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The One Thing That Can Make or Break Your Home Sale
April, 2025

The One Thing That Can Make or Break Your Home Sale

Thinking of selling? Here’s why who you work with matters more than ever.

Selling your home is a big decision - financially, emotionally, and logistically. It’s not just about putting a ‘For Sale’ board outside and waiting for the offers to roll in. There are questions to answer, problems to solve, and decisions to make from start to finish.

This is exactly why your choice of estate agent in Purley matters. Not just because of their commission rate or how many properties they’ve got on their books. What really counts is how they work with you.

At Shinerocks, we’ve built our business around providing a genuinely personal service. When you work with us, you’re not passed between departments or left chasing updates - you’re looked after by Paul Shinerock himself, along with his wife and business partner Jo, and their team, from valuation to completion.

Let’s look at why this personal touch makes such a difference when you’re selling your property in Purley.

1. Accurate pricing from someone who knows the area — and your property

The sale of your home starts with the right price. It’s not guesswork, and a valuation shouldn’t just be pulled from online tools or based on what your neighbour’s house sold for last year!

While we do offer an instant valuation report, it’s to give you an idea only. You should always follow this up with a proper in-person valuation from us.

Book a valuation here.

At Shinerocks, your valuation is carried out by someone with deep, hands-on experience of the local property market in Purley, Croydon, Surrey, and surrounding areas.

Paul has been valuing homes in this area for decades. He understands not just prices, but demand trends, buyer behaviour, and what makes a home stand out in this market.

He’ll also take the time to understand your situation - are you in a chain? Looking for a quick sale? Do you have a specific figure you need to achieve? To Paul, the context matters, and it shapes how Shinerocks price and market your home.

2. Bespoke advice to prepare your home for market

There’s no one-size-fits-all checklist when it comes to getting your property ready to sell. Decluttering and a fresh coat of paint can help - but sometimes it’s knowing which room to stage, which corners to light better, and what story the photos should tell.

That’s where personal service wins again.

When your agent has walked through your home, taking time to notice the quirks – good and bad - they can give practical, tailored advice that reflects your home’s strengths. At Shinerocks, we often make simple but effective suggestions that don’t cost the earth but help increase viewings and offers.

3. Better marketing — because we know what buyers are looking for

Generic property listings don’t get results. If your agent hasn’t spent time getting to know your home, and understanding what makes it special, the listing will miss the mark.

Paul personally prepares or oversees every marketing detail, from floorplans and photography to property descriptions. This attention to detail makes your listing feel more complete, more accurate, and more appealing to serious buyers.

Viewings are also handled by someone who’s been inside the property, not just read the brochure. That means buyers get real answers, better guidance, and more confidence - which ultimately leads to stronger offers.

4. Real-time communication, not radio silence

One of the biggest frustrations many sellers mention about estate agents is poor communication. You shouldn’t have to chase updates or feel like you’re in the dark.

When you sell with Shinerocks, you’ll always know what’s happening because you’ll be dealing directly with a team that cares. That means quick answers, honest feedback, and constant support. No waiting for a call-back or wondering who’s handling your sale.

5. Smarter negotiation and sales progression

When an offer comes in, the work’s not over, it’s just getting interesting. Negotiating the best price is only part of the picture. A good agent will also assess the strength of the buyer, their position in the chain, and how smoothly the sale is likely to progress.

Because Paul manages every sale personally, you’ll get advice you can trust — based on years of experience and a calm, no-nonsense approach. Once your offer is accepted, he stays involved to completion, liaising with solicitors, checking timelines, and helping avoid hold-ups.

6. Sellers trust us - because they can see the difference

We could talk all day about the benefits of personal service, but here’s what really matters: it works. Many of our clients are repeat sellers or have been referred by friends and family. Here’s what one recent client had to say:

All members of ShineRocks team were very helpful and professional and ready to help in any way they could. They were easy to get hold of at any point in time and they advised and supported us every step of the process. It really felt like a family more than a company, they were very warm and welcoming and understanding.” R.P

You can read more testimonials here

Thinking of selling?

If you’re looking for an estate agent who’ll treat your home like it matters (because it does), we’d love to help!

Shinerocks has expert local knowledge, one-to-one support throughout, honest advice, clear communication, and great results.

Call us on 020 8660 2010 or email enquiries@shinerocks.co.uk – we’d love to chat with you about your property.

 

Have any questions?

Use the form to send us your questions and we'll respond as quickly as possible.

You can also call us on 020 8660 2010, or email enquiries@shinerocks.co.uk.


 

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Purley, Croydon & Surrey

Learn more about the areas we cover by reading these helpful location guides.

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Recent Testimonials

Dear Paul and the ShineRocks team, Thank you! We are delighted that we successfully completed on the sale of The Garth, 12 Welcomes Road on Friday, and we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you, Claire and the team for all your excellent work on our behalf. We really appreciated your proactivity, frankness, responsiveness and good...

Mr & Mrs F

Very professional, responsive and delivered on promises to the tee

Mr G

Worked hard to find possible buyers. Very professional and friendly staff. Drove the completion by liaising with all parties when things threatened to go pear-shaped. Very satisfied customer

Mrs H-W

Having tried a couple estate agents to sell our house, with no result, we tried ShineRocks. Paul Shinerock was realistic in his valuation, which others had not been and we had a number of viewings. A Christmas present was accepting a very good offer. Unfortunately, the buyer dragged his heels and then at the point of exchange decided to...

