If you are thinking about selling your property but don’t know where to start then our blog might provide some useful tips and suggestions……..
- Use a local agent who you feel confident in
Local knowledge helps to sell the local area as well as the property to people out with the region. With the wonderful internet we live in a Global society these days and we have seen a number of buyers from south of the border; the central belt and highlands and even internationally looking for property. We are finding that many of the viewers from out with the region are also looking at property elsewhere in Scotland this is when knowing the local area comes into its own.
- Go and visit the local agents as if you are a house purchaser
This will give you an idea of how proactive they will be at selling your property if you choose them to market your home. Many agents do offer free pre-market appraisals of your property which will provide you with a fee estimate of the costs involved in selling your property in terms of the solicitors firms they will provide you with a breakdown of Estate Agency only Fees and Conveyancing Fees. This gives sellers flexibility to either keep everything ‘in-house’ or lets them use one agent for the Estate Agency and perhaps retain a long standing relationship with another solicitor. Your Agent is there to sell your property – don’t just go for the cheapest quote – consider what you get for your money.
Ask plenty of questions at a pre-market appraisal; is there a mailing list of potential buyers? Do you follow up home report downloads?
- Valuation/asking price
Ultimately the pre-market appraisal will also give you a rough indication of the property valuation which will vary from agent to agent but this is ultimately decided by the surveyor who will eventually be instructed to carry out the Home Report valuation. It is the Surveyors that decide on the value of the property looking at recent comparable property sales as well as looking at the demand for this particular type of property.
It can sometimes take a large number of enquiries to convert to one viewing; therefore having quality advertising coverage of your property to make it stand out from the rest – for all the right reasons.
- Marketing & Photography
We place a lot of emphasis on the photography we undertake of the house which is normally done by the staff within the firm however we do have good working relationships with a professional photographer who can take photos if required. We also work with a local firm, ‘Galloway Aerial’, who can provide aerial footage and stills as well as internal video tours. These ‘bolt-ons’ are all optional extras and, whilst they are available to all clients, we will specifically suggest them where we think appropriate.
Aerial Photography is a useful tool to show a property’s location in context. It can sometimes be difficult, in one ‘front photo’, to convey the size of a rear garden (which is itself a selling feature) along with say a stunning view. Likewise internal video tours are becoming more common and the feedback we have had from potential buyers is that it helps give them an idea of a property before coming to view from a large distance. The internal video tour can also provide as a useful refresh for purchasers who have perhaps viewed a number of properties on the same day.
These tools such as the drone footage really aren’t as expensive as you may think ….(Galloway Aerial Price List)
The internal video tours have been better at increasing interest via social media rather than a simple link to a listing; the videos automatically play on Facebook and grab attention as well as being a useful tool on the likes of Rightmove, Zoopla and Primelocation – it is recommended by these websites to have as many images and as much information as possible on each listing; as the feeling from the teams between these websites is that the more information they click on for a specific property should result in a click through to the agent to generate an enquiry.
Get in touch ………..to see how we can help you sell your property…
