FAQs

No. Bidding on your own property is forbidden on our site. If you are found to bidding on your own property we will inactivate your accounts and remove your property listing.

It is also forbidden to bid on a property for which you have vested interest in whether financial or other. You can only bid on an arm’s length basis and you should only bid if there is a genuine interest in purchasing that property.

Yes! Just register as a seller and follow the simple illustration on the seller page on how to upload your property. It's dead easy to use; please see the illustration video on the seller page. The design of the website means that you can handle a lot of the tasks normally undertaken by an agent and save yourself a lot of money.

The cost of advertising on Rightmove and the property board etc. will be covered by us.

We charge the buyer a reservation fee, it is totally FREE to the seller. There really are no catches!

See the FAQ below labelled What does an estate agent do that I can't?

Also please read our seller terms & conditions.

The value of your property is ultimately what someone will pay for it. Our auction process, by attracting a number of interested parties who engage in a bidding process over a reasonable amount of time, will have a great chance of reaching a price that you are happy with.

If the highest bid meets or indeed exceeds your reserve price then we have a sale, subject to contract.

So you need to decide on the reserve price, i.e. the minimum price that you would be happy to sell at. Your property may sell for much more but this is the lowest that you would be prepared to accept. Prospective buyers cannot see this figure when they bid.

You might already have a rough idea of what your property is worth, but to make sure you have the right figure in mind, do some research.

Study house prices in your immediate area, both online and in the local newspaper's property section.

Look at the 'House Prices' section on Rightmove to see what local properties sold for recently. You can also find other relevant information on their site including market trends.

Browse the internet, keying how to value my home. There are some websites that offer a free calculator, all that you have to key is the price of your house when you bought it, the location and what you paid. Other sites may charge a small fee.

Please note, independent property valuations are only performed by chartered surveyors. Every property valuation can only ever be a guideline to what your house will eventually change hands for.

As mentioned previously, the true value of your property is what people are prepared to pay for it and that needs the right marketing and the right amount of time to achieve so our advice is to set the price you would be willing to accept and then let the market decide if they are willing to meet or even better it by bidding accordingly.

Please note that Hammer Price Homes is intending only to give very general common sense guidance in this article. We are not property valuation experts and do not accept any liability for valuations (reserve prices) that vendors put on their properties on our site.

It is a time you put aside to showcase your property to interested parties. We recommend that you list at least one open day when uploading your property to give potential buyers a chance to physically view the property and so enhancing the chance of a successful sale.

We also recommend that you hold the first open day at least one week after the start of the auction to give time for prospective buyers to see your property on our website and other leading marketing sites such as Rightmove.

Selling through an estate agent is just one of many options open to you. Currently, it is probably the most popular route a vendor will take but does that mean it's the best?

Agents say they will bring expertise and experience to the table and can help ease the stress of the whole process. But what do they actually do that you can't do yourself?

• They take photographs, produce a valuation, put up a 'for sale' board, compile a description of your home and arrange viewings. So can you.

• An estate agent will also market your property and negotiate offers. With Hammer Price Homes, we do the marketing. In an online auction, there is no need for negotiation.

• Most importantly, estate agents are sales people who have a personal interest in getting your property listed with them so will push hard for your business. With fees currently averaging around 1.8% of your sale price + VAT, you will still be hit hard. We don't charge ANY fees when you sell with us. Terms and conditions apply.

• If you want a quick sale you may be tempted to discount your property. Some houses are sold before they even get listed so who's to say they have reached a fair price? Without testing the market it is impossible to tell. An online auction encourages bidders to compete for your property which can only drive the sale price higher and our process lasts only 28 days but long enough to stimulate reasonable interest. Without the input of 'negotiators' our process allows market forces to prevail with not only a good chance of reaching your reserve but beating it. Simply put, there are no hidden agendas.

You must arrange to get an Energy Performance Certificate for your property before putting it on the market.

Just like uploading pictures of your property you will have a window to place a copy of your EPC certificate. Without this we will not be able to list your property.

The EPC is a standardised document produced by an assessor who visits your home and examines key features such as loft insulation, radiators and windows.

Once these observations have been computerised, your home will be ranked in terms of energy efficiency and recommendations made to improve this.

All the information will be documented in your EPC which is given to the buyer when selling your property.

EPCs were introduced in 2007 and last for ten years so you may already have a valid one in place if your property is new or has recently been sold.

If not, there are many companies offering this service who can be found online. Prices for an EPC range from approximately £50 for an average family home to £150 for a commercial property.

We will provide you with a full list of verified buyers who are attending (we will have checked they are genuine using our thorough verification process). We would recommend you only see people on the list and check them off as they arrive, checking their I.D in the process.

If numbers attending appear unmanageable then please ensure you get help from family, friends or ask us to help. It is important that you have someone greeting new arrivals at the door whilst you are showing others around.

Bookings will close 24 hours before the start of the open day. This will help with planning resource for the open day itself.

Firstly you have no obligation to sell and can walk away without any fees, subject to our terms and conditions.