Selling you house privately can be an excellent way of ensuring a fast sale.

In order to attract buyers, you will need to value the property at the right price. If you set the price too low you may give the impression that the house is of poor quality. To high and potential buyers may never show interest.

If you have ever sold a house through an estate agent you may believe that it is the agent who sets the value of the property.

This is not true. While the agent will set the asking price, the true value of the property will be the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay.

If you are selling your house privately, you will be required to set the asking price in much the same way that estate agents do. However while an estate agent will be able to use their expert knowledge of the local market, you may be required to do some research.

A good place to start is the local property papers. Estate agents will dominate almost every page with advertisements for properties they have for sale in your area.

This should help you decide on an asking price that, as you know, may not necessarily be the true value of the property. The property’s actually value will be the final selling price.

Additionally you could peek through the shop windows of local estate agents to research the properties they have advertised there. If you are bold enough, you could even pretend you are a buyer and venture inside for a casual chat and pick up some brochures of properties for sale that are similar to yours.

The brochures should contain photographs, floor plans, and written specifications of each property. This should help you find properties that are similar to yours and could provide an excellent tool for setting the asking price of your house.

You could also review property websites. Again they will be dominated by estate agents, but the different search parameters available will help you to locate properties and asking prices of houses that are almost identical to yours.

Employing the services of a qualified surveyor is also an excellent idea. They will utilise their expert knowledge to provide you with an unbiased valuation of your property.

Finally you can check any one of several websites that contain the details of properties that have recently sold. Find details of properties that are similar to yours and within your local area. This should give you a good indication of what final value to aim for during negotiations.