ensure that the sale does not fail.

You will need to instruct a solicitor to take care of the conveyancing and we would advise you to do this as soon as possible to ensure there are no unnecessary delays. Poorly handled conveyancing is one of the main causes of failed property sales. Your choice of solicitor can prove crucial to the success and speed of the sale, therefore it is vital that your solicitor is of a certain calibre. If you do not already have your own solicitor we will happily provide recommendations.

Exchange and completion

Exchange is the point at which you and the purchaser legally commit to the transaction by signing contracts, and usually involves the purchaser paying a deposit and the setting of a completion date.

It is not until you have exchanged contracts that your completion date is fixed. Please do not make any firm arrangements, such as booking removal vans, before exchange has taken place and a completion date has been set.

Completion itself is the champagne moment – when the sales transaction is completed and ownership of the property passes from you to the purchaser.

Our Sales Process

Marketing

Website

The internet is now the undisputed tool of choice for purchasers looking to find properties, and increasingly this is via mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. Slow, incomplete or clunky websites can put purchasers off or simply be ignored. TuckerGardner have invested in a market leading website, appearing high in search engine results and attracting 1,500 visits every day.

Our website has an innovative map-driven search engine, large photographs, separate large-format floor plans and full-colour property detail downloads. It sends email and text message alerts to prospective purchasers about new properties to get them ahead of the market, and provides excellent feedback to our team about the appeal of a particular property.

All our properties also feature on all the leading online property portals including Rightmove, Primelocation and Zoopla.

Advertising

For Sale board

We strongly recommend the erection of a For Sale board outside the property as we know from experience that they are second only to the internet in generating enquiries from interested parties. However, it is entirely your decision and you will be given the opportunity to express your preference on our agency contract.

In-house and presentation

We keep copies of our high quality, full-colour property details in each office and mail them out to interested prospective purchasers, as well as uploading electronic versions to our website. All our offices enjoy prominent ‘High Street’ positions and have large window displays, where your property would feature.

HouseHunter Magazine

We produce our own bi-monthly magazine, the HouseHunter, showcasing some of our finest properties currently on the market. This is available as a flip magazine on our website with hard copies in each of our offices. It is also emailed to our entire mailing list.

London

Unlike some other agents that may have a London ‘marketing suite’, we offer the unique opportunity for you to have a real and established London agent working alongside us to find you a buyer. We enjoy an exclusive association with the successful central London estate agents John D Wood & Co., giving us access to the affluent London market, dominated by international and investment buyers.

Founded in 1872, John D Wood & Co. now has 17 offices in prominent locations across London, including Chelsea, Belgravia, Kensington and Primrose Hill, specialising in the sale of properties at the top end of the market.

They work closely with us and assist in the marketing of associated properties. These properties appear on John D Wood & Co.’s national register, which provides direct access to buyers through their branch network, as well as featuring on their website.

Please contact us for more information about this additional service.

Land and New Homes

Our specialist Countrywide Residential Development team, based on the third floor of our flagship Cambridge office, works directly with the client to provide a bespoke service from full site management with highly knowledgeable professional staff, to a sole agency or referral service.

Our award-winning team provides a complete service, tailored to the needs of residential developers, house builders and buyers alike. Our fully-integrated offering delivers a professional end-to-end new homes site consultation, from land search through to sales, with the aim of providing our clients with a bespoke solution and exceptional service.

Our sales and marketing campaigns and online web presence - supported by innovative and tailored online and offline marketing solutions - unlocks the national sales market, ultimately driving more prospective buyers directly to us than any other UK property portal.

Using our expert local knowledge we are able to guide land vendors, house builders, housing associations and developers through the often complex planning process and advise on delivering planning permissions to add value to property assets and maximise returns.

Just some of the developers we have acted for...

Letting and Management Service

If you decide that now is not the right time to sell, letting your property may be a great way to get you moving.

However, the relationship between landlord and tenant does not necessarily run smoothly. Align that fact with an ever growing raft of regulations and legislation and you can see why it is helpful for landlords to have a professional agent in place to steer an even course through the potential pitfalls of letting their property.

TuckerGardner is a well established agency with over three decades of local experience and we are well qualified to help landlords avoid or mitigate against difficulties. In our offices you will discover friendly teams with years of expertise in the Cambridge region committed to high standards of personal service and attention to detail. It is by applying the core values of reliability and integrity, that we have been able to build such a strong reputation and why we are already entrusted with the letting and full management of over 2500 properties.

Each property is looked after by our well trained Property Managers. Throughout the management period they remain the first point of contact for the owner. We offer either a full management or let only service and full details of both, including all fees and costs, can be found on our website.

Buy-to-let

If you are looking for an investment property, our lettings valuers are happy to provide free impartial advice on market conditions and the rental prospects of individual properties. If required, this can include liaising with our sales teams and monitoring the market for suitable opportunities which match the investor’s criteria.

The service can also be extended, by negotiation, to include viewing properties on an investor’s behalf, negotiating the purchase, appointing a solicitor and advising on sources of mortgage funds.

Once a suitable property has been acquired we can advise on, and normally supervise, any required refurbishment or maintenance works.

For information on our lettings service, please see our dedicated lettings brochure or contact your local TuckerGardner office.

Residential Development team: 01223 229624

Cambridge (Sales & Lettings)

51 Hills Road, CambridgeCambridgeshire CB2 1NT

Tel: +44 (0)1223 350800Email: [email protected]

Great Shelford (Sales)

48-50 Woollards Lane, Great ShelfordCambridgeshire CB22 5LZ


Great Shelford (Lettings) 39 Woollards Lane, Great ShelfordCambridgeshire CB22 5LZ


Histon (Sales)

21-23 High Street, HistonCambridgeshire CB24 9JD


Ely (Sales & Lettings)

16-18 Market Place, ElyCambridgeshire CB7 4NT


Saffron Walden (Sales & Lettings)

38 High Street, Saffron WaldenEssex CB10 1EP


Sawston (Sales)

Woolpack House, 70 High StreetSawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ


Documents

Residential Sales