Has your property been on the market for a while and you’re not getting the interest you’d hoped for?
Or maybe you’re ready to move on from a underperforming investment, and don’t want your time wasted with a four-month sales campaign?
When it comes to marketing your property, there are definitely some tactics you can use to fast-track your chances of getting a signed sale contract.
Here are my top tips for getting your property sold…
1. Get to know your competition
Have a look at other homes for sale in your area during their open inspections, so you can get the inside scoop on the local market.
How do they compare to yours?
Are most vendors opting for auctions, or are private treaty sales more common?
What kind of timeframe are properties spending on the market before they’re sold?
This information can help you to set realistic expectations for your own sale, and give you an idea of the things you might be able to do to make your home stand out from the crowd.
It’s importnant for you to do this preliminary homework before you speak to selling agents. You know what they say…forewarned is forearmed.
2. Spend time and effort where it counts
This is where it really helps to understand the local market — or find a great agent who does.
Don’t throw good money after bad redecorating areas that buyers won’t be focused on.
Instead, direct your energy and hard-earned cash to improving the key features of the home that will stand out.
Bathrooms and kitchens tend to be the areas that make or break a sale, as potential buyers are put off by the expense of renovating them.
Even cheap cosmetic improvements — such as a coat of paint, spraying tiles and installing nice new cupboard handles — can make the world of difference.
For outdoor areas, a thorough tidy-up to create the impression of low-maintenance living should do the trick.
You may aslo want to read: 6 COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN SELLING YOUR PROPERTY
3. Understand the importance of staging
The right furniture and accessories can make even the most dowdy of properties look promising.
Hiring or borrowing from a friend is a budget-conscious alternative to engaging a staging consultant, although depending on where your property sits in the market, their services may be well worth the investment.
Again, it pays to know the market here.
If you find you’re marketing to an area with lots of young families, stage the study as a nursery or playroom to win them around.
Remember, you need to present the property as somewhere buyers can imagine living — which means declutter and deep-clean, then set the stage for the dream home.
4. Set an unusual price
The difference that $5000 or even $500 can make to a property listing is nothing short of amazing.
Us humans are hard-wired psychologically to respond more favourably to certain price signals — it’s why so many retailers use prices such as $19.95 or $18,990, to trick us into thinking we’re spending less.
With most modern house hunting taking place online, this becomes even more important — nowadays, buyers can enter their minimum and maximum price into the search function and instantly be presented with the properties that meet their criteria.
Rather than setting the price at $760,000, which would see your home cut off the list, try “offers over $747,500”, or “ESR $730,000 - $760,000”, to catch the buyers who are capping their search at three quarters of a million.
5. Give the listing a refresh
If your property has been on the market forever, it could be the case that the advertising material and online listing of your home simply aren’t doing it justice.
Rather than attracting buyers, dreary advertising can actually drive them away – and if your place has been on the market for some time, website regulars will be sick of seeing it!
Jazzing up the listing may even make buyers who had previously skimmed past your property stop for a closer look.
Make sure the photos make the most of the natural light, and present your property as being spacious, clean and inviting.
While you’re at it, consider changing the way the home is staged in the photos too, to give it a real ‘freshness’.
If, after all of this, your property is still sitting stagnant on the market, you may need to look at adjusting your price expectations.
Working with an experienced local agent is your best defence against an overpriced property that fails to attract a buyer, so be look for a trusted real estate agent with a proven track record in your area.
A sellers secret weapon
Metropole Vendor’s Advocacy Service is a special no extra cost service to property sellers shielding you from many of the “hassles” of your sale.
When selling your property you want to achieve the best price with the least hassle.
Yet our experience as Australia's leading property buyers agency shows many vendors don't achieve an optimum sale price due to poor advice or pressure from their selling agent.
Now you can have an independent agent from Metropole on your side when you sell your property.
To achieve the highest selling price for your property, you need help finding the right agent to sell your property, as well impartial and strategic advice on the correct timing, the most appropriate method of sale, the most cost effective advertising campaign and the negotiation process.
Our 6 Step Process To Get You The Best Price
We will:
- Sit down with you and determine your needs.
- Recommend the best agent (not agency) for you. We know the best agents and the worst agents as we have been buying from them on behalf of our clients for many years.
- Check the agent's fees and advertising recommendations to save you unnecessary expenses. Should you sell by auction or private sale? How much should you spend on advertising without wasting your money? We'll tell you!
- Monitor the selling agent's performance.
- Consider any offers made and give our recommendations to you. Then we'll help negotiate on your behalf, giving you our input all the way.
- Follow the sale through until settlement.
We charge the Selling Agent a percentage fee based on the sale price of your property which comes out of their commission when the sale is made.
This means that you get our service at no extra charge, but that it is in all our interests that you get the best possible price.
If you want someone you can trust to relieve you of the process of dealing with the Selling Agents give Metropole a call now on 1300 20 30 30 or click here and leave us your details.
We are independent and work for you — we tell you the truth.
Isn’t that what you want?
It’s the most stress-free way for you to appoint a real estate agent!