As well as this FAQ section, we have produced a number of guides that look at different aspects of the buying and selling process.
For information on the following topics click on the relevant guide:
For information on the following topics click on the relevant guide:
The following Frequently Asked Questions are covered here:
About YouMove
Estate Agents
HIPs
Privacy and Security
Valuing Your Property
Listings and Advertising
"For Sale" Signs
Administration
Listing on YouMove is FREE and your listing will remain on YouMove, and on our partner sites, for as long as you need it to.
You can include up to 20 photos as part of your listing.
And through our network of partner sites your listing can be seen by over 3 million UK property buyers each month (this service is also free).
The only thing we charge for are our professional and eye-catching "For Sale" signs. These direct buyers straight to your YouMove listing and cost £37 (delivery is free).
How much can I save?
Someone selling a £200,000 house would save £3,450 compared to selling through an estate agent charging a 1.5% commission plus VAT.
As well as saving you money, YouMove also shows you how to get the best possible sale price for your home (see our "Guide to Selling" to learn how to accurately value your home).
We also explain why, because of the commission system, it's in the interest of estate agents to sell your home for less than it's worth and how selling privately could increase your sale price by an average of 3.7% (see our Special Report "The 6 Things You Need to Know Before You Sell").
How does YouMove make money?
YouMove does not charge its users to list. Instead the site makes money when users click through to view third party services listed on the site such as HIP providers and solicitors. The site also makes money when users request quotes from third party service providers.
Note that these services are free to users — the payments are made by the third party providers.
We take our responsibility to our users very seriously. All the third party services on the site are screened and have to be members of the relevent professional bodies before being allowed to list or to provide quotes.
We also actively solicit feedback on people's experiences of the third party services listed on the site. Service providers know that if we receive negative feedback then they may be de-listed.
Is YouMove an estate agent?
No — YouMove is a publisher. Because we act as a publisher and not an agent it is possible to use an estate agent at the same time as listing on YouMove.
It is important, however, that you check your contract if you are with an estate agent or planning to use one. See "Can I use an estate agent as well as YouMove?" for an explanation of estate agent's contracts..
Does YouMove cover all of the UK?
Yes — YouMove covers all of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Because YouMove is a publisher you can list with YouMove even if you are already using an estate agent. Providing you have a "sole agency" contract you will not have to pay your estate agent commission if you sell through YouMove.
It is important, however, that you check your contract if you are with an estate agent or planning to use one. See the link below.
Can I use an estate agent as well as YouMove?
Most estate agency contracts are "sole agency". This means the estate agent is entitled to commission only if your property is sold to someone introduced by them or if the buyer is introduced by another agent during the contract period (in which case you will probably be liable to pay commission twice). If you sell privately then you will not have to pay commission.
It is possible to enter into "multi agency" agreements. Unlike a sole agency agreement these allows you to use more than one agent without having to pay commission to the agent through which you do not sell. The drawback with multi agency agreements is that agents normally charge a higher rate of commission.
There are other forms of contract that you should look out for, however. If you are asked to sign one of these contracts you should definitely not do so. We would also recommend that you find another estate agent. These contracts are as follows:
"ready, willing and able purchaser"
Do NOT sign a contract that includes these words!
If you do and the estate agent finds you a "ready, willing and able" buyer you will have to pay their commission — even if you decide not to complete.
"sole selling rights"
Do NOT sign a contract that includes these words either!
Sole selling rights mean that only the estate agent whose contract you have signed has the right to sell your house. In other words, if another agent sells it you will have to pay commission to both.
Even worse, you lose the right to sell it yourself — so if you do sell privately you will have to pay the estate agent the agreed commission anyway!
"sole agency" agreement that grants "sole selling rights"
The worst kind of estate agent might try to push a contract on you that masquerades as a "sole agency" agreement, but actually grants them "sole selling rights".
