One of the biggest decisions when considering a lifestyle change is timing the selling of your property.

When do you put your house on the market? Does it need to be show home perfect? Or do you put your new lifestyle on hold whilst you wait another year until you and the house are ready?

One of the biggest decisions when considering a lifestyle change is timing the selling of your property. When do you put your house on the market? Does it need to be show home perfect? Or do you put your new lifestyle on hold whilst you wait another year until you and the house are ready?

As you can imagine there is a lot of debate at the moment with the current housing market situation:

“If I sell my house now will I be able to afford the house I want?”

“Why should I take my personal photographs down for home opens?”

“Should I renovate or sell as is?”

These and many more questions have been asked recently by our clients.

Downsizing doesn’t have to be Hard:

When you are beginning the process of looking at selling your property, you obviously want the best price you can possibly get. But if you’re unsure of where to start or what to do first, here are a few things you may wish to consider:

  1. THE RIGHT REAL ESTATE AGENT– there are a lot of real estate agents out there vying for your business.
    1. Three Agents are Better than One – We would recommend not one but three evaluations on your property. Maybe you can be referred a real estate agent that has done work for someone you know or select from ones that seems prominent in your area. They may all give you a similar pricing – but the next point is important to selecting the right one for you.
    2. Proven & Trusted – It’s important to choose an agent with local experience and but also with a proven track record of consistent sales. Ask the agents you speak to for a list of their recent sales for the past few months. This will be a good indicator as to how successful they are. Another way would be to ask them for a couple of recent client referrals from houses they have sold.
    3. Proactive – Ensure your real estate agent is willing to go the extra mile to get you the best price and quickest sale. If they just come in and have a quick look and say $x amount – rather than discussing the possible marketing strategy options for you – then they are not in it for you. They should be providing you a great customer service – as well as the buyers!
  2. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE – if you do your homework before going to a real estate agent there shouldn’t be any surprises when it comes to pricing your home for sale. Best to check Real Estate Industry of WA and see what other properties of similar age/style/size and condition are being valued at.
  3. REALISTIC PRICING – the market may appear to be on a slowdown trend. If you have done your research – and the evaluation doesn’t come up to the price you were thinking – then ask the real estate agent why? Don’t be stuck on wanting to sell for $1.5m if in your neighbourhood they are averaging at $950K – you could be waiting a long time for a buyer!
  4. WOULD YOU BUY YOUR HOUSE? – What would you be looking for when buying a property? Would you be looking at a space that needs a little bit of work doing to it, or a space you can live in right now? Does your current home reflect those same kinds of values or do you need to make some changes? For instance packing away, storing or removing some personal possessions can improve perceptions of light and space which may improve saleability.
  5. GREAT ONLINE APPEAL – it’s not just about kerb appeal these days. More people are doing their research online, so it makes sense to ensure your online presence and the photos stand out amongst the other properties that are on sale. A well-presented online profile and photos that highlight the space in a positive light should get more people in the home open door.
  6. GREAT KERBSIDE APPEAL – you’ve taken the time and effort to get people to come to view your home, so make the most of it by ensuring the outside looks as good (if not better) as the inside. Remember first impressions count and sometimes they are just driving by to see if they want to come in!
  7. DON’T OVER CAPITALISE – it may be tempting to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms, but you may find that you cannot recoup on your investment. Before considering making massive changes to your property consider costs vs. benefits of getting your house saleable vs. a slightly lower price and letting the new property owners put their stamp on their new home.

A Lifestyle Change Coordinator can assist you with preparing your home for sale, from decluttering ready for that all-important photo shoot – to helping you undertake some home beautification (which we’ll be talking about in our next blog). We understand that this process can be time-consuming and at times physically demanding. We have the knowledge and the resources to minimise the stress associated with downsizing and moving.

If you’d like to discover more about how NLV and NE Solutions work together to create your personalised journey planner, give us a call today on 08 6298 0888.

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Information in this article is true and correct as of 1 August 2017.

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