FAQs

We have a data base of vendors , but also know what all of these vendors want to buy, based on price, location and bedrooms. The software delivers matches where after viewings have been arranged and both like each-other's properties, they can swap homes, with the difference in price being transferred to from the old owner of the cheaper home to the prior owner of the more expensive one at completion.

It works in exactly the same way as a normal sale, but with no chain, and only two parties involved.

House swap and property exchange are not new, and the general public have been advertising their properties on swap sites for a while, with a great amount of success.

Estate agents tend to call this method of selling 'property exchange', whilst the general public are more familiar with the term 'house swap'.

Let's see an example of how this works for two people who are selling two properties in the same town, both with estate agents who are registered with property-matchmaker.

Above are two typical families, one upgrading due to an expanding family, the other downgrading due to retirement and family leaving the nest. As you can see, based on price, location and bedrooms, both sides want what the other has to sell. Because both vendors are with different estate agents in a town, there would normally be no other way of gaining this information from another estate agent.

By using property-matchmaker.com, both estate agents know this match exists, arrange viewings as they would with a normal chain, and make two quick sales with cheaper and quicker conveyancing, and no first time buyer to hold things up! The service works within a branch, between branches, with different estate agents and between estate agents, house builders and the general public!

The way we offer our service, is completely new. We liaise between buyers and sellers, estate agents, house builders and investors. This provides a complete service for everyone using the site. The way our matching service works is completely bespoke and provides fantastic results.

You could say we are a dating site for houses - you tell us what you have and what you want, and we make it happen!

Property portals do not normally provide the buying requirements for the vendors who are on their sites, and they certainly do not use this information to match up the perfect chain-free sales.

We match this information both ways, where both party has what the other party wants and is looking for what they are selling - just like a dating site, but for property.

Property portals market houses, we put buyers and sellers together, actually setting up sales.

Since launching the site, we have been pleased to see that other businesses have launched sites which appear to offer a similar service.

With any new and successful innovation, it is important and vital that others launch this type of company, thereby offering a choice of service, as well as raising the profile of property swapping/ matching / exchange and part exchange.

We believe this is one of the most important and groundbreaking innovations in selling and buying property, and are happy that others do too!

The cost for the service is £50.00 inc vat upfront and from £450.00 inc vat on completion (please refer to the table, below for completion fees):

There are no hidden fees, and we have a policy of 'no swap, no fee' on our completion fees.

If your estate agent is registered with us the cost to you is nothing. All your matches will be dealt with by your estate agent. However if your estate agent is not registered with us and do not wish to use our service then our registration fee is as follows as we will be introducing your Buyer to you.

The cost for the service is £50.00 inc vat upfront and from £450.00 inc vat on completion (please refer to the table, below for completion fees):

There are no hidden fees, and we have a policy of 'no swap, no fee' on our completion fees.

Property-matchmaker works on a no-sale, no-fee method, which means you would not pay completion fees unless we sell your property. To register with us, we do charge an up-front fee.

For the up-front fees, we provide information on potential swaps, and regular updates on any new matching properties. You choose how we send you the matches by email, phone or post.

We liaise between you and the matching estate agent / house builder / or private seller. Viewings are arranged by us at your convenience.

We help with negotiations so that both parties are happy with the price differential or spread (ie. the difference in price between the two properties to be transferred on legal completion).

Our Solicitors, RICS Surveyors, mortgage and HIP/EPC providers have been cherry picked to provide you with the means to get a cheaper deal on the whole house selling process. Please confirm if you would like our Panel to contact you with prices which are North East prices so are very competitive.

We can provide a 'latest properties' listing on the home page of our website which provides a safe area for us to gain interest about any possible swappers. You can advertise your property on our latest listings on our home page. This is an excellent way of putting your property out there first so all traffic coming to our site see your house and what you would like to buy. Personalised messages can be put on the advertisement. (Please note, you will need a HIP in place for this service to apply). You have a choice of the following and please remember that you will own the advert as this is personalised for you and you will be able to use this on any site you wish.

Only in the fact that conveyancing on a swap-sale is easier and cheaper for solicitors to perform, so those savings are passed on to you. As there are only two parties and no on-going chain at either side, solicitors can provide a much more efficient service.

Property-matchmaker have a panel of solicitors who can provide a specialist service precisely for house swap sales. Please contact us for a panel solicitor details.

We need the following information:

Selling
· Selling price
· Postcode
· Number of bedrooms

Buying
· Min / Max Price
· Postcode and radius
· Min no. of bedrooms

We put these details into our database, and find you a match: either immediately or as properties are added! Every time a new possible swap appears, we will contact you with the information.