The standard wording for a sole agency agreement should read something like this:
Fine so far, however, a "sole agency" agreement granting "sole selling rights" will have the following words, or some variation of them added after point 2:
In other words, if you (the vendor) introduce the buyer then you will be liable to pay both commission and costs.
The Office of Fair Trading takes a dim view of this sort of contract and has removed the additional wording from a number of contracts. If you encounter such a contract please report it to your local trading standards officer — while you might now be able to spot it there will be plenty of unsuspecting sellers out there who won't.
What are the advantages of selling privately?
As well as not having to pay commission fees and VAT, private sellers can usually sell their homes for a better price than they could if using an estate agent.
Not only this, but recent research from Alliance and Leicester showed that, on average, private sellers sell their homes more than a month quicker than they would if using an estate agent.
For more details on the advantages of selling privately see our guide "The Advantages of Private Sale" and our Special Report "The 6 Things You Need to Know Before You Sell".
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For information about HIPs see our "Guide to HIPs".
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Absolutely — we do not publish your personal details on the website. Buyers email you via a link on the site and you can reply to them in the same way. If and when you are comfortable doing so, you can exchange contact details with the buyer and communicate safely using your normal email account or by phone.
Avoid sites that display your telephone number or email address for buyers to contact you directly. This can lead to unwanted cold calling from estate agents touting for business.
It's also a near guarantee that your email address will be picked up by "email address spiders" (programs that scour web pages looking for unprotected email addresses) and used by internet fraudsters and spammers.
Are my online payments secure?
Yes — your financial information is protected by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer 3.0) with an encryption key length of 128 bits (the highest level commercially available).
We accept secure online payments to our credit card merchant account or via PayPal, the leading online payment service provider.
All payments are fully encrypted and we never receive sensitive financial information such as your credit or bank card details or your account number.
Listing is FREE. The only things we charge for are our professional and eye-catching "For Sale" signs, which can be purchased upon completion of your property profile. These direct buyers straight to your YouMove listing and cost £37 (delivery is free).
What's YouMove's privacy policy?
Our privacy policy is very simple — we never give your details out to third parties.
If you choose, we can send you occasional details of special offers from relevant third parties. We only pass offers on if we think they will be of benefit to a significant number of our users and the third parties do not receive your personal details.
You can, of course, opt out of receiving this information at any time simply by clicking on a link in the email.
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For a comprehensive guide on how to value your property, plus an explanation of why it's so important not to rely only on an estate agent's valuation, see our "Guide to Selling".
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Go to the Home page or the Selling page (using the navigation bar at the top of the screen) and click on the "Sell my home" button. You then add the following:
Your listing is then complete. You can go back at any time to any stage of the process and edit your listing. You can even change your photos. For more detailed information on the process and how to write your descriptions see our "Guide to Selling".
Where will my property be advertised?
YouMove allows you to reach over 3 million property buyers each month. Your listing will be displayed on our network of property search portals for as long as it is listed on YouMove. Our network of partner sites includes:
How many people can see my listing each month?
Over 3 million property buyers each month search the network of property portals (see above) that your listing will be displayed on.
How will buyers contact me?
Buyers email you via a link on the site and you can reply to them in the same way. If and when you are comfortable doing so, you can exchange contact details with the buyer and communicate safely using your normal email account or by phone.
How soon will my listing appear on partner sites?
Your listing will be sent to our partner sites as soon as it is completed. The frequency with which these sites are updated varies; however, your listing should usually appear within a few hours or a day or two at most.
How long will my listing run for?
Your listing will run on YouMove and on our partner sites for as long as you want it to — ie, until you either sell it or decide to take it off the market.
Every 90 days you will be sent an email asking you to confirm that you wish your property to remain listed. If you do, simply click the "Renew my listing" button to confirm.
If you don't wish to renew your listing then click the "Remove my listing" button. Also, if we don't hear from you within 15 days your listing will be removed. This is to make sure that when buyers search the properties they are viewing are up to date.
