Frequently asked questions
General
Where is MorfittSmith?
You can find us at The MorfittSmith Building in Hillsborough, with all departments under one green roof.
We are a new breed of local independent agent based not only online, but also with a purpose-built office that you can visit. We care a great deal about where we live, and we are going green too. We have made it our goal to be Carbon Neutral by 2030.
Do you list properties outside of Sheffield?
Who is Smiffy?
Is MorfittSmith hiring?
Please do not send us speculative applications when we are not actively hiring. You can also see the way that our staff are expanding their skillsets in the Level Up section.
How do I get in touch with MorfittSmith?
COVID-19
We returned to the office in June 2020 with careful safeguarding in effect throughout the business. We have been safe and open ever since, offering the highest MorfittSmith standard of service we always strive to provide.
Take a look at our COVID-19 page for full info.
View Our Latest COVID-19 info
Sales
I’m ready to sell, how do I get the best result for my home?
Now you’ve decided to sell, don’t race to put it on the market tomorrow. Trying to sell it quick can cost you a lot of money, so be patient and sell it well.
- Ensure that all necessary repairs have been made and that the property is thoroughly cleaned and tidied before we attend for photos.
- Once you’ve tidied, go around your home and declutter every room – clear surfaces make a world of difference and stop individual objects from pulling focus.
- Wait for the right weather for the photos, as rainy miserable shots will be harmful to your listing. Our professional photographers and editors will then make your home look its absolute best.
- Once we have all your marketing materials our Sales Team work their magic too. They know the best time to hit the market and will give your launch the impact it deserves.
Rushing any stage of this process will create a poorer market impression of your listing. This could result in missed enquiries and your home selling for a much lower price.
Trust in MorfittSmith, our experience and our results and we will get you the very best possible price for your home.
Book a Free ValuationIs a property still available?
Properties that are no longer available will appear as “SSTC” (Sold Subject to Contract)
Can I have one of your glow in the dark sale boards?
This can be installed in your front garden or attached to a wall or fence – just let us know in good time and we can put it in the best place to get you the most interest. For properties in larger developments or with long driveways, we can even add an additional board on a highly trafficked road adjacent to your property to ensure it gets seen.
Where will my property be listed?
It will also appear here, on our own brand new MorfittSmith website.
If you have a Video Viewing, a Lifestyle Video, or an Exclusive Short Film then you will also be featured on our YouTube channel and our other social media platforms.
Lettings
What is the difference between: Let Only / Managed / Fully Managed?
- Let Only is ideal for the hands-on landlord who wants to manage the tenancy themselves.
We will market your property, find you a referenced tenant, and leave the rest to you. - On our Managed Service, we are responsible for looking after the tenant in the property, absorbing most of the costs of letting, saving you time and money.
We find Landlords generate a greater income from using Managed vs Let Only. - Our Fully Managed service is not only the most economical way of receiving all these services, but also brings the greatest return on your rent.
Fully Managed Landlords can simply put their feet up and leave all the hard work to us.
Is a property still available?
Properties that are no longer available will appear as “Let Agreed”.
When is a property available?
Can I have a pet?
This excludes service animals, such as guide dogs for the blind and partially sighted.
How do I best set up my house for viewings?
Where can I find my statements?
- As a landlord, you will have access to our Landlords Portal through PropertyFile. All your previous statements can be found here along with copies of tenancy documents, inspection reports, previous certificates, and renewal information.
- As a tenant, you can access your rent payment history and see when your next payment is due, as well as finding all of your tenancy documents.
How do I apply for a property?
- The first stage is to submit an enquiry for a property.
You can use the links on the property page itself to submit your enquiry by email or by phone. - We will then send you an email with a pre-viewing questionnaire to complete.
Due to the immense demand from property at the moment this first stage of questions helps us to be sure the property is suitable for your needs. - It is then time to view.
- Once you have seen the property you can make an application to rent it.
- All of the applications will be put to the landlord and if you are accepted your deposit will be taken and we can begin your referencing.
Provided everything you told us in your pre-viewing questionnaire was correct then this should be a walk in the park. - Once you’re approved, we will draw up your tenancy agreement and you can book your move in date.
Can I change my move in date?
However, this might not be possible if works are required on the property after the previous tenant has left. This date cannot be changed once your ID check has been completed and your contract has been signed.
Can I haggle on the price of a property that is available?
This means that there are usually multiple applicants for every property all of whom are prepared to pay the rent as listed. Haggling is therefore not possible.
Are bills included?
