This week, EweMove Ashby discusses how to review and understand the terms of the contract when selling your home.

When your superstar estate agent has turned up in their shiny suit and brand-new tie, and they've bowled you over with their winning pitch, they'll proudly produce their sales contract.

They'll talk about the key facts, like the price that they hope to get you for your home, and most people will then focus on the sales commission fee.

But what the vast majority of people fail to do is review and understand the terms of the contract, contained in the small print, usually on the reverse. This section will tell you all you need to know, including the little traps you need to watch out for to protect yourself.

The agreement will set out an Agency Term, or exclusive contract period. This is the minimum length of time that you are signed up and obligated to use the estate agent for.

So, for example, if the estate agent says that the contract is for 12 weeks, you're tied into that agent for that period, even if they do a lousy job and you want to move elsewhere.

Estate agents use this lock-in period to give them sufficient time to sell the house.

This period can be used by unscrupulous agents to give them breathing space when they know they've overvalued a property and cannot deliver on their promises.

Indeed, some agents have teams that work on vendors in a bid to get them to reduce their prices to secure a sale before the clock runs out.

What you need to look out for is making sure that the Agency Term is not too long. Eight weeks is quite typical, 12 weeks+ in our opinion is far too long. You have to question why an estate agent would need this long, if they're as good as they say they are when they signed you up? A long Agency Term for us is a red warning flag and it's not something that you should agree to. In our experience, long Agency Term time periods tend to be used more by online only estate agents, or an underperforming local agent.

Happy Sale Guarantee

We've found that the fear of signing up with the wrong agent is one of the biggest concerns of house sellers. No one wants to be handchuffed by a poorly performing agent who has to rely on sneaky small print to keep you hostage against your will. That is why we introduced our "Happy Sale Guarantee".

In simple terms, if you're not 100% delighted with any aspect of our service, for any reason whatsoever, our unique, no quibble guarantee means that you can simply change your mind at any time and walk away, with nothing to pay at all. So, you enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that you'll have the benefit of;

1. No Minimum Contract Term - You can cancel at any time, so there's no risk.

2. No Cancellation Fee - If you do cancel before we find you a buyer, you won't have to pay us a penny.

3. No Sale - No Fee - No upfront, or pay later exit fees. You only pay when the sale completes.

To book in a no obligation valuation or to discuss the sale of your property, please give us a call on our 24/7 number 01530 442356 or email us on [email protected]