If your listing is removed you will be sent an email explaining this. If it was removed by mistake (eg, you were on holiday for more than 15 days and didn't get the email in time) then simply click the "Re-list" link on the email and your listing will be reactivated. You can also reactivate your listing by logging into your YouMove account where you will be shown a "Re-list" button.
Can I update my listing and photos?
Yes — you can access your account at any time and change both the details of your listing and your photos.
You can go in and edit any part of your listing (address / price / description / rooms / photos) without having to go through the whole listing — just log in to your account, click on "My Property" and select part of your listing you want to edit.
Does the Property Misdescriptions Act apply?
The PMA 1991 makes it an offence for an estate agent or developer to make false or misleading statements when marketing a property.
While it does not apply to private sellers the obligations that do are, in fact, very similar. This is because, in effect, the PMA 1991 takes the legal obligations of private sellers and applies them to estate agents and developers.
In short, your property description should be fair, honest and accurate and should not include anything that is false or would mislead the buyer — really this is just a matter of common sense.
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Estimates vary, but it's thought that around 30-50% of all viewings are generated by "For Sale" signs.
The reason is that most people are looking to buy locally. Around 90% of buyers move to a new home that's within 10 miles of their old one. Of course, many of them will visit the area they are looking to move to and that's when they see the "For Sale" signs.
Our professional and eye-catching "For Sale" signs direct buyers straight to your YouMove listing and cost £37 (delivery is free).
Back to top
If you decide to take your house of the market and remove your listing from YouMove you will be sent an email confirming this.
You can reactivate your listing at any time by logging into your YouMove account and going to your “My Property” page where you can click on the link next to the orange traffic light to re-list your property.
How do I change my email address?
Simply log in to your account and go to the “My Details” page where you can enter your new email.
What do I do if I've forgotten my password?
Go to "My YouMove" and then click on the "Forgotten your password?" link. You will be asked to enter your email address. Once you have done so a reminder email containing your password will be sent to that address.
Do I have to renew my listing?
You will have to renew your listing every 90 days. This is to keep the site up to date. Renewal is free and you will be sent a reminder email. All you have to do is click the "Renew my listing" link on the email when it arrives.
If you don't wish to renew your listing then click the "Remove my listing" button. Also, if we don't hear from you within 15 days your listing will be removed. This is to make sure that when buyers search the properties they are viewing are up to date.
If your listing is removed you will be sent an email explaining this. If it was removed by mistake (eg, you were on holiday for more than 15 days and didn't get the email in time) then simply click the "Re-list" link on the email and your listing will be reactivated. You can also reactivate your listing by logging into your YouMove account where you will be shown a "Re-list" button.
Should I mark my property as "Under Offer"?
You don't have to, but it's a good idea to and it would be helpful for us too.
If your property is marked "Under Offer" this may prompt potential buyers to contact you "before it's too late" and make a better offer. Also, it's helpful for buyers to be able to see the stage that a property is at in the selling process.
Back to top
About YouMove
- How much does it cost to list on YouMove?
- How much can I save?
- How does YouMove make money?
- Is YouMove an estate agent?
- Does YouMove cover all of the UK?
Estate Agents
- What if I'm already with an estate agent?
- Can I use an estate agent as well as YouMove?
- What are the advantages of selling privately?
HIPs
Privacy and Security
Valuing Your Property
Listings and Advertising
- How do I submit my listing?
- Where will my property be advertised?
- How many people can see my listing each month?
- How will buyers contact me?
- How soon will my listing appear on partner sites?
- How long will my listing run for?
- Can I update my listing and photos?
- Does the Property Misdescriptions Act apply?
"For Sale" Signs
Administration
- What happens if I want to Re-list my property?
- How do I change my email address?
- What do I do if I've forgotten my password?
- Do I have to renew my listing?
- Should I mark my property as "Under Offer" or "Sold"?
