This blog isn’t about whether or not it’s a good idea to sell privately: this blog is solely about giving a helping hand to those thinking about going this route.
As is with skinning cats, there are several ways to sell your home. I see many similarities between selling privately and with a DIY style online agent. The main part being that ultimately the responsibility for near on every aspect of the sale is with yourself. A DIY agent in my view would cover any agent that has no financial gain from whether you sell or do not sell.
So my top 10 tips for selling privately are:
1. Learn. Selling property is easy. Selling a property for the maximum price is not. Every hour you spend learning will be the best hourly rate of pay you’ve ever done.
2. Get three estate agents round to give you their valuation. Sure, you’ve got to sit with three estate agents and listen to a potentially gruelling sales spiel, but you also get to ask lots of useful questions about property and the local market. Get three very varying agents to garner the maximum variety of information.
3. Have a plan of action prior to starting. You need a benchmark. Set time-scales for each part. Eg. set marketing live 1st March……. review marketing stats 7th March. Planning is more about mindset than anything else. You need to review what’s going on.
4. Get your property professionally photographed. Not half professional or a bit of effort. Maximum effort is required in setting and photographing your property.
5. Get a decent floorplan with dimensions. Very rarely is it suitable to not do this.
6. Write a description like a human being. Nobody reads monotonous drone about plug sockets and whether your ceiling is smooth set or not.
7. Don’t talk too much when you’re showing someone round the house. Especially a first viewing. They just want to look around, be as free from awkwardness as possible and decide if they like the space or not. “If you have any questions please do ask.”
8. Don’t annoy people and don’t get annoyed by people. This attitude will save you a lot of stress. Just trust me on this one.
9. Offers. This is where I see most mistakes from sellers and buyers. Don’t hard-ball offers. Thank everyone that puts an offer forward and say you’ll think about it. And do think about it. If it’s a no, say that you appreciate their offer but that it’s not quite high enough for you. If in doubt, be very clear with what you’re after. Don’t keep saying no to them without some form of encouragement for them to keep trying.
10. Take feedback from viewings with a pinch of salt. You’re selling in a manner with zero qualification of any buyers. You’ll never actually know how serious each buyer is. It’s hard to not take things personally when it’s your own home, but some people genuinely do like picking fault in stuff. It’s often nothing against the home but it may be their way of trying to negotiate the price down because their mate down the pub said it was a good tactic.
11. Be wary of those that are too excited about your home on viewing. People go a little bit stern when they’re seriously considering buying. Those that sway hugely with their emotions are most likely to change their mind. If someone is SUPER excited about the property on first viewing, get them back again before accepting an offer. You want to see that serious face. Not the jubilantly excited face, but the stern face that has considered the rather large commitment to purchase the property.
Writing this rather short list has made me realise I’ve got at least one hundred more tips off the top of my head. If you’ve got any questions about selling please do drop me a line, I am mostly very helpful. [email protected].
