DIY property sales on the increase

According to research by Alliance & Leicester (A&L).A growing number of homeowners are taking a do-it-yourself approach to selling their property saving themselves time and money.

Sellers who make their own "for sale" signs and use online property portals to attract buyers say they have sold their homes in an average of less than two months, while those who use more traditional methods wait more than three months to achieve a sale,

Eight per cent of 2,384 people questioned said they had used property websites that cut out the need for an estate agent - and save sellers on estate agency fees - to find a buyer and the same proportion have used word of mouth.

Around five per cent have advertised a property for sale in their local paper, four per cent have made their own "for sale" sign and one per cent have even used auction websites, including eBay.

However, 85 per cent of those polled still favour using estate agents to sell their homes, 17 per cent of whom boost their chances by using more than one agent.