GoPrivate - Real Estate, Private Sales, Owner Sales, For Sale by Owner, Perth, Western Australia, WA

SELLING TIPS

Valuing Your Property

The first step towards selling your property is to determine a realistic marketing price. You may have a good feel for values in your area and be confident enough to set your own price. If however you are unsure, consider engaging the services of a licensed valuer. Valuers will check up on all available properties in your area and also those which have sold in recent times. Unlike real estate agents, a valuer has no financial interest in your property. The valuer will be paid for their services regardless of whether or not your property sells and therefore will base their valuation on facts alone.

If you under price your property and sell it immediately, you will always wonder if you could have gotten more. Over pricing is even worse. The greatest interest in a property is generally when it first comes onto the market. Over pricing your property will deter genuine early buyers who may have been prepared to pay you a fair price. Don't fall for the trap of putting a high price on your property and expecting people to make offers. Most buyers won't waste their time looking if they think that you have inflated your price. You must be competitive with similar properties in your area or you will be overlooked every time. If your property stays on the market for too long, people tend to assume that there is something wrong with it and you may eventually be forced to drop your price to less than what those early buyers would have paid. Don't be too greedy, put a realistic price on your property and seriously consider any early offers. These will quite often be the best offers you will receive.

(P.S. If you would like some sales history for your area, please contact us and we will be happy to send you out a full report of recent sales and currently available properties in your area at no cost).

Presentation

To achieve the best possible price for your property, presentation is vital. Here are some commonsense tips which will help to leave a lasting impression on potential buyers.

Lawns and garden beds should be lush and weed free. Keep all edges clipped and plants trimmed. Fresh mulch will enhance the appearance of your garden beds.

Concrete drives and paths, gutters, downpipes, fences, patios and any other outdoor structures should be painted.

Brick paving will look like new if you blast it with a high pressure cleaner.

Throw away all loose rubbish and ask the kids to put away their toys and bikes when people are coming for an inspection.

Have your carpets professionally cleaned and polish all hard flooring.

Try where possible to keep pets outside and especially off carpeted areas. Also don't smoke in the house. Most people adjust to the smell of their own house and can't smell cigarettes and pets. Be assured that everybody else will smell them and this can be a huge turn off. Make sure your home smells nice!

Go through your house room by room and fix up anything that looks a bit untidy. Chipped walls, flaking paint, broken curtains and blinds, leaking taps, cracked tiles and shower screens. Every little bit helps.

Bathrooms, toilets, kitchens and laundrys should be sparkling clean. Skirting boards, window sills and furniture should be dusted and cobwebs removed.

Don't leave unnecessary items lying around, this will clutter the house and make it feel small. Try to arrange your furniture in a way that maximises the space and appeal of your home.

If bedroom carpets are in poor condition, replace them. Don't, however, replace carpets in living areas as most people these days prefer tiles, timber or other easy to clean surfaces. The new owners will possibly take up the carpets even if they are new.

There are many other ways to enhance the appeal of your home. Just remember, don't spend too much money unless you are assured of getting it back. A lick of paint and a lot of elbow grease will make an enormous difference to your home.

Showing Your Home To Buyers

When buyers arrive to view your home don't try to be a super sales person. Be friendly, but don't smother people by following them around pointing out the obvious. ie: "This is the kitchen, this is the toilet" Most people know what kitchens and toilets look like. Ask the buyers if they would like you to show them through your home or if they would prefer to browse around on their own. Most buyers would prefer to wander through at their own leisure. They will feel a lot more relaxed and tend to stay longer if you leave them alone. They will soon seek you out if they have any questions. If your property is priced and presented well, it will sell itself.

Council Approvals

Prior to putting your property on the market, it is a good idea to check with your local council to ensure that all buildings and improvements have been council approved. If you find that something is not approved, it is advisable to make application to add such structures to the council plan. Potential buyers are generally very nervous about the prospect of purchasing a property which has unauthorised improvements. To put their minds at ease, have a full set of plans available for their perusal.

Septic Tanks and Deep Sewerage

If your property is located in an area which was established prior to the availability of deep sewerage and deep sewerage has since become available, you must be aware of the following;

If you have not connected to deep sewerage, you must advise potential purchasers that they will have to connect within twelve months of settlement and also have the old septic tanks decommissioned.
If you have connected to deep sewerage but have not decommissioned the septic tanks, you must advise potential purchasers that they will have to decommission the old septic tanks within sixty days of settlement.
Decommissioning involves pumping the tanks out, breaking up the bases of the tanks to allow water to soak through and filling them with clean sand which should be compacted.
Specifications may vary slightly in certain areas and we recommend that you check with you local council, the W.A. Health Department and the Water Corporation for exact requirements.

Negotiating and Writing a Contract

Most private sales are negotiated verbally, with the contracts only being filled in once a verbal agreement on price and terms has been reached. If you are able to reach an agreement with a buyer, one of our recommended Settlement Agents will be happy to assist you with the contracts to ensure that everything is correct and that both parties are fully protected. Most buyers will be a lot more comfortable if the Settlement Agent is able to assist. Many of the Settlement Agents in our Associated Services section offer a mobile service and will be happy to come to you to assist with the contracts.

For those of you who are confident enough to fill in the contracts yourselves, our comprehensive "Private selling kit" contains the "Offer and Acceptance" forms plus simple, easy to follow instructions which will guide you through the process of completing the forms.

Once completed, both parties simply forward copies of the completed contract to their nominated Settlement Agent.

The Settlement Agent will ensure that the contract is written correctly and will also complete the entire settlement process, right through to handover date.

Handover Of Property

Handover is always a hectic time and can be become very difficult when one party is trying to move out, the other is trying to move in and somewhere in between the property must be cleaned. It is important when you set a settlement date to remember that, unless the property is vacant, the vendor has until noon on the day after settlement to hand over the keys. If the property is vacant, the keys should be handed over upon settlement. Courtesy and flexibility are the key words. Purchasers should be provided with a full set of keys, the property should be thoroughly cleaned, the garden trimmed and all loose debris removed. Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Fixtures

It is important that both vendors and purchasers have a clear understanding of what stays with the property. For more information on this subject, go to our buyers tips section.