selling your property involves some important decisions about a hugely valuable asset. it also requires a great deal of hard work and organisation, so it really pays to talk to the right people from the outset, our award-winning team are here and ready to help.

at masonbryant, we understand that as a potential seller your key aims are to achieve a sale, within a timescale to suit your individual circumstances, and at a price you are happy to accept.

we also know that you are looking for an agent who will deliver a professional service, with effective communication at each step of the process, to guide you through the property transaction.

here’s why you should consider choosing us to help you all the way:

best value

we, at masonbryant, understand how to help a vendor maximise the value of their property and how careful preparation can make the whole process run more smoothly. as members of the property ombudsman, we adhere to the industry codes of practice to ensure that your property transaction follows the latest regulations and therefore leads to the completion of your sale in the correct way.

what we offer you:

• an award winning team and service
• competitive sales commission rates reflecting the service we offer and marketing package required for your home
• an experienced, honest and professional director lead sales team
• extensive marketing using both traditional and digital channels
• no contract tie in period. if you are not happy with our service you are free to cancel with just 14 days written notice
• you only pay upon a successful completion, no sale, no fee
• Brightly lit widow display and rolling TV monitor at our village high street office
• an out of hours, emergency sale support line
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year presence on rightmove, zoopla and primelocation, amongst other property portals to ensure we attract the right person at the right time
• specialist knowledge in beach front and sea facing properties along the coastline

our director of sales and her team prides itself on their professionalism, honesty and integrity. we will take the time to understand what you want from your sale, carry out an in-depth appraisal of your property using the latest available comparables and a full analysis of the latest market trends to ascertain its highest achievable value. we will then work tirelessly on your behalf to promote your property using superior marketing materials, the latest communications and web technology ensuring your property is seen by the individuals who are actively seeking a property just like yours. after all your property is unique, a one off and we will always treat it that way. 

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ethos  - our customer charter

at masonbyant we are committed to providing you with an excellent customer service. by making your property sale simple and easy we can take away any stress or hassle that can occur with such a potentially complicated process. we have created our customer charter that we will honour with all our customers to ensure we are meeting your expectations.

• all applicants will be initially contacted by phone whilst the property details are being prepared to generate an immediate interest in your property
• once all documents are returned, your property will be re-matched with all applicants held on our database, the property details emailed and best endeavours made to arrange viewings with prospective buyers
• all viewings will be accompanied by a member of our sales team so that we can use our skills to generate the best response from potential buyers
• your property will always be on the leading national property web portals 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year
• feedback will be given following all viewings within a reasonable time period
• all offers received on your property will be confirmed to you in writing
• all buyers will be financially qualified to ensure that they have the means to purchase your property prior to a sale being fully agreed
• we will contact you on a regular basis to discuss the marketing of your property – evaluating the overall marketing performance in office and online, viewing feedback and any market trends affecting your property sale, good or bad. this will allow us to fine tune the marketing of your property

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getting ready to sell

preparing your home for viewings is very important if you are to get off to a good start. it will not only ensure your property is sold faster, but can potentially add thousands of pounds to its value.

a freshly painted front door and a tidy front garden is the logical place to start. after all, there is no second chance to make a great first impression.

you can build confidence in your buyers minds by keeping it tidy! many buyers will not see the through litter, pizza menus, junk mail, or the pet toys in the hallway. pack away clutter, shoes, and other 'collectables', so buyers can imagine their own possessions in the home.

lighting

lighting can add enchantment and warmth to any space... or disenchantment if rooms are dark and cold, or light bulbs are bare or missing. closed curtains may keep out the sun so not to fade the furniture but they also make it difficult for your buyers to see the space and the view.

there’s a big difference between 'getting a feel' of a place, and having to feel your way around! so draw back those curtains and open those windows. in winter months, keep lights on for viewings especially in rooms that don't have an abundance of natural light.

well placed lighting gives a feeling of freshness and cleanliness. good lighting in the kitchen and any study areas will always ensure a bright response.

the key parts of your home

the kitchen is often said to be the heart of a home, so put yours on display. clear away clutter and food and give the impression of a healthy, airy space. the smaller your kitchen the more important this is. the same goes for the bathroom; tidy bottles and creams and display some fresh, neatly folded towels, making sure the room looks & smells hygienic.

flowers throughout your house is a handy trick “house stagers” use to help make your home look more inviting, fresh and make it smell beautiful.

declutter & remove

research has shown that if a buyer sits down in a property, it's likely they feel at home, possibly even thinking of putting in an offer. for this reason, make sure there’s space around sofas and armchairs so viewers don’t have to step over coffee tables and magazines to get to them.

be sure to declutter your cupboards. if buyers open cupboards and they look cluttered and unorganised, they will believe there is a lack of storage space or you are hiding some behind it.

look & feel

in vacant properties, consider property styling or leave some furniture behind such as a hall stand or outdoor seating, to give the place a lived in feeling.

remember first impressions, peeling paint on a window, or a garden gate hanging off its hinges suggests that work needs to be done on the property. this could be used to renegotiate the price down, so make sure everything is in order.

