10 Things to do before selling your property
Category Expert Insight
Selling up is no small feat, but there are ways to make the process smoother and easier. These top tips from the Seeff experts will help you tick all the right boxes before selling.
Get a professional property valuation done to determine the exact value of your home. Specialist valuators will take important factors such as location, finishes, size and views into consideration before determining the real value of your home. Just because you know the average selling price of homes in your area does not mean your home is worth nearly as much - or maybe it is worth much more! Don't guess - call in the experts!
When you know the value of your home it is critical to price your home correctly. If you overprice your home it either won't sell or it will take much longer to sell than what it should do. Buyers are streetwise and know immediately when a property is overpriced!
Appoint a reputable estate agent to assist with the selling of your home. Undertake proper research and determine which agents are most active in the area or complex that your property is located in. It is always better to appoint an estate agent who has been around for some time and has proven success in the property industry.
Award a sole mandate to one agent. For the best price to be achieved on your property it is crucial that buyers compete for your property and not estate agents. A sole agent will often obtain a higher price because there is sufficient time to negotiate without being concerned about a competing agent's offer. When you grant a sole mandate more energy, advertising expenditure and time is also invested into the marketing of your property.
Make sure that you disclose all the patent defects in your home to the agent and potential buyers.
Discuss with the agent before you renovate or upsize. Renovations could be time consuming and more expensive than you think and sometimes it is simply better to negotiate the selling price with the buyer and then leave it up to them to undertake any renovating and/or upsizing.
Allow for show days. You may not like the idea of people in your space or feel that serious buyers would probably make an appointment with the agent if they want to view your property, but the truth of the matter is that you never know where the buyer of your home will come from so it is important to allow as many people as possible to view your home in real life (and not by means of virtual tours). Obviously a professional estate agent will undertake all the measures that are needed to secure that you and your property are safe on show days.
Make your home neat and cosy on show days by decluttering, mowing the lawn, brewing a fresh pot of coffee and arranging a pretty bunch of flowers in a central point of your home. Also remember to remove fixtures you don't want included in the sale before show days commence so that this won't cause misunderstandings with the buyer later.
Make sure that your compliance certificates are up to date - buyers require this to know that everything is in order with your home.
Take all offers seriously! By the time buyers make an offer they have probably done a lot of homework and every offer made is worth considering!
Author: Seeff
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