What should I do before an estate agent values my house?

Most homeowners prepare for a valuation by hoovering. That helps, but the agent's figure depends far more on the facts you can show them than on how the carpet looks.

What is an estate agent valuation?

An estate agent valuation is a local agent's professional opinion of the price your home would achieve on the open market today. It is usually free and is based on recent sold prices for similar homes nearby, adjusted for your home's size, condition, layout and position.

It is not the same as a surveyor's or lender's valuation, which checks a home's value for a mortgage. An agent's figure also feeds into the asking price you choose, so it pays to give them the full picture.

How should I prepare, step by step?

1. 1. Write down what you have changed

   List every improvement with its year and rough cost: a new kitchen, a boiler, windows, a loft conversion or an extension. Agents value what they can see and what they are told; an undocumented boiler from 2023 looks like any other boiler.

2. 2. Find the paperwork for that work

   Gather building regulations completion certificates, planning permissions, FENSA or similar window certificates, boiler service records and any guarantees. Missing sign-off rarely kills a sale, but knowing early gives you time to fix it.

3. 3. Check your energy certificate

   An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rates a home's energy efficiency from A to G and is valid for 10 years. GOV.UK says you must order one before you market your home, so check whether yours is in date on the public register.

4. 4. Have the material information ready

   Material information is the set of facts National Trading Standards says a buyer needs to decide whether to view: council tax band, tenure, lease length, ground rent and service charge, plus parking, utilities, broadband and any known flood risk. Agents must show it on listings, so they will ask.

5. 5. Know your title

   If you are unsure of your boundaries or any rights of way, a copy of your title register costs £7 from HM Land Registry. It shows who owns the home and any restrictions recorded against it.

6. 6. Tidy, open up and light every room

   Clear surfaces, open curtains and turn lights on, and make sure the agent can reach the loft, the garden and any outbuildings. They are judging space and condition, so let them see both.

7. 7. Prepare the same questions for every agent

   Ask which recent sales they used, how long similar homes took to sell, what asking price they would suggest and why, and what they would change before listing. Identical questions make the answers comparable.

8. 8. Hold back your own target figure

   Let each agent give their number first. If you open with the price you hope for, some agents will simply agree with it to win your business.

What will the agent actually look at?

A valuation is only as good as the facts behind it. Give every agent the same facts and their figures become comparable.

Should I redecorate or repair things before the valuation?

Fix what is broken and cheap to fix: a dripping tap, a missing light bulb, a sticking door. Leave bigger spending until you have heard from the agents, because they can tell you whether a new kitchen or a repaint would add more than it costs in your street.

Our guide to which home improvements add the most value sets out the costs, but the local answer comes from agents who sell homes like yours.

How many agents should value my house?

Three is the usual starting point, and more helps when the figures differ widely. Agents read the same evidence differently, and the gap between the highest and the lowest figure tells you how much judgement, rather than data, is in the numbers.

ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents. Each agent receives the same anonymous brief with your photos and details, has 48 working hours to send a valuation, and you compare them on one screen before speaking to anyone. It is free, always.