How much you can sell your current home for will be crucial when deciding your next move. However you decide to sell your home, you can arrange to have your property valued without obligation by Hunters Residential. We would recommend that you invite more than one estate agent to value your property. We are not afraid of opposition!

All we would suggest is that you choose your agent by comparing service levels rather than simply choose the cheapest agent or the one who provides you with the highest valuation. When the valuer calls make sure that you ask as many questions as you can - only then will you get a real feel for the quality of the service that you are likely to get.

Here are a list of 13 critical questions you should be asking. How many boxes can your proposed agent tick?

1. Will you provide me with the direct dial number of the Partner in charge of the estate agency in case I need to make contact?
2. Will your valuer provide me with a full marketing plan, including a quotation of fees, rather than simply tell me how much he thinks I am likely to get for my property and how much he will charge?
3. Can you also arrange for the negotiator who is handling my case to visit my property so that she can accurately answer any queries raised by purchasers?
4. Will I be provided with a dedicated sales negotiator and will that negotiator attempt to contact every viewer so that we can get relevant feedback?
5. Is the negotiator who will be handling my case experienced in estate agency work?
6. Does your firm have a Buyers Register so that they can immediately match our property with potential buyers and if so, are you happy for me to see it?

7. Can you arrange to cover viewing appointments for me if I am unavailable or simply don't wish to deal with them myself?
8. Can you advertise our property in the ESPC and on their national web-site unlike real estate agents who are not permitted to do so, and do you have your own web-site to advertise my property on?
9. Can you provide different styles of quality Sales Particulars for me to choose from and does every set of Particulars include both a floor plan and location plan?
10. Does your estate agency team have regular stock meetings when the staff can discuss the progress of every case and, if necessary, agree a new marketing strategy?
11. Are your property offices open 6 days a week or do you just work between 9-5 Monday to Friday?
12. Do you have your own independent mortgage consultant so that I don't need to go elsewhere to find appropriate finance if I also intend to purchase property?
13. Do you have an experienced team of residential conveyancers to handle the legal part of the transaction?

Setting the right asking price is crucial to a successful sale. Too low and you may attract the wrong buyers who may have lower expectations of the price than you are hoping to achieve. Too high and you may put off potential purchasers.

The next question is whether to market the property at "Offers Over" a stated figure or at a "Fixed Price"�.

The Offers Over figure is merely an indication of the lowest price that you expect to achieve. How much above that figure you receive will depend to a great extent on the state of the market at the time and the amount of competition there is from potential buyers.

Frequently sellers will choose to advertise at a Fixed Price and this is an indication that they will accept the first offer in reasonable terms at that price. In years gone by a fixed price indicated that there might be a problem with the property however nowadays it is a perfectly legitimate marketing tool. However in a market as buoyant as we have seen in the Edinburgh area a fixed price might eliminate the chance of receiving the proverbial "offer that you can't refuse"�. Speak to our advisors and they will talk you this important decision.

Obviously it is vital when selling your property to ensure that as many people as want to get the chance to see it. Normal viewing times are Thursdays between 7and 9pm or Sunday afternoons between 2 and 4pm. We would recommend this as a minimum and would suggest that you also offer the chance to make an appointment through your agent out with these set periods.

If necessary we can cover viewings for you using our very experienced and reliable viewing agency.

Advertising in the ESPC is a must. Over 90 % of properties in the Edinburgh area are sold through the ESPC and real estate agents cannot advertise through that medium.

The more people who see your property the better and that is why we felt it important to advertise your property on a National web-site so that there is a better chance to capture the market down South. We will therefore arrange for your property to be displayed on Prime Location.com.

If a number of potential buyers note an interest in your property it is likely that we will advise you to set a Closing Date i.e. a date and time for those parties to submit a formal written offer through their solicitor. Most offers in the Edinburgh are now submitted subject to satisfactory survey so don't be dismayed if nobody goes to the trouble of sending a surveyor out before the Closing Date.

The timing of a Closing Date is crucial. Leave it too long and you may lose some of the early notes - they may have found something else in the meantime or simply lost interest if they feel it has dragged on too long. Set it too quickly and you may be denying people the chance to see your property. That is where our experience will be of crucial importance. Our negotiators are used to dealing with this situation day in and day out and will be happy to provide advice.

Remember that at the Closing Date you are not obliged to accept the highest or indeed any offer. We are however governed by the Law Society of Scotland and they have issued Guidelines that we have to adhere to. These apply to all offers received whether at a Closing Date or not. If you instruct us to proceed with acceptance of an offer then we cannot afterwards negotiate or conclude a deal with another party unless and until the negotiations with the first party have fallen through. If you instruct us to set a Closing Date we cannot then cancel that Closing Date and accept another offer in advance of that Date unless we bring that Date forward and offer all interested parties a reasonable opportunity to offer. If either of these situations do arise then we would, in accordance with the Law Society Guidelines, be required to withdraw from acting on your behalf.

At the Closing Date we will ask that you make yourself available so that we can advise you of offers received and then take your instructions on which, if any, of the offers you are inclined to accept. We will, on your behalf, go back to the solicitors acting on behalf of the successful purchaser to negotiate better terms if you so wish

e.g. a longer date of entry and once those negotiations have been concluded we will ensure that the file with all relevant documentation is passed quickly to our conveyancing team or to the solicitor of your choice.