More and more people are cutting out the estate agent altogether and using HouseWeb to sell their property direct on the Internet, saving thousands in the process.

HouseWeb's Guide to Selling Without an Agent tells you everything you need to know. And if you think it is difficult, read on... you'll be surprised how simple it can be.

The Agent-Free Approach

Did you know that over one-in-twenty properties are sold without an agent? With the advent of the Internet and HouseWeb, selling without an estate agent is now a very real alternative. The average saving of property sold using HouseWeb is over £4,000. It really works! With over 100,000 house hunters visiting HouseWeb each month, we've created the first and largest online marketplace for homeowners to sell direct. Read some of our customer's testimonials if you still need convincing. Sales Packages start at only £47.

Advertise your Home on HouseWeb

HouseWeb offers a comprehensive service section for homeowners wishing to skip the estate agent. We believe this to be the most efficient, affordable and cost-effective way to advertise your house to thousands of people in the UK and throughout the world. You simply enter your property description and HouseWeb instantly creates your advert. You can also display a colour photo with a full description of your property, and link a local map to help prospective buyers. The most effective way to advertise your property is with a HouseWeb Virtual Tour - click here to see some examples.

For more information about advertising your property on HouseWeb, click here.

The Right Price?

A common question is "How do I value my property accurately?" Some homeowners are concerned that they might underprice their house and lose out. The are five very important things to remember:

1) A property's true value is what someone is prepared to pay for it.
2) It is rare that a property sells for the initial price it is advertised at.
3) Estate agents don't actually "value" your property (see (1)). They simply place an asking price on it.
4) When you sell through an estate agent, you still make the final decision on whether to accept an offer - exactly the same as selling on HouseWeb.
5) The price you advertise your property for isn't necessarily the price you can get. If there is a lot of interest, buyers will naturally bid the price upwards. Test the market by advertising your home on HouseWeb and judge the response. You can instantly increase or decrease the price by modifying your advert live on the site.

In terms of getting a realistic valuation, there are many options available:

• You can get your house professionally valued by a surveyor. HouseWeb can get you three quotes from certified surveyors - just visit our Service Centre - it only takes five minutes to complete your details. Estate agents will also give you an indication of an initial asking price.
  
• Look on HouseWeb and in your local paper for similar properties in your area to give you pricing bands.
  
• Talk to your neighbours. Have they had recently moved in? Have they had their property valued lately? Do they know what the house down the street sold for? Are their any similar properties currently for sale in your street?

Writing Your Property Description

A good start is to examine HouseWeb's current adverts. You may still have the description of your house from when you moved in. Also look at HouseWeb's guide to Advertising Jargon. Experience tells us that the more details you provide the more inquiries you are likely to get. Not only does it save you time having to tell people the same information over and over, but house hunters love details!

To Photo or not To Photo

You know the old adage - a picture says a thousand words, and it couldn't be more true than when selling your property. Here are our recommendations:

• Firstly, there is ten times more chance you'll get serious enquires if your advert has a photo. The more photos, the more buyers. If you wish to display more than one, we can add additional photos for you.
• 99% of initial inquiries for properties without a picture of the house are, "Please send me a photo". Save yourself the time now and make the initial inquiries viewing appointments instead.
• Adding a photo to your advert is easy - you can simply upload the image from your computer (if you upload your image, one photo is included in the cost). If you don't have a digital image of your house, send us as many photos as you wish and we'll scan and add them to your advert. (Please note: There is a small admin charge of £10 per photo you send us).
• Read our Frequently Asked Questions section on photos.
• Get a Virtual Tour.

If a picture says a thousand words, a Virtual Tour must be the full novel! This is by far the most effective way to sell your house direct. It costs a little more, but you'll still be saving thousands on estate agent fees. House hunters love Virtual Tours. Find out more here.

	To maximise the number of inquiries you can market your property to passers-by. You can purchase a personalised sign from HouseWeb which displays our phone number and your property reference.
The sign costs only £29.99 and can increase inquires by up to 60%. Click here to find out more.

More Questions This has been a brief guide to introduce you to selling privately. For more detailed information, please download HouseWeb's Free 21-Page Colour Guide which you can print off and read at your leisure. You may also find our Frequently Asked Questions useful. If you would like to talk to us, simply call (0845) 123 5171 (during office hours Mon to Fri), e-mail sales@houseweb.co.uk or complete our enquiry form.

Get your FREE 21-Page Guide to Selling Your Home