About YouMove
How much does it cost to list on YouMove?Listing on YouMove is FREE and your listing will remain on YouMove, and on our partner sites, for as long as you need it to.
You can include up to 20 photos as part of your listing.
And through our network of partner sites your listing can be seen by over 3 million UK property buyers each month (this service is also free).
The only thing we charge for are our professional and eye-catching "For Sale" signs. These direct buyers straight to your YouMove listing and cost £37 (delivery is free).
How much can I save?
Someone selling a £200,000 house would save £3,450 compared to selling through an estate agent charging a 1.5% commission plus VAT.
As well as saving you money, YouMove also shows you how to get the best possible sale price for your home (see our "Guide to Selling" to learn how to accurately value your home).
We also explain why, because of the commission system, it's in the interest of estate agents to sell your home for less than it's worth and how selling privately could increase your sale price by an average of 3.7% (see our Special Report "The 6 Things You Need to Know Before You Sell").
How does YouMove make money?
YouMove does not charge its users to list. Instead the site makes money when users click through to view third party services listed on the site such as HIP providers and solicitors. The site also makes money when users request quotes from third party service providers.
Note that these services are free to users — the payments are made by the third party providers.
We take our responsibility to our users very seriously. All the third party services on the site are screened and have to be members of the relevent professional bodies before being allowed to list or to provide quotes.
We also actively solicit feedback on people's experiences of the third party services listed on the site. Service providers know that if we receive negative feedback then they may be de-listed.
Is YouMove an estate agent?
No — YouMove is a publisher. Because we act as a publisher and not an agent it is possible to use an estate agent at the same time as listing on YouMove.
It is important, however, that you check your contract if you are with an estate agent or planning to use one. See "Can I use an estate agent as well as YouMove?" for an explanation of estate agent's contracts..
Does YouMove cover all of the UK?
Yes — YouMove covers all of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Back to top
Estate Agents
What if I'm already with an estate agent?Because YouMove is a publisher you can list with YouMove even if you are already using an estate agent. Providing you have a "sole agency" contract you will not have to pay your estate agent commission if you sell through YouMove.
It is important, however, that you check your contract if you are with an estate agent or planning to use one. See the link below.
Can I use an estate agent as well as YouMove?
Most estate agency contracts are "sole agency". This means the estate agent is entitled to commission only if your property is sold to someone introduced by them or if the buyer is introduced by another agent during the contract period (in which case you will probably be liable to pay commission twice). If you sell privately then you will not have to pay commission.
It is possible to enter into "multi agency" agreements. Unlike a sole agency agreement these allows you to use more than one agent without having to pay commission to the agent through which you do not sell. The drawback with multi agency agreements is that agents normally charge a higher rate of commission.
There are other forms of contract that you should look out for, however. If you are asked to sign one of these contracts you should definitely not do so. We would also recommend that you find another estate agent. These contracts are as follows:
"ready, willing and able purchaser"
Do NOT sign a contract that includes these words!
If you do and the estate agent finds you a "ready, willing and able" buyer you will have to pay their commission — even if you decide not to complete.
"sole selling rights"
Do NOT sign a contract that includes these words either!
Sole selling rights mean that only the estate agent whose contract you have signed has the right to sell your house. In other words, if another agent sells it you will have to pay commission to both.
Even worse, you lose the right to sell it yourself — so if you do sell privately you will have to pay the estate agent the agreed commission anyway!
"sole agency" agreement that grants "sole selling rights"
The worst kind of estate agent might try to push a contract on you that masquerades as a "sole agency" agreement, but actually grants them "sole selling rights".
