Whether it was those must-have boots that cut your feet furiously or that all-cleansing juice diet that did something similar to your insides, we’ve all experienced buyer’s remorse at one point or another. Down a sum of say, €200, we’ve suffered the consequences financially (and sometimes, physically), learnt our lesson and moved on.
Needless to say, when it comes to buyer’s remorse on an enormous investment like a home, the stakes are considerably higher.
Meticulous preparation is key. Here are five common mistakes that can easily be avoided. Knowledge is power.
Going solo
We’ve all been guilty of googling our symptoms when we’re feeling unwell. Within minutes of an initial, clumsy search, we’ve frantically diagnosed ourselves with every terrifying illness under the sun. The moral of the story? Consult a professional.
The same rule applies when trying to navigate the housing market as an amateur. Consider the amount of money at stake, the potentially life-changing legal implications. The panic of the unknown. Professionals like Moovingo remove a lot of the pain and act as a buffer between you and the unknown so you can be assured that your property is successfully marketed to the right client. They’ve been trained to expertly tread this particular type of terrain. Many times.
The blind side
Buyers expect a certain level of visual enticement: After all, seeing is believing. Photos are a key aspect of the marketing of your home and a DIY job just won’t do.
A professional photographer will hone in on your property’s best assets so that you can draw in potential buyers. But don’t be afraid to let them know what you want. Photos should be taken in daylight and from multiple angles. Never, ever try to skim over damage. Point it out to your photographer and ask for it to be documented. Face and address problems head-on – potential buyers will ultimately feel duped by any effort to brush aside damage, no matter how minor. Building trust and credibility are far more important than painting a pretty picture.
Add a fresh coat of paint, a few sessions of rigorous cleaning and ensure to maximize all of your property’s light.
Being dishonest won’t win you any favours. Deliberately misleading a potential buyer will not only aggravate them but news of this experience may spread to other potential buyers too. Before telling any white lies, think of the negative impact this will have on your reputation and weigh it up against the cost it would take to actually fix any of those defects that you are trying disguise.
Get social
Once your property is as pretty as a picture, it’s time to find the best place to distribute said picture. Social media plays an ever-increasing role in the housing market and it pays to market your house in a creative and compelling way. Story-telling is key. Think about your potential buyer. What are they more likely to click on – a visually arresting, glossy image of their potential new home or, a low-res, blurry phone photo with poor composition?
Selling a house, not a home
Don’t assume that every house is immediately considered as a potential home. Whether it’s a starter home or a forever home, the buyer needs to connect on an emotional level with the property. Think back to your own experience of buying the house – what was it that led you to visualize this as a home?
There are endless tweaks you can do to appeal to the customer. A hollow house creates a hollow experience. By all means de-clutter, but lend your house the charm it deserves. Remove anything too personal like photos, framed certificates that will cause the buyer to associate the home too much with you. You want them to be able to daydream and picture how they would wrap their own lives around it.
In saying that, you want to ensure that you strike a balance between tidy and ‘dressed’ – statistically, show homes generally don’t appeal to real customers.
Ask and you may not receive
Selling-up is not a decision that is taken lightly. You may have a strong connection with a property, lots of sentimental memories. And with that, when it comes to doing the deed, you may have quite high expectations of your buyer. Emotional value has no place in pricing a house, so when it comes to figures, leave the feelings at the door.
Setting an unrealistic price and expecting it, won’t win you any offers. But worry not, a decent estate agent will stop you from going totally off track. They will work with you to research the market and find a suitable price, while also cultivating a sales strategy that will attract a multitude of buyers. Be willing to negotiate slightly, as this approach is almost always expected from both the agent and the buyer.
Selling your house is a rite of passage that, with a bit of luck, most of us go through at least once in our lives. Make it as painless as possible by preparing properly, being upfront, fixing all the niggly bits and offering a competitive price. Good luck!
For more on sidestepping a disastrous selling process choose Moovingo as your estate agent. For more information go to Moovingo.com