Mr P

A great service offered by both Paul and Claire. Sometimes the best thing an agent can do is to convince you to accept an offer and to encourage you to pay more to get the house of your dreams. Had Paul not convinced me to accept the offer on mine I would not have moved. Claire moved heaven and earth to enable me to purchase a property through...

Mr & Mrs W

Very helpful, pleasure to work with, and they offer a great service

Mr L

My house purchase was very complicated, ShineRocks handled it very professionally

Mr H

Claire was our estate agent and she was incredibly professional, always available and kept us completely up to date. A pleasure to buy and sell with

Mrs P

Exceptionally professional and helpful and very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend ShineRocks

Mr P

Excellent service over a period of several months. Always at hand to offer advice and their expertise. Highly Recommend Shinerocks and thank you for all your help

Mr A

I was very pleased with the service - professional yet caring

Mrs L

Very professional and excellent service in a complicated situation which resulted in a positive result. We have purchased 2 homes from Paul in the last 14 years. Claire is remarkable and kept us fully up to speed

Mr P

Very friendly. After a slow start we got on very well and achieved our objective. Particular thanks to Claire

Dr L

Hi Caire, Can you say a massive 'thank you' to Paul for coming to see me. He really gave me some things to think about that had just not crossed my mind. Swapping the bathroom and middle bedroom and adding a bathroom to the main bed room made so much sense, I've got Alan coming over on Saturday to cost it up! I'll definitely...

D

We have recently purchased a property through shinerocks and can honestly say the service we received from Claire was exceptional. She kept us updated regularly and liaised tirelessly between solicitors, vendors and the other agents in what became a difficult and frustrating chain. She was both professional and personable, and we always felt...

M & C

Claire, You're an absolute star! Thank you so much.

Mr and Mrs W

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance and facilitation of the purchase of our property, and I would relish the opportunity to work with you again in future endeavours.

CT

Just want to say a big thank you for all your help and support.  I know you were not our estate agent but we really felt supported and coached through the whole process and I can't thank you enough. 

M, J &A

Paul, Claire and all the team at ShineRocks have always acted with the utmost professionalism and in my experience have been the best estate agency I have ever encountered.  

Mr D

Dear Claire, Thank you so much for making our dream home come true.  Invitation to the house warming is guaranteed! Much Love

R & N

Hi the ShineRocks Team Would like to say thank you for a great service in completing on our house.  We are totally blessed, we feel so lucky.  Your team with friendly voices were very proactive in updating us.  Paul you have a good team around and to say the least, you have some charm. You are a very nice bunch of people to...

L M

We would like to also comment upon the superb level of professionalism shown by the staff at ShineRocks. Having been to other block bookings we must say that this one was handled to so well. Additionally the advice given regarding parking was most helpful. We will certainly keep an eye out for other properties marketed by you. Kindest...

Mr and Mrs H

Dear Paul How very happy I am to be the lucky chap that has been given the privilege to buy and live in the elegant property. Thank you again for the excellent service provided by ShineRocks. Yours sincerely 

Mr R

Thanks for all your attention - I am impressed with your service and will recommend you to friends. Kind regards 

Mrs A

Dear Paul This is amazing! Thank you and your team very much. Whatever happens now, I know that you all did a fantastic job in achieving this - its unbelievable. Many thanks Kindest regards 

Mrs D

Terrific news. Thank you Paul. With all thanks for your support and help during this process. All best wishes 

Mr H

Thank you so much for all your help with our house move. We appreciate the hard work you put in to finally get us to an exchange date. Your calm approach and sense of humour throughout really helped. Thanks again, 

Mr and Mrs G

Thank you so much for all your work on selling our home. It is much appreciated. Best wishes 

Mr and Mrs R

Thanks again for everything that you have done to get our new home. God bless you. 

Mr and Mrs P

Dear Claire and the 'team' at ShineRocks for all of your help and patience with our purchase.  Best wishes

K and L

Dear Mr Shinerock, thank you so very much for valued advice last Saturday; your remarks and suggestions have certainly got us thinking of the best way to turn! Best wishes

V and K

Dear Paul We are at last beginning to see some order in our new home and have time to catch breath. The move was challenging to say the least as we were downsizing dramatically and had too much to fit in prior to having an extension to create two more rooms and allow us to convert an existing one into a utility room. We would like to take...

G and S S

Good morning Claire, I have been meaning to e mail you since Monday just to say thank you! Mum and I are extremely grateful for all the time you have given us and we really do value your advice and guidance.  We have been in contact with a lot of agents, in fact probably all of the main estate agents around the area and ShineRocks...

S and M

Dear Paul, Well, we got there in the end! Although it was long, complicated and at times, a very stressful journey, we appreciate the help of you and all your team in finally getting us over the finishing line. Best regards

B

Thank you for everything you've done. I couldn't have got through this without you. Putting up with every difficult situation in such a kind way. Thank you so much. 

Mrs P

Paul, Claire and all the team at ShineRocks have always acted with the utmost professionalism and in my experience have been the best estate agency I have ever encountered.

Mr H