There are various ways to go about selling property or real estate but lately selling property online has become on increasing trend. At the beginning of the century the property market started to take a nosedive and especially since the recession crippled the UK economy, people have been looking for cheaper and more efficient ways to do things.

Estate agents have developed an unforgiving stigma surrounding the services they offer for selling houses and property, usually derived from the fees they charge vendors. It would be fair to say that the unpopular estate agent isn’t making a dazzling comeback since the slump of the property market.

Depending on which property portal you decide to use, you can sell property online virtually all by yourself. Usually this involves taking pictures of your property and writing a description about the property you want to sell. You can also set your own asking price though normally there are people that can help you evaluate your home so that you can demand a fair asking price.

Selling property online also has the benefits of not incurring excessive charges which need to be paid to ‘the man in the middle’- i.e. the estate agent or entity selling your property. Many property portals charge a one-off fee for you to list property on their site and that’s the only money that will exchange hands. Some agencies even offer a ‘commission free’ bonus for using their site where you will not pay any commission if your property sells.

With many property portals to choose from and their increasing popularity, it is wise to research any that you are considering giving your business to. Some portals may see a niche in the market and simply take advantage by setting up portals purely to make money without having a vested interest in selling property.

When you invest in commercial real estate, you need to understand that there is a vast difference between commercial real estate and residential. Not only is the market different, but so are the laws. Due diligence in commercial real estate is different than that in the residential market. You still want to make sure you get an inspection of the property prior to the settlement as well as a survey of the property. You also have to make sure that you get any easements included in the sale if they are needed.

Most people think of easements as those that burden the property, such as those for utilities and sewer. With commercial property, there are often easements that benefit the property. In some cases, in order to get to a property people have to drive their vehicles over other property owned by other people. In such a case, the person who purchases the commercial real estate will want to make sure that they get the easements needed for parking or entering and exiting. These can be included in the deed or in an easement agreement.

The only way to see if you need easements is to get a survey of your property depicting not just the property but any easements that pertain to the property. The title insurance commitment should also reflect a legal description of the easements. The title company needs to search not only the commercial real estate property that you are purchasing but also any other property in which you are receiving an easement. The reason for having this property searched includes the following points:

You need to know that the person who signs the easement agreement or deed is legally entitled to convey interest in the property. You need to know that there are no burden on the easement property that would prevent you from using it. You need to know that the taxes on the easement property are current. It would be unfortunate to purchase commercial real estate property that is dependent on easements and discover that the property is in a tax sale. A person who purchases the property could insist that you pay money to use their property; they may even erect a fence to prevent you from using the land.