Date Posted: 18/07/18
Summer Selling – Some are not!
As we fast approach the traditional holiday season, the local market, unlike the weather, has cooled a little!
An increase in the supply of homes for sale is giving buyers more choice and as a result, they are taking a little longer to make up their minds about which home to buy.
In a market like this, some sellers need to ‘up their game’ a little to ensure their property really tempts potential buyers. Making sure your home is looking at its very best, from that first impression of the outside to ensuring the inside is well presented and as clutter free as possible, is essential.
Your price is just as important in tempting buyers, so listen to your agent’s advice if they genuinely feel the price needs an adjustment to make it far more competitive.
Thinking of selling?
If you are now at the stage of putting your house on the market, make sure your agent gives you recent comparables of what they have actually sold in your area and the prices they have realistically achieved. If there is an agent that gives you a valuation that sounds too good to be true, it probably is! They may just be trying to get you to sign up with them and may reduce the price later on. This can risk your home becoming stale and possibly even achieving a lower price than you would have expected by being on the market for too long and being ignored by potential ‘hot’ buyers for this reason.
With a slightly firmer market, it is more important than ever to choose your estate agent wisely. Whilst cheaper internet-only offerings may seem tempting, you usually pay them just to list your home and so they have no real incentive to actually sell it.
This is the time when traditional, high-quality, experienced estate agents come in to their own. They know their buyers well and instead of just relying on enquiries from property portals, they are on the phones, every day, actively promoting your home to potential buyers they know are genuinely looking in your area - and you only pay them if they are successful in selling your property.
On the bright side, however, property is still selling and with realistically priced homes, this often happens in a matter of a few weeks. Nevertheless, if you are hoping to be in your next home by the Autumn, then you need to start the process now! Recent reports are saying that the conveyancing process, and in many areas local authority searches too, are taking longer than they have for many years.
Demand remains strong for brand new homes and Putterills’ specialist Land and New Homes department has a range of properties from town centre apartments to luxury family homes in village locations available now. Please contact us for more information.
As always, whether you are buying, selling or have land that you need advice on, why not speak to your local Trusted Property Experts.