The standard wording for a sole agency agreement should read something like this:
"You will be liable to pay remuneration to [name of estate agent], in addition to any other costs or charges agreed, if at any time unconditional contracts for the sale of the property are exchanged:
1. With a purchaser introduced by us during the period of our sole agency, or with whom we had negotiations about the property during that period, or
2. With a purchaser introduced by another agent during that period
2. With a purchaser introduced by another agent during that period
Fine so far, however, a "sole agency" agreement granting "sole selling rights" will have the following words, or some variation of them added after point 2:
3. With a purchaser introduced by the vendor (other than those stated at the time of instruction) during that period.
In other words, if you (the vendor) introduce the buyer then you will be liable to pay both commission and costs.
The Office of Fair Trading takes a dim view of this sort of contract and has removed the additional wording from a number of contracts. If you encounter such a contract please report it to your local trading standards officer — while you might now be able to spot it there will be plenty of unsuspecting sellers out there who won't.
What are the advantages of selling privately?
As well as not having to pay commission fees and VAT, private sellers can usually sell their homes for a better price than they could if using an estate agent.
Not only this, but recent research from Alliance and Leicester showed that, on average, private sellers sell their homes more than a month quicker than they would if using an estate agent.
For more details on the advantages of selling privately see our guide "The Advantages of Private Sale" and our Special Report "The 6 Things You Need to Know Before You Sell".
Back to top
HIPs
What about HIPs?For information about HIPs see our "Guide to HIPs".
Back to top
Privacy and Security
Are my personal details secure?Absolutely — we do not publish your personal details on the website. Buyers email you via a link on the site and you can reply to them in the same way. If and when you are comfortable doing so, you can exchange contact details with the buyer and communicate safely using your normal email account or by phone.
Avoid sites that display your telephone number or email address for buyers to contact you directly. This can lead to unwanted cold calling from estate agents touting for business.
It's also a near guarantee that your email address will be picked up by "email address spiders" (programs that scour web pages looking for unprotected email addresses) and used by internet fraudsters and spammers.
Are my online payments secure?
Yes — your financial information is protected by SSL (Secure Sockets Layer 3.0) with an encryption key length of 128 bits (the highest level commercially available).
We accept secure online payments to our credit card merchant account or via PayPal, the leading online payment service provider.
All payments are fully encrypted and we never receive sensitive financial information such as your credit or bank card details or your account number.
Listing is FREE. The only things we charge for are our professional and eye-catching "For Sale" signs, which can be purchased upon completion of your property profile. These direct buyers straight to your YouMove listing and cost £37 (delivery is free).
What's YouMove's privacy policy?
Our privacy policy is very simple — we never give your details out to third parties.
If you choose, we can send you occasional details of special offers from relevant third parties. We only pass offers on if we think they will be of benefit to a significant number of our users and the third parties do not receive your personal details.
You can, of course, opt out of receiving this information at any time simply by clicking on a link in the email.
Back to top
Valuing Your Property
How do I value my property?For a comprehensive guide on how to value your property, plus an explanation of why it's so important not to rely only on an estate agent's valuation, see our "Guide to Selling".
Back to top
Listings and Advertising
How do I submit my listing?Go to the Home page or the Selling page (using the navigation bar at the top of the screen) and click on the "Sell my home" button. You then add the following:
- your address
- the price and a general description of the property
- a brief description of the rooms plus the dimensions
- up to 20 photos
Your listing is then complete. You can go back at any time to any stage of the process and edit your listing. You can even change your photos. For more detailed information on the process and how to write your descriptions see our "Guide to Selling".
Where will my property be advertised?
YouMove allows you to reach over 3 million property buyers each month. Your listing will be displayed on our network of property search portals for as long as it is listed on YouMove. Our network of partner sites includes:
- Nestoria
- Fish4homes
- 4Homes (Channel 4)
- The Telegraph
- The Independent
- Home.co.uk
- Google Base
- Trovit
- AOL
- 220 local paper websites
How many people can see my listing each month?
Over 3 million property buyers each month search the network of property portals (see above) that your listing will be displayed on.
How will buyers contact me?
