Since home prices peaked in the UK last October many homeowners have lost track of what their homes are now actually worth. This is because house prices have been falling month on month for almost a year, and with a range of reports claiming that property prices have dropped by varying levels many homeowners may now be confused as to what the true price of their house actually is.
There are many reasons for the falling prices of properties for homeowners, mainly being the current credit crunch, which will new home buyers off the market as there are no mortgages available anymore.
Homeowners decide to try and find out the price of their house for one of a range of reasons. Some may simply be curious and want to know what their major asset is now worth; some may be concerned about falling into negative equity and want to check how their house price has been affected. Of course the main reasons why people try to find out the value of the home is either to put the home on the market for sale or because they are thinking about taking out a secured loan against the property and therefore need to find out the equity levels.
Of course, there is little point in getting your property valued unless you can be certain that the valuation you receive is an accurate one. Although you can easily contact a local estate agent to come and price the home you may find that you do not get an accurate valuation from just one estate agent, as the valuation may be too high or too low depending on whether the estate agent is prioritising on getting a higher level of commission or a quicker sale on your property.
This is why it is a good idea to get a valuation from around three different estate agents in the area. Once you have received the figure from each estate agent you can compare them to see whether the valuations are vastly different from each agent or pretty much the same sort of figure. You should not let on that you have already had a valuation to the second and third estate agents otherwise you may find that they provide a valuation based on the one that you have already received rather than a totally independent valuation.
Many local papers advertise homes for sale, and it is also a good idea to check out the local paper and see what price properties that are similar to yours in your area are being sold for. You can also do this online on one of the house websites, and this will enable you to see whether the value on similar houses is along the same lines as the valuations you have received on your own house.
If you are putting your home up for sale and you find that the value of the property is now far less that you had hoped you need to bear in mind that inflating the asking price in the hope of getting more money could result in your home failing to sell in the current climate.
If your property does not sell at your desired price and you still have equity in your home, then home-owner loans could help to improve your current home removing the need to move. For more information on property prices and finding out your properties worth read the articles on tips to get on the property ladder
