This guide with easy steps will help you through the process of buying a property. As you may already be aware, the Houseladder website helps people to privately sell their property. A lot of people are not aware that you can do this and believe you have to use an estate agent. So To begin with we will clear up the myth about the previous statement. As an estate agent does not provide any legal service to the seller they are not required to be included in the process of the selling a property.

Basically an estate agent does the following.

1. Value your property
2. Market your property via shop fronts, board, local newspapers and websites.
3. Manage the viewings.

As there are numerous alternatives to acquire the above information a lot more people are managing the sale of their own property. Therefore if you wish to know more information or arrange a viewing for a property you can speak to the property vendor direct, and if one time does not suit one party then can arrange another, there on the spot instead of having to go back and forth with an estate agent.

Once you have decided that you wish to buy a property and an offer has been accepted, then the vendor's solicitor and your solicitor will do the necessary legal work all the way to when you exchange contracts, which is when the property is officially yours.

If you have a property yourself and already with an estate agent, then depending on the type of contract with your estate agent will determine if you can use our services to market your property. The contracts are as follows.

1. 'Sole selling' means your estate agent is the only one with the right to sell your house. Even if you find a buyer yourself, you'll still have to pay the agent.
2. 'Sole agency' also means the estate agent is the only one with the right to sell your house but if you find a buyer yourself, you won't have to pay the agent.
3. 'Multi agency' means that you can choose several estate agents to market your house but you will only have to pay commission to the one who sells it.
4. 'Ready, willing and able purchaser' is a contract. If the estate agent finds you a buyer and you later withdraw from the sale, you'll still have to pay them.

As Houseladder is not an estate agent, and your contract is either 2,3 or 4 and as an estate agent does not provide any legal service to sell your property, then you can still use our services and sell your property privately.

If you do find that your contract is 1 (Sole Selling) and you wish to use one of our services, then check with the estate agent the termination period of the contract and then set-up one of the other types of contract if you wish to use both an estate agent and Houseladder.

To see how much you could save by using our services read our sellers guide

Mortgages - Know how much you can afford before looking
Searching for Properties
Viewing
Offer Accepted
Legal Process
Moving In