Selling your home is a big competition

It’s a competition and you have a part to play!

The process of buying and selling property is no different than going out to buy a new car, a new outfit or even just out for a coffee. The world of sales is all about competition and as a seller, you must do all you can to ensure your ware, that is your property, is offered for sale in the best possible way.

Imagine taking a walk along the main street looking for a coffee shop to grab a quick drink. You want somewhere clean, inviting, with atmosphere. You may look for somewhere a bit trendy. You will probably walk past one or two shops before settling on your choice. You make all of these decisions quickly in your mind, more than likely without realising it and house hunters do exactly the same thing. You are unlikely to stop at an establishment with dirty tables etc. Likewise, when searching for a new home, the biggest purchase any of us are ever going to make, we like to buy the best that’s on offer.

When selling your biggest asset, you enter into a competition and a fierce one at that, and it all starts even before your property is placed on the market.

Clean it, declutter it, love it to the point you want it to shine!

Prior to the photo shoot for your listing, invest in flowers and place in vases on dining tables, kitchen tables, maybe in the bathroom. Have displays of brightly coloured fruit in your kitchen. Set places at dining tables. Brighten up neutral colour schemes with cushions on sofas or beds and place fresh, fluffy towels in bathrooms and loo areas. These easy touches will help the photographer take great shots of your home which is a vital part of the process.

New properties are listed daily on the property portals, PropertyNews and PropertyPal and these are the places house hunters go shopping and in most cases, they won’t know exactly what they are looking for. They may know, for example, they want 3 bedrooms, 2 receptions, a garden etc. in a certain area but what that looks like exactly, they don’t know. So they look at the houses on sale, maybe they’ve refined the search to include their budget and once they scroll through the listings, the only thing they’ll see is your first photograph. Maybe they’ll like this, they’ll check the price before going further and if it still suits, they may actually click onto your property. If not, you’ve lost them. It’s that cut throat.

If they do click through to your listing, this is where you want your property photos to really sell your home and really grab their attention. If they don’t, the house hunter will quickly move on and again, you’ve lost them. If the photos do attract them, they’ll read the description. If this is dull and standard, “3 beds, 2 recs, rear garden in lawn and UPVC windows throughout….” again, potential buyers can lose interest and head off to the next listing.

You want your photos and descriptions to grab and keep attention and inspire a potential buyer to want to see more. Video tours and floor plans can keep interest even further with the main objective being to secure a viewing for your property and hopefully then offers and a sale.

Remember, the process is that of selling your biggest asset, to get you the best possible price at the time of sale. Work with your estate agent to market your property as best you can. If they aren’t doing what you feel is enough, tackle them about it, ask for photos to be re-taken, descriptions to be changed. It’s your product, you’re selling it together, you need to be happy with how it’s presented.

If you’re thinking of selling or you’re already on the market but unhappy with how your property has been marketed, give us a call and we can give you a valuation and discuss how best to take your asset to market so we can get started together on getting you moving.