Scottish Property News

Put your home on the market for free

HRD, part of the Kinnell Holdings group, already offer a one-stop service in putting together the three-document Home Reports - single survey, energy report and property questionnaire - which anyone selling a property must now provide.

In addition HRD have also developed a special insurance policy, which covers the complete cost of the Home Report should a property fail to sell within the designated marketing period or the seller becomes unemployed, critically ill or dies.

Customers do not have to pay for this Home Report package up-front only when their property is actually sold.

“We believe our new product could help stimulate movement in the property market by persuading more people to put their homes up for sale,” says Alastair Wilson, HRD Director, and a Chartered Surveyor.

“The costs of creating a home report can be restrictive for some. So as an organisation that includes two FSA-regulated British insurers, we wanted to find a way of offering our customers best value.

“What we have come up with is a genuine ‘no sale no fee’ Home Report package. Customers don’t pay anything until their property is actually sold. If the property doesn’t sell within 12 months or the seller becomes unemployed, critically ill or dies, then the insurance policy kicks in and covers the cost.

“We believe this will have great appeal to the market. There are some Home Report providers offering deferred payment schemes, but these don’t have the back-up provided by our policy should the property fail to sell or the unforeseen happens.”

The HRD package involves the customer signing an agreement - which will include a requirement for the property to be actively marketed - before the company then commissions and provides the Home Report. The Home Report Fee only becomes due for payment once the customer’s property has sold. If the property has not sold after the allotted twelve months, then the policy covers that bill and the customer retains the Home Report (although, they must be aware that it will only have a limited shelf life).

“It’s not a deferred payment scheme or a credit agreement,” explains Alastair.

The cost of a Home Report can obviously vary, depending on the value of the property. No sale no fee from Home Reports Direct carries no initial cost and the final payment will compete with the deferred payment schemes in the market with the benefit that nothing is to be paid upfront, and all costs covered if the property doesn’t sell.

HRD use a network of local surveyors to produce the home reports, a legal requirement in Scotland since last December. In addition to the single survey, which gives sellers details about the condition and value of a home, plus an accessibility audit, surveyors also produce an energy report. This documents the home’s energy efficiency and environmental impact, and recommends ways to improve that efficiency. The property questionnaire is completed by the seller, providing information such as Council Tax banding and factoring costs.

To mark the introduction of their “no sale no fee” package, HRD are offering a 10% discount to the first 20 customers who sign up for the new scheme. Please contact Gemma on 01292 268 020 for further information and details of pricing.

For more information visit www.hrdhomereports.co.uk

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