If they are included, it will be stated explicitly in the listing along with what they cover.
When is the next Landlords Evening?
So, if you are one of our Fully Managed landlords, watch this space for the latest behind the scenes intel.
Check out the public intro from the last evening.
New Homes
Are you taking on new developments?
Get in touch with our New Homes team and we can arrange land valuation and site model discussion for you immediately.
Book a Free Land/Site Valuation
Will my new home have a warranty?
Have a chat with one of the team to find out exactly what warranties, incentives, and features are available on the plot you want to reserve.
Do you offer Help to Buy on new homes?
When Help to Buy is applicable to specific properties on a site, it will be displayed in the photos and the description of that development.
Help to Buy is a government-backed scheme to help first-time buyers get a foot on the property ladder. Needing only a 5% deposit and a government loan of 20% which is interest-free for the first five years. This means you only need a mortgage of 75% of the property value. This makes owning your home a lot more accessible.
If you would like to know more about Help to Buy and how to apply for it get in touch directly with our new homes team.
get in touch
What company creates our site branding and marketing?
Take a look at the Marketing page to see what goes into this colossal process.
Marketing
Marketing
When are my photos going to be ready?
Our photography and edit process is second to none. You won’t find us adding automatic social media filters to our images and calling it a day. Our dedicated Digital Editor ensures that all properties look their absolute best, so you get the results and the final sale price you deserve for your home.
Take a look at our marketing page to see what goes into the process.
Marketing
Who will take the photos of our house?
They use the right equipment and take their time to capture your home in a realistic and engaging way. They also specialise in videography, giving us our outstanding video viewings, lifestyle videos and exclusive short films.
Can I list with my own photos?
However, we wouldn’t incorporate content that would, in our professional opinion, damage your market appeal. This includes low-resolution photos, gloomy shots, or anything taken in a portrait orientation.
Have a look at the Photography section of our Marketing page to see what a difference professional photography makes.
Will all the photos on my listing appear in the brochure?
These will be the images that we feel will work best in print. They might not necessarily be the same as the images that look the best on a computer screen.
For a smaller property with fewer rooms this may be most of the edited images, whereas for somewhere larger we will choose a few that best represent your home.
Take a look at the Marketing page to see what goes into this colossal process.
Why do I need all my lights on?
Balancing the exposure of a room requires a key light and fill lights helps to create a striking image and stop the space from feeling flat or bland. We always recommend turning everything on to begin with.
This means side lights, downlighters, fairy lights, bedside table lights, the little light under your oven extractor… everything.
Detailed Advice on Preparing Your Property for Sale
Why should I have a video?
It can say an awful lot more about a property than a still image or description ever could. Video content is the direction that all social media is going and there is an increasing market demand for it on property listings. Having a video also helps to filter out the time-wasters, so that all the people attending are already enamoured with your home before they get there.
Take a look at the Marketing page to see what goes into our videos.
Marketing
Can I have aerial footage of my house?
Aerial footage is available as an addition to any of our video packages on any house type. We strongly recommend it in addition to an Exclusive Short Film, in order to get the biggest impact from the video and the best result from your property.
It is particularly striking on homes with beautiful gardens, interesting externals/ architecture, great views, or rooftop features.
Why hasn’t ``X/Y/Z`` made it into the description?
Our descriptions supplement the photos and floorplan in creating a thoughtful and engaging narrative for your home. We actively avoid listing each and every specific of a house as we find it actually deters viewers if we list fine details at this stage.
Do you airbrush or doctor your photos?
We never want to be dishonest with our photos, as this will just result in disappointed viewers. We won’t add in something that isn’t there or remove something that is such as blown windows and marked carpets. The only airbrushing we do is to remove the camera and photographer from highly reflective surfaces.
Take a look at our editing process here:
Marketing
Can you make my pictures darker or lighter?
We absolutely can darken or lighten images but it may damage your chances of securing viewers if your photos are unrealistic. We do a lot of market research to ensure our editing style is in accordance with market trends for what is desirable with viewers.
Take a look at our editing process here:
I remember you taking more pictures. Where are the rest?
Too many images can put off your buyers, so we only select the best of the best. If an image wasn’t included in the listing it is because we feel it would damage your listing and your chance of sale.
Take a look at our editing process here:
Will you take my photos in good weather?
If we attend in terrible weather, we can come back to update the externals. However, we strongly recommend holding off on listing until your photos look their best.
For our full marketing recommendations take a look at our Selling My Home Guide:
Still have a question?
Whatever your enquiry, get in touch with us today
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