The second most important factor in my opinion is the asking price. I would be inclined to get a minimum of three agents in to value your house and see what they all have to say. You will already have a good idea what your house is worth as everybody does. Don't tell your agent what you think it's worth as they will just go along with you. They are there to give you a price so let them get on with it. Obviously the marketing stategy will really depend on the state of the housing market. if the market is really buzzing and there all lots of buyers around with not much property for sale then you will almost certainly get away with a cheeky asking price. Forget about what the agents says, if you want to stick it on for 10k more go right ahead. You can always reduce the price of the house later on if you don't have any joy.

The asking price in a falling market really does need to be realistic as with not many buyers around they will all be looking for a good buy or a bargain. If you are looking to move to a bigger house then there is no problem if you have to take a hit on your house. If you are selling a 250k and buying at 500k you will get a discount on your purchase which will make up for your possibly lower price on your property.

Don't get me wrong you can still get a good price in a falling market but with lots of people trying to sell their homes and with some keener than others you will have a loy of competition. If you have inherited a house and it is in a state of disrepair then I would say the most important factor will be the marketing price. If you are selling a flat make sure that the ground rent is paid up to date and there are no arrears. Unmodernised houses are very popular when the market is busy but they are not very popular in a downturn as many buyers do not have the money. When there is a downturn in the property market it is usually because the economy is shrinking or we are in recession.

Either way people haven't got too much cash to be modernising houses. You have got two choices, set the price very realistically or renovate the house yourself and sell it in tip top condition. Unless you are used to dealing with builders and architects the latter probably is not a good idea. When renovating a house you need a lot of time, energy and most important of all when dealing with builders, Patience!! If you own a property that is occupied by sitting tenants you will have to sell with the tenants still in situ. My definition odf a sitting tenant is a regulated tenancy which means they can stay in their home until they die. There is always a market for these types of tenancies as long as the price is right.