Absolutely not! You could be upgrading, downsizing, or moving sideways. The difference in price is agreed between the two parties based on what each one is happy to pay. The difference in price is then transferred to the downsizer through their solicitor, just as in a normal property sale.

We can help you if you are moving away or abroad, if you need to sell urgently for any reason, or just want a quick sale.

It works exactly the same as a normal sale, but without the chain, or the waiting around to see if anyone is interested!

Even if you have a valuation from an estate agent, if your property has been for sale for some time, you may need a recent valuation. We can be provide a RICS accredited surveyor if required to ensure market value. At mortgage stage your property will need a valuation, so sometimes it is advisable to have a correct market value from the outset.

If one vendor needs to reduce the price, the other vendor can reduce by the same amount so that the deal can go through exactly the same with a transfer of equity and cash release which would normally have been there, as long as you have an idea of the differential between the two properties.

Just agree the difference in price you would like to pay initially and we will help with negotiations.

Legally, if you are marketing a property, you need a HIP. At property-matchmaker, we do not inform any third parties about your property, or market the property in any way unless you have a match. At this point, if you wish to discuss the match with a matching vendor, or estate agent, you must put a HIP in place.

We can provide a hugely competitive price from our registered panel of HIP providers.

Yes, this forms part of your HIP pack.

If you have been trying to sell with an estate agent for some time, it is likely that your tie in period has finished. This is the period during which you have to pay an estate agent their fees, whether they sell your property or not! As a guide the average tie-in time is 4-6 months. After this time, you can continue to market your property with an estate agent, but will not have to pay their fees if you sell through a different method.

Please check your estate agent agreement for further details. If you have recently registered with an estate agent, don't worry. By paying property-matchmaker's up-front fee we can still work with your estate agent and arrange our fee out of your agreed payment to them, so you pay no further fees.

Yes, you can register with our service for a one-off fee of £50. Property -matchmaker can liaise between you and matching parties, arrange viewings and negotiate a deal.

We will liaise between you, matching vendors, estate agents, house builders and investors.

We have no connections to any schemes where you sell your property then rent it back.

If you are in a situation where you need to retrieve the equity from your home, we can offer two solutions.

We can either match you with a smaller property to swap with, releasing some of your equity, or discuss your sale with one of our preferred property investors, who may be able to purchase the property, giving you the cash and freedom you require.

You can cancel your registration by providing 14 days notice. This gives us a chance to inform any matching parties we may have been working with.

If you decide to cancel the service, you will need to pay our completion fees if you sell your property to a buyer we have introduced you to, only if the sale happens within 6 months of your cancellation date.

If you are not already with an estate agent, and have a photograph of the front of your property, this can be used for reference purposes.

Because property-matchmaker doesn't act as a normal portal, and we work on data rather than images, we could have matches as soon as you take up a registration with the site. This also eliminates the need for a 'for sale' board.

With properties added daily, if we don't have a match initially, we will inform you of matches as they come up. We can even liaise with estate agents on any properties you are interested in buying, as well as house builders on whether their part-exchange deals match the property you are selling.

As most buyers are sellers, our registered pro-active estate agents will be aware of your property selling and buying requirements and will also be able to use the system to find you a matching property.

We are asked this by many of our customers - there is no catch, we are able to provide a cheaper service, as we do not need to market your property in local press or with property portals.

As we don't need to advertise your property in a shop window, we do not need expensive premises. (Although you are welcome to visit us at our office by appointment!)

All of these savings are passed on to you. It just makes sense!

We know that traditional methods are not working, as they don't take into account vendors fear of looking for property due to the threat of getting caught in a long property chain. Property-matchmaker eliminates chains - swapping is the ideal way to buy and sell!

All you need to do is either go to our site at www.property-matchmaker.com and fill in your details or give us a call on 01287 633382.

We will contact you to discuss you ideal matches and give you new matches as they appear, you just choose the ones you would like to view.

Go and view the property! Fall in love! Swap

Most mortgage deals are portable which is why property swapping is the way to sell in today;s market. There is no worry that your buyer can't get a mortgage because he already has one and only needs to transfer this over to you and you do likewise to them. The fact that first time buyers can't get mortgages does not affect our way of selling. At Property-Matchmaker we want the deal to happen so it is so important that both houses are valued correctly at the beginning and the differential agreed on those prices, this is to avoid a Mortgage Valuer appointed by the Mortgage Company, down valuing your property!

However, we suggest you get a quote for an alternative mortgage lender just to make sure that your current deal is right for you and to ensure that there is not another deal on the market which is cheaper.