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Selling Your Property During the Second Lockdown

With a second lockdown starting on 5th November 2020, what does this mean if you are buying, selling, renting or letting.

The short answer is it’s very much business as usual, whilst continuing to follow safety measures and social distancing.

Government Guidance on Moving During Lockdown

We have operated effectively through the first lockdown, and have continued with stringent safety measures ever since. We will continue to operate with your health and the safety of our colleagues as our first priority.

During the lockdown you will be able to move, estate agents are allowed to remain open, removal firms will remain active, and tradespeople will be able to enter homes to carry out works.

All our systems are internet enabled so our staff will be working away from branch locations where possible to reduce unnecessary risk. You will be able to reach us on all the same numbers and in all the same ways you are used to, but branches will only be open for specific purposes such as key collection / drop off for which you will need to book an appointment. If you haven't booked an appointment there is a chance the branch will be closed when you get there so please do contact us in advance.

We will continue to monitor government advice and keep this page and you updated if anything changes.


Operating Safely

A little introduction on why Property Launch is the fastest, safest way to sell your property for more money.

Should I Sell My Property During Lockdown

Overwhelmingly we believe the answer to this question is yes.

Buyer interest is at a record high for two key reasons.

  1. The Stamp Duty Holiday - The government has increased the threshold before you pay stamp duty from £125k to £500k. This represents a potential saving of £15k for a buyer if you complete before 31st March 2021
  2. Lockdown itself - With many people working from home, and no clear exit from covid for the foreseeable future, people are realising their homes are not fit for purpose. Perhaps they need more space, a home office, a better internet connection, being closer to the countryside, etc. Whatever the reason, there is a huge appetite for moving right now. With the announcement of the second lockdown we saw our buyer enquiries jump up by 250%

Now is the time to either list your property for sale if you haven’t done so already, switch estate agent if your property has been on the market a while without selling, or buy a property if you’re a first time buyer or property investor. It’s taking on average 16 weeks to complete a property sale once an offer has been accepted, so time is running out.

We anticipate that lockdown will reduce the capacity of solicitors to work effectively, making it doubly important to start those legal wheels turning sooner rather than later.

Now is the time to sell. Right now.


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Stamp Duty Savings and You

For more information about Stamp Duty savings see our Stamp Duty holiday page.

Safety measures for valuations and viewings

These are the current safety measures we have in place and we ask property owners and viewers to abide by these rules.

  1. Initial viewings will be carried out virtually first. We record a 360 degree 3D tour for every property, and this will help identify buyers with a keen interest in properties. Should a buyer wish a follow up physical viewing this will be arranged.
  2. Only two households will be allowed in a property at any one time. This means that if Preston Baker carries out a viewing with a buyer/renter, then the property occupants must not be present in the property at that time.
  3. If you are showing any of the following symptoms now or in the past 14 days, or develop any of these symptoms prior to the appointment, please cancel and rearrange the appointment.
    • High temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
    • New, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
    • Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
  4. If you have been in contact with anyone you know to have, or suspect having Covid-19 / Coronavirus in the last 14 days the meeting should not go ahead.
  5. If you are in the “clinically extremely vulnerable” or “clinically vulnerable” groups, the meeting should not go ahead. If you are not sure if you fit into this category you can find more information on the NHS Website
  6. We ask that all parties sanitise their hands, wear gloves and a face mask during the viewing / valuation (unless you are medically exempt). Refusal to wear such protection may result in the viewing/valuation not taking place. We can provide this equipment for you should you need it. Please let us know in advance if you need these items.
  7. Abide by a strict 2 Metre social distancing policy at all times.
  8. Where the meeting is carried out by Preston Baker we will arrive early to sanitise the property. Our agent will sanitise their hands, wear gloves and wear a visor and/or face mask during the viewing.
  9. Where the meeting is carried out by the property owner, they will be requested to sanitise the property thoroughly. We ask that all parties sanitise their hands, wear gloves and a face mask during the viewing.
  10. Windows and internal doors must be opened to facilitate clean air and easy access to each room, and all internal lights switched on to minimise the need to touch anything.
  11. A hand basin with soap will be available for washing (if needed).
  12. You will not be able to use the toilet when viewing the property.
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Paper Handling and Postal Correspondence

Public Health England (PHE) has advised that people receiving parcels or letters are not at risk of contracting the coronavirus. From experience with other coronaviruses, we know that these types of viruses don’t survive long on objects, such as letters or parcels. This complements the highly publicised guidance from PHE for people to wash their hands more often than usual using soap and hot water.

Home Staging

We Protect Your Most Precious Possession - You!

Selling in this market requires forward thinking and planning, which is what we do best.
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