Buyers email you via a link on the site and you can reply to them in the same way. If and when you are comfortable doing so, you can exchange contact details with the buyer and communicate safely using your normal email account or by phone.
How soon will my listing appear on partner sites?
Your listing will be sent to our partner sites as soon as it is completed. The frequency with which these sites are updated varies; however, your listing should usually appear within a few hours or a day or two at most.
How long will my listing run for?
Your listing will run on YouMove and on our partner sites for as long as you want it to — ie, until you either sell it or decide to take it off the market.
Every 90 days you will be sent an email asking you to confirm that you wish your property to remain listed. If you do, simply click the "Renew my listing" button to confirm.
If you don't wish to renew your listing then click the "Remove my listing" button. Also, if we don't hear from you within 15 days your listing will be removed. This is to make sure that when buyers search the properties they are viewing are up to date.
If your listing is removed you will be sent an email explaining this. If it was removed by mistake (eg, you were on holiday for more than 15 days and didn't get the email in time) then simply click the "Re-list" link on the email and your listing will be reactivated. You can also reactivate your listing by logging into your YouMove account where you will be shown a "Re-list" button.
Can I update my listing and photos?
Yes — you can access your account at any time and change both the details of your listing and your photos.
You can go in and edit any part of your listing (address / price / description / rooms / photos) without having to go through the whole listing — just log in to your account, click on "My Property" and select part of your listing you want to edit.
Does the Property Misdescriptions Act apply?
The PMA 1991 makes it an offence for an estate agent or developer to make false or misleading statements when marketing a property.
While it does not apply to private sellers the obligations that do are, in fact, very similar. This is because, in effect, the PMA 1991 takes the legal obligations of private sellers and applies them to estate agents and developers.
In short, your property description should be fair, honest and accurate and should not include anything that is false or would mislead the buyer — really this is just a matter of common sense.
Back to top
"For Sale" Signs
Why do I need a "For Sale" sign?Estimates vary, but it's thought that around 30-50% of all viewings are generated by "For Sale" signs.
The reason is that most people are looking to buy locally. Around 90% of buyers move to a new home that's within 10 miles of their old one. Of course, many of them will visit the area they are looking to move to and that's when they see the "For Sale" signs.
Our professional and eye-catching "For Sale" signs direct buyers straight to your YouMove listing and cost £37 (delivery is free).
Back to top
Administration
What happens if I want to Re-list my property?If you decide to take your house of the market and remove your listing from YouMove you will be sent an email confirming this.
You can reactivate your listing at any time by logging into your YouMove account and going to your “My Property” page where you can click on the link next to the orange traffic light to re-list your property.
How do I change my email address?
Simply log in to your account and go to the “My Details” page where you can enter your new email.
What do I do if I've forgotten my password?
Go to "My YouMove" and then click on the "Forgotten your password?" link. You will be asked to enter your email address. Once you have done so a reminder email containing your password will be sent to that address.
Do I have to renew my listing?
You will have to renew your listing every 90 days. This is to keep the site up to date. Renewal is free and you will be sent a reminder email. All you have to do is click the "Renew my listing" link on the email when it arrives.
If you don't wish to renew your listing then click the "Remove my listing" button. Also, if we don't hear from you within 15 days your listing will be removed. This is to make sure that when buyers search the properties they are viewing are up to date.
If your listing is removed you will be sent an email explaining this. If it was removed by mistake (eg, you were on holiday for more than 15 days and didn't get the email in time) then simply click the "Re-list" link on the email and your listing will be reactivated. You can also reactivate your listing by logging into your YouMove account where you will be shown a "Re-list" button.
Should I mark my property as "Under Offer"?
You don't have to, but it's a good idea to and it would be helpful for us too.
If your property is marked "Under Offer" this may prompt potential buyers to contact you "before it's too late" and make a better offer. Also, it's helpful for buyers to be able to see the stage that a property is at in the selling process.
Back to top