8 steps to selling your house

Define Your Needs

Write down all the reasons for selling your home. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to sell and what do I expect to accomplish with the sale?” For example, a growing family may prompt your need for a larger home, or a job opportunity in another city may necessitate a move. For your goals, write down if you’d like to sell your house within a certain time frame or make a profit margin. Work with us to map out the best path to achieve your objectives and set a realistic timeframe for the sale.

Name Your Price

Your next objective should be to determine the best possible selling price for your house. Setting a fair asking price from the outset will generate the most activity from buyers. You will need to consider the condition of your home, what comparable homes in your neighborhood are selling for, and state of the overall market in your suburb. It’s often difficult to remain unbiased when putting a price on your home, so your Red Brick Properties’ expertise is invaluable at this step. Your Red Brick agent will know what comparable homes are selling for in your suburb and the average time those homes are sitting on the market.

If you want a truly objective opinion about the price of your home, you could have an appraisal done by the Red Brick team. Remember: You’re always better off setting a fair market value price than setting your price too high. Studies show that homes priced higher than 3 percent of their market value take longer to sell. If your home sits on the market for too long, potential buyers may think there is something wrong with the property. Often, when this happens, the seller should drop the price below market value to compete with newer, reasonably priced listings.

Prepare Your Home

Most of us don’t keep our homes in “showroom” condition. We tend to overlook piles of boxes in the garage, broken porch lights, and doors or windows that stick. It’s time to break out of that owner’s mindset and get your house in tip-top shape. The condition of your home will affect how quickly it sells and the price the buyer is willing to offer. First impressions are the most important. Your Red Brick agent can help you take a fresh look at your home and suggest ways to stage it and make it more appealing to buyers.

A home with too much “personality” is harder to sell. Removing family photos, mementos and personalised décor will help buyers visualize the home as theirs.

Make minor repairs and replacements. Small defects, such as a leaky tap, a torn screen or a worn doormat, can ruin the buyer’s first impression.

Clutter is a big no-no when showing your home to potential buyers. Make sure you have removed all knick-knacks from your shelves and cleared all your bathroom and kitchen counters to make every area seem as spacious as possible.

Before a home is listed for sale there must be a marketing contract in the hands of the agent prepared by your conveyancer. A licensed Building Consultant must be engaged to carry out the Building, Pest, and Energy Rating inspections and we can assist you with this process.

Get the Word Out

Now that you’re ready to sell, your Red Brick agent will set up a marketing strategy specifically for your home. There are many ways to get the word out, including:

  • The Internet including Facebook
  • Open houses
  • Media advertising
  • Buyers Database
  • Direct mail marketing campaigns in addition to listing your home on Allhomes.com.au and Realestate.com.au,

Your Red Brick agent will use a combination of these tactics to bring the most qualified buyers to your home.

Receive an Offer

When you receive a written offer from a potential buyer, your Red Brick agent will first find out whether or not the potential buyer is prequalified to buy your home by contacting their lending institution. If so, then you and your Red Brick agent will review the proposed offer, taking care to understand what is required of both parties to execute the transaction. If you have any questions or concerns, be certain to address them with your Red Brick agent right away.

Negotiate to Sell

Most offers to purchase your home will require some negotiating to come to a win-win agreement. Your Red Brick agent is well versed on the intricacies of good negotiations and will protect your best interest.

Prepare to Close

Once you accept an offer to sell your house, you will need to make a list of all the things you and your buyer must do before closing. The property may need to be formally valued, surveyed, inspected or repaired.

Close the Deal

“Settlement” refers to the meeting where ownership of the property is legally transferred to the buyer. After the closing, you should make a “to do” list for turning the property over to the new owners. Here is a checklist to get you started. * Cancel electricity, gas and other routine services. * Gather owner’s manuals and warranties for all conveying appliances to pass on to the buyer of your home.