If you are selling a property as well as buying one, and the purchase of your next home is dependent on selling, it is strongly advisable to sell your home before you get down to serious house-hunting. If not, you could end up frustrated and disappointed, as well as with noticeably less money in your bank account.

An estate can take care of all aspects of the property sale for you. A good estate agent will:

• Arrange a property valuation
• Advertise the property for sale - both online and in traditional media
• Court potential buyers
• Arrange and conduct property viewings
• Negotiate with potential buyers on your behalf
• Help to maximise the property sale price

An estate agent will ensure you avoid mistakes when selling your home, which could otherwise be very expensive. The estate agent will also charge a commission of up to 4% of the sale price, although this figure is normally around 2%.

Selling your property privately has never been easier thanks to the internet. Many websites offer a range of services to help you find a buyer, to avoid paying an estate agent bill of thousands of pounds and sell your home quickly and hassle-free.

Traditionally, newspaper adverts, for-sale signboards and word-of-mouth were, and remain, useful means to market your property. But thanks to the Internet, the single most important method to promote your property for sale to home hunters is online. This means getting your property details listed on the leading property websites.

Private sellers who want a quick and hassle-free sale at or above the asking price should promote their property for sale as widely as possible. You can sell your home through our private sales system and be with a local estate agent under a sole agency agreement at the same time.

Estate agents are an integral part of the selling your property. There are two areas you should clarify before instructing an agent: the size of commission, and when that commission is to be paid.

The standard practice is 'sole agency', which means one agent will market your property. In return, s/he will take a commission based on the final selling price. Commission is normally paid after completion of sale.

Buyers and sellers are also entitled to withdraw from a sale before contracts are exchanged - about one sale in three fails in England and Wales. A common cause of delay is the time taken to obtain replies to enquiries made to a Local Authority. The buyer will want, for example, to learn whether any planning applications might affect your dwelling.

If time is critical, you can carry out these searches yourself. For example, the planning register is a public document. It will list all planning applications and permissions in your local area.