if you have a garden, check outside the house is as neat and tidy; cut the lawn, pick up the leaves and trim back plants! it needs to be as presentable as the inside.
in winter, if you have a fireplace, have a fire blazing. there is nothing more inviting than a warm fire glow to make someone feel welcome and at home.

danger signs

most buyers are a little nervous when investing hundreds of thousands of pound into a property. after all it is a small fortune compared to a car purchase and most people spend more time looking over a car than their most valuable possession, a home! a simple damp stain caused by a minor past leakage suggests flooding or worse rising damp! consider getting it fixed and painted over.

minor cracks on the walls or render inside or outside will scream subsidence and have potential buyers fleeing to the next property. perhaps a quick fill and touch up will avoid disappointment all round.

if you are unsure about anything masonbryant will be able to give you advice on what you need to do in order to get the best result for your property.

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marketing your property

we recognise that properties often require different marketing strategies, so we use cutting edge marketing techniques, alongside more traditional methods, to help your property achieve its full potential.

photography and floor plans

when selling a property, it is important that it is presented in the best possible light. good photographs that capture the correct property features will always be one of the first things potential buyers look at.  floor plans allow the buyers to “feel” the space and layout of the property and can be the difference between clicking into your property and clicking away.

brochures

we combine well-written property descriptions with photography and technical information to ensure potential buyers have everything they need in one place. at masonbryant we present accurate and honest information and descriptions for all our properties to allow any buyer to make an informed decision to view your property. we want to make sure that what they will see is what they will expect to get upon an offer being accepted.

online web presence

in today’s modern and fast paced world, we know that many, many potential buyers start their property search online. we use a number of digital marketing technologies to ensure your property is being targeted at the right audience. all of our properties are always listed on our website as well as leading property search sites - rightmove, zoopla and primelocation.com all of which are the leading property portals.

with 90% of searches carried out through them. we are on these sights 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and will always ensure your property is visible to prospective buyers day or night and anywhere in the uk and come to think of it, the world.

our buyer network

we maintain a central database of potential buyers, so we can instantly call or email matches for your property. we also have long-standing relationships with property investors who regularly consult us on potential projects for them. 

for specialist properties like beachfront homes, we hold a regularly added to waiting list which we will call even before your property is fully marketed.

‘for sale’ boards

‘for sale’ boards are a very effective marketing tool for vendors. a large number of applicants register as a direct result of seeing one of our boards. they are bright and vibrant and can be seen from a distance.

many buyers in this area are seasonal visitors often on holiday that see a property and come in to find out more. a substantial amount of these visitors end up buying and staying for good.
we would always recommend having one of our boards outside your property to attract potential buyer’s attention.

office windows

many of our enquiries come from applicants walking into our office. we therefore regularly update and change our window displays with the latest listing properties. we also incorporate a moving display at our pevensey bay office to capture passers-by and holiday makers’ attention. the display allows us to add more dynamics to our property and offer more views to gain more interest.

offline advertising and PR

research shows that buyers do not actively look for property to buy in local glossy magazines.

we understand that it is important to feature properties in ‘stand-out’ publications and not just alongside the bulk of other agents’ properties in the local rag. we work closely with all the local publications and many magazines like etc magazine and sussex life, to try to get your property a wider exposure and to the right audience.

brand advertising

in addition to these property specific marketing techniques, we invest heavily in the masonbryant brand. our brand presence across the area is designed to put masonbryant to the fore front of anyone looking to buy a property. we advertise in many local features like theatre programmes, eastbourne borough football club, doctors surgeries, local restaurant menus, information booklets, local maps and many more.

we also support many local charities, our local communities and local events like the pevensey bay scarecrow festival, vehicles of yesteryear and many more.

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best practice

what we offer is simple, good old fashioned honesty, integrity, professionalism and exceptional customer service from our award winning team. it is our belief that just being good at what we do is not good enough. our services have to be better than our competitors and from what we hear from our clients, it is.

however, we will always follow the correct, legal and morally right process in everything we do for our customers and at every stage of the sale process from viewings, to offer, to completion and beyond.  the sale process can be strewn with frustration and anxiety if not handled with expert care and due concern for both vendor and buyer alike.  we are governed by the property ombudsman, trading standards and ultimately uk law that dictates how we handle and process all parts of our business especially property sales.

viewings

our experience has shown that those vendors who present the property at its best every viewing and act on buyer’s feedback, sell in the shortest time and with less reduction in asking price.

it is important that limitations and caveats on viewing times and access are limited wherever possible to allow us to show your property to a potential buyer at a time that is suitable to them. a potential buyer may have many properties to look at and if they cannot access yours at a time that suits them, you may miss out on that sale. we will always provide you with details and feedback from each viewing and make any suggestions that may help the sale along the way.

the offer process

receiving an offer for your property is an exciting moment. at this point the help and support of masonbryant will be critical. with most offers being the start of the negotiation period and some properties going to ‘best and final offer’ or even sealed bids, it is important that this stage is handled carefully, fairly and most of all, ethically. close communication and teamwork will be key for a successful outcome.

