It is very frustrating. You have your valuations done, choose an estate agent, agree a marketing price and get the details prepared. Then you are ‘live’.
Ok, so you don’t necessarily expect an influx of viewers on day one, but as the days turn to weeks, and you have barely received any interest, you ask yourself why your agent hasn’t sold your property.
Basically, any property will sell with the correct marketing, pricing and presentation:
Choose your agent based on how well they present themselves at the valuation, and what they can offer you. If you have a luxurious home in its own grounds, for example, it is probably not advisable to use a cheap and cheerful agent. When spending a lot of hard earned money on their dream home, buyers want to see quality particulars, and receive a first class attentive service, to reinforce their decision to spend that amount of money on your home. Likewise, if you have a small flat, every penny counts, so choose an agent who you feel will work the hardest for you, and you will recoup any additional commission fee and then some, as they will get you the best purchaser at the best price. It can be false economy to just choose the cheapest agent.
With pricing, sellers often have their own expectations on what their property is worth. As an agent, it is difficult to give a reality check to the home owner if they have a slightly biased view on their property’s worth, especially if another agent comes in with a much higher figure (potentially to win the business; please refer to the above paragraph!). Be realistic. Look at the comparables provided by the agent, and take sound advice. Over inflate your price and chances are you will remain on the market and be badgered by your agent to keep reducing, whilst your property starts to look stale in the eyes of viewers, and they ask themselves the same question; why has it not sold? The seed is then planted that there may be a problem. Price correctly, and you will get a good level of viewers, and hopefully a choice of offers, sometimes over and above the asking price.
Presentation. What can we say? We all have different tastes. Life would be boring if we all had the same style. However, one thing most people can agree on is that clutter is overkill. Be it collections of teddies, plates, gnomes, cameras, or even pets, keep things to a minimum. Box up items you rarely use, or don’t need to have on display (other than the pets, of course!) and stick them in the loft. De-personalise within reason. No viewer is going to consider your home as their potential home if all they can see is a sea of family photos all over the walls. Keep pets out of the way for viewings, and don’t forget to eliminate pet and cigarette smells. It may sound obvious, but have a good spring clean. If you have black walls in your teenage son’s room, why not paint them white and make the whole room seem bright and spacious? After all, you are aiming not to be living there anyway, and you can always replicate this in your new home. But you need a buyer first…
If you would like more information about selling then just call 01603 432000.
