Home reports

The home report system was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2008. This means that everyone selling a property in Scotland must now pay for a Home Report to be produced before you can market it to prospective buyers.

Estate Agents & Solicitors

In Scotland there are two options when choosing a company to market and sell your home; an Estate Agency or a Solicitor, there are benefits to using both, the main difference between them is that the Solicitor can handle the legal side as well as the marketing & selling of the property, however each company or firm will offer something different or unique.

Pricing

Unlike the rest of the UK where a fixed price is usually stated, Scotland traditionally operates an 'offers over' system, which essentially means that buyers will enter into a bidding system. However, recently 'offers in the region of' and 'fixed price' have become increasingly common, as the sellers expectations are clearer and this can lead to a quicker negotiation process.

Property Chains

Until recently, property chains (where a buyer makes an offer on a property before they have sold their own) didn't really occur in Scotland as most solicitors would reject offers unless the buyer had the funds available for the purchase. However, there has been a marked shift towards the English system with offers being accepted and the deal only finalising shortly before the exchange date, leading to an increasing number of property chains developing in the market place. To avoid this, buyers should ideally make sure they have a concluded missive on their own property prior to making an offer on another property.