Published: 15/08/2019
As a property seller, you will want to achieve the best possible price for your home.Setting the right asking price is crucial when it comes to selling your property, but some potential buyers may want to haggle, so you will want to make sure that you are in a good position to negotiate in order to achieve the right sum for your home.
At Bryan & Keegan, we have used our knowledge and experience to outline the best steps that sellers can take to achieve their asking price or above.
Get to know your market
In order to make sure you have the right asking price to start with, you may wish to consider using property websites to review sales prices on your street, focusing especially on the last six months. Bear in mind that you will need to compare your price with sold prices and not guide prices.
Your chosen estate agent, too, will have wide-ranging knowledge of the local market and price trends, and will be able to assist you in these early stages.
As well as this, it’s important to get a feel for the demand in the area in which you’re looking to sell. South London, for example, has strong and consistent demand from buyers as it’s typically more affordable than more central locations while also offering very fast connections to the capital’s key employment and cultural hubs.
The latest survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) also found that buyer demand perked up for the first time since late 2016 in June – which suggests that, even in the face of Brexit uncertainty, buyers are starting to take decisive action.
Set a realistic asking price
Once you have studied your local market and got a feel for demand, it’s time to set your asking price. Consider marketing yours at a competitive price, as this could help to attract more buyers. Be careful, though, as setting the asking price too high could discourage potential buyers, while pitching it too low could undermine the true value of your home.
However, after taking conditions of the local market and current trends into account, your agent will be on hand to set a fair and realistic asking price for your home. By pitching it correctly, you can increase the chances of offers being made.
Sort out the quick fixes
Before you come to sell your home, it will obviously need to be well-presented and in fine condition throughout. Once you have decluttered and tidied your property from top to bottom, it’s worth going through and noting down any quick fixes that can be made.
Prospective buyers will have a keen eye for any small areas in need of repair, so look out for holes in walls, cracks in plaster, broken tiles and torn carpet, making sure you get them fixed before your first viewing.
Hone your marketing strategy
With so many people now searching for property online, it’s vital that your agent lists your property on all the major portals to maximise exposure. At Bryan & Keegan, we list properties on Rightmove, Zoopla and PrimeLocation, as well as our own website, to get as many eyes as possible on your home.
You want your property to reach lots of prospective buyers, and this can be helped by more traditional methods as well, such as having a prominent spot in the agent’s high street office window and putting a For Sale board outside your home to attract any would-be buyers passing by.
Use your estate agent’s expertise
To give yourself the best chance of achieving your asking price or above, you will need to instruct a well-established agent with good local knowledge used to selling property like yours. Estate agents live and breathe property sales and are experienced in negotiation and attracting buyers to a property.
Once a buyer is interested in your property, it’s likely that they will want to negotiate on the price. This is where your agent will shine and have your best interests at heart to achieve a good sale.
Summer is an excellent time to bring a property to the market, as showing your home off at its best is much easier when the days are long and warm. In the summer, you should place particular focus on features such as garden space and BBQ areas which could improve your chances of selling.
With a hands-on agent, detailed preparation and a solid marketing campaign, you can improve your chances of achieving the highest possible price for your property.
To find out more about selling your home this summer, we have offices in Brockley, Hither Green and Park Lane where you can find out more about bringing your home to market.
If you would like an idea of how much your home could be worth on the current market, we also offer instant online valuations.