example, some people would still rather deal with the sale of their property themselves if they have the time and inclina-tion. So through Tepilo.com we decided to offer advice on pre-senting your property, making sure sellers meet legal require-ments, and I’m also going to visit properties myself to help sellers who are struggling to get viewers through the door. We’ll also be providing links to solici-tors for the legal side of selling a property, to signage compa-nies for the ‘for sale’ boards, as well as to providers of home information packs (HIPs).

MM: Is Tepilo.com just for people looking to sell their home?SB: No, it’s a good resource for those people who just need advice on HIPs and energy performance certificates (EPCs) too, for example. The site is very customer driven – very simple and easy to use. In fact, it’s a beauti-fully built website – I didn’t make it myself so I can say that! It really is a public service though, with no flash-ing advertising or anything like that.

Sarah's Top Tips

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Buy at the right pricePay too much in the beginning and you’ll be playing catch up from the word “Go”.

Work out a realistic budgetDon’t forget the costs of buy-ing and selling and make sure you have a contigency fund for emergencies.

Set a realistic scheduleRome wasn’t built in a day! There’s an order to renovations – make sure you’ve got an action plan.

Don’t overestimate the resale priceThe value of a property is deter-mined by what a buyer is willing to pay – not what you’ve spent on it!

Design wellSimple, classic design works every time.

Completion means perfectionBuyers won’t pay top dollar for a property when the basics aren’t done right.

Strike a balanceMore bedrooms doesn’t mean more profit. Get a good balance of bedrooms to bathrooms to reception rooms.

Know your figuresThere’s no point having a budget unless you stick to it!

MM: When does the site launch?SB: Sellers have already start-ed uploading their proper-ties since Monday 15 June, but the site doesn’t officially go live until Thursday 9 July.

As long as you can pay the mortgage, it doesn’t matter how much your

house is worth

27July–August 2009 | Issue 3

If you’d like to find out more about Sarah Beeny’s latest property venture on the web, visit www.tepilo.com

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