Selling For The First Time..
Selling your home can be an emotionally fraught experience, especially if it is your first time. The home you poured your hopes and dreams – not to mention hard-earned cash – into. Maybe you bought it with the intent of reselling eventually, or maybe you just outgrew the place you thought you’d grow old in. Whatever the reason, it will always be somewhat bittersweet selling for the first time.
Don’t be intimidated!
Don’t let yourself be intimidated by the process, and use real estate professionals to your advantage. The Real Estate Institute of Australia has a free fact sheet for people looking to sell for the first time. Make sure any agents you do choose are familiar with your area and have first-hand experience selling property like yours. Don’t go with the first flyer to appear in your letterbox either. Shop around, talk to people and get feedback. Choose an agent you feel comfortable with and who you feel understands your needs.
When it comes to the job of actually selling the house, again don’t be intimidated! You don’t have to accept the first offer that comes your way – unless of course you want to. At the same time, don’t be stubborn or unrealistic in your expectations of offers. Remember you have an emotional attachment to the property that might be clouding your judgement.
Ask for help
If you are really floundering and feel all at sea when it comes to selling, friends and family members who have bought or sold recently are a great source of first-hand knowledge. Tap them for information about local markets, buyers and agents. Get someone you trust to give you an honest appraisal of your property from an outsider’s perspective.
You might find you need to do a few little things around the house to get it sales-ready: a coat of paint here, a few weeds yanked out there. This is another area where you could enlist help if you need it.
Look around
Visit open houses in your area, paying close attention to the way the houses are ‘staged’ both inside and out. There’s nothing wrong with stealing some inspiration from others, especially if decorating and design are not your thing. Also try to visit any properties that seem similar to yours in both size and condition, to get a feel for what is out there and how yours compares.
Finally, keep an eye on auctions and sales in your area on our Dowling Lake Macquarie website as It can be a reassuring – or sobering – experience to see exactly how the numbers all stack up. Remember though that each property is unique and if yours is in extra good condition or at a special location, then you could be in for a pleasant surprise.