we are bound by law to tell you of all offers as soon as is reasonably possible (as well as confirming them in writing). closing a sale is often a difficult process. we will provide advice and support during negotiations and strongly advise that all negotiations are carried out via ourselves and fully logged/recorded to protect all concerned.  again, close communication and teamwork will ensure everyone involved is happy with the outcome that gives your sale the best chance of a successful completion.

accepting an offer

once you have accepted an offer, masonbryant will carry out its due diligent checks to establish the credentials of the buyers, their true position for sale via a thorough chain check and how they intend to fund the sale of your property. this is vitally important to the success of any sale and may take a little while. in the meantime, and unless you state otherwise, we will continue to market the property as usual. once all the checks have been completed and we have reported back to you, our client, with our findings, we will prepare the sales letters and memorandum of sale. this confirms to you, your buyer and both solicitors, the terms of the sale. this will include any special conditions including time frames for exchange and completion. please check the memorandum of sale carefully, although it is not legally binding, mistakes or missed items can slow the sale process. your solicitor once fully instructed by you, will send a draft contract to your buyer’s solicitor who in turn starts the conveyance process. this may include surveyors visiting your property. negotiations can occur throughout the conveyancing process and we will be on hand to advise you from start to finish. remember, there are no legal obligations until you exchange contracts.

exchange of contracts

prior to exchanging contracts, a number of points will be discussed and agreed by both solicitors. as your agent we have little influence over this process but we monitor things on a very regular basis, updating you each time, advising on any potential issues or just generally ensuring progress is being made.

prior to exchange

enquiries: these are any questions that the purchaser’s solicitor may have about your property. lease: if your property has a lease and/or is share of freehold, there might be specific questions that need to be raised. often leases were written many years ago and don’t always comply with modern interpretation of the law or wordings.

assigning the lease: sometimes the purchasers need permission to have the lease assigned to them by the freeholders or their agents.

title: the purchaser’s solicitor will have checked that you have clean title to the ownership of
the property.

local searches: these will have been received and checked.

fixtures and fittings: any fixture that you plan to take (i.e. wall lights) need to be replaced with
an equivalent product.

mortgage offer: the buyer will have received their mortgage offer.

at exchange

this is when you become legally committed to the sale. you will have signed the contract and your solicitor will have reported to you and advised whether, in their opinion, you are wise to proceed.
at this point the buyer should pay a deposit, usually around 10% of the sale price, to the solicitor. some solicitors may exchange on less than this. it is normally telegraphically transferred and held in your solicitor’s account.

between exchange and completion.

buildings insurance: both you and the purchasers (because they now have an insurable interest) will need to keep buildings insurance running on your property.

removals: you will be surprised how early you need to book a removal company.

utilities: these companies need to be informed of your sale and completion date. a meter reading will have to be taken on the day of completion by you and then again by the new owners once they have completed.

council tax: the local authority will need to be informed of your move.

post: all mail will need to be redirected to your new address.

completion

this is where you finally hand over the keys to your property.

the buyer’s solicitor will send over the completion funds. if you are involved in a chain, it can sometimes take until mid-afternoon for the monies to clear into your solicitor’s account.
your solicitor will call you and your agent to release the keys to your buyer. we will not release them until this happens direct from your solicitor.

congratulations, you will have now sold your property through masonbryant and we will have been on the journey with you all the way.

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customer feedback

At last I have time to write a thank you for all your help in our recent sale and purchase. From the moment we met Katy we were impressed with her knowledge and total professionalism. She advised us on some tweaks to our house which we did and within a very short time we had sold our bungalow for an excellent price.

We also found one which Katy advised us about, and put in an offer, with Katy doing all the negotiation for us. The sale and purchase, although relatively straight forward were nevertheless stressful for us – when isn’t house selling/buying? – but both Katy and Jenny were so helpful, extremely up to date all the time with what was happening and we simply could not have got better service anywhere else.

My husband and I would not hesitate to recommend masonbryant to anyone, they were quite simply brilliant.  Should we ever decide to move again – but we do not have any intention of doing that! – we would most certainly go back to them! Why would we want to go anywhere else?

Many thanks again and we hope your business continues to get the success you work so hard for and deserve.Mrs M

Thank you so much for all your help with our sale – thanks to you it all went smoothly.Mr & Mrs T

The fantastic team at masonbryant – Thank you so much for such an amazing service and making our house sale go smoothly even with all out challenges! Mr & Mrs B

I just wanted to thank you Katy along with your team for all that you did regarding the sale of my property - it all went through smoothly and I am very grateful for all the work that you put in and especially for keeping an eye on the place in my absence. Having done the initial round of estate agents in Eastbourne before making my choice, I have to say that everything about your business stood out above all the others and I wasn't disappointed! Mrs G

Excellent service. All of the staff were extremely helpful at every step of the way. No improvements needed - the later times for viewings, 24/7 mobile number facility and prompt return of calls offer an excellent service already. We would always recommend masonbryant now! Miss P & Mr E

Thanks so much for dealing with the sale of our flat. It has been a very unstressful process and we have you to thank for that. Miss c

I don't often praise estate agents but you did a terrific job - we will certainly recommend you to our neighbours – I do hope our paths will cross again. Mr D

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