How to: Sell Your Property Faster

The market is recovering, but many properties remain on the market for some time as almost half of prospective buyers struggle to find bond financing. This is how you can sell your property faster:

Finish your to do-list

The message you want to send to prospective buyers is that your property has been properly maintained. Now is the time to fix dripping taps, leaking pipes, squeaking doors and broken windows. It may take a day or two of hard work, but get all the little repairs out of the way. If it bothers you, it will bother prospective buyers.

De-clutter your property

It is time to get your property show-ready. Create a spacious look by packing away all the clutter – old newspapers and magazines, big, bulky furniture, unused kitchen appliances, extra toiletries, toys and family photographs. The aim is to de-personalise your house, apartment or office and create some space; prospective buyers must be able to imagine themselves living or working there. Some experts say as much as a third of your things should go.

Do a pre-sale inspection

While you might feel this is a waste of money, an inspector will be able to point out problems that might make it difficult to sell your property and that you need to fix first. On the other hand, an inspection showing everything is in order can be used as a marketing tool to your advantage.

How clean is your property?

Everything should be spotless – steam clean carpets, wash the windows, let the bathroom look as if nobody has ever been in it before. Bathrooms and kitchens in particular are big selling points for homes and flats – make sure yours is clean enough to be featured in a Handy Andy advertisement. Consider power washing the outside too.

Stage your property

 If you don’t have the budget to hire an expert, there are various websites offering free tips and advice to stage rooms. The idea is to highlight the best features of every room. You might need to move furniture around – a chair that is limiting the space in the living room, might create a pleasant reading nook in the sunny foyer. If you are taking pictures to post on your website advertisement, make sure you highlight the fireplace and not the back of an old couch. Make sure there are no unpleasant smells anywhere, and have some fresh flowers on display.

Curb appeal

First impressions count, and many prospective buyers won’t even bother entering if they don’t like what they see from the street. Mow the lawn, paint the outside door, fix the number sign. Consider planting flowers to add some colour. The outside should be neat, clean and inviting.

Marketing

People are increasingly shopping for houses on the internet before they bother to sit a foot out the door. Pick a respectable website and make sure you provide sufficient information on the property – e.g. size, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking and security. Pictures are incredibly important – make sure yours highlight the selling points of your property.

Price it right

Your property can tick all the boxes, but if it is priced too high, it will be stuck on the market. Do your homework and make sure you have a realistic estimate of what similar properties in your area have achieved over the past few months. If you are really desperate to sell, consider adding additional incentives to the package, e.g. by offering to cover a part of the transfer costs.

Source:  PrivateProperty Reporter