Maximizing Your Property Sale Potential: 5 Essential Tips You Need to Know

Compare different real estate agencies and negotiate their agency agreement

New Zealand has lots of different real estate agencies so it is important you find the right real estate agent that suits your needs. Make sure you read the agency agreement.  You are entitled to negotiate the length of the term of the agreement, your right to cancel the agreement, how much the marketing fees will be and the commission the agent will receive if they sell your property. Find an agent who can break down why the house will sell for an estimated price i.e. nearby sales, market conditions, buyer interest etc. as opposed to an agent who will give you a number without any reasoning.  You want to find someone who is a deal maker as opposed to an order taker i.e. someone who will engage and build rapport with buyers at open homes as opposed to someone who needs to be told what to do.

If you would like a recommendation, we can provide you with a no obligations introduction to a real estate agent. Please contact us to find out more or check out these links below.

How to compare and choose a real estate agent

6 Lies Real Estate Agents Tell You

How To Negotiate Real Estate Agents' Fees

Do your due diligence about what your home is worth

The internet has plenty of websites that provide you with an estimated value of your property for free. As always, please treat any website that provides you with anything for free as an indicative value. Useful websites to give you ballpark value are:

QV

Homes

TradeMe

What site is better?

Even if you pay for a valuation, which will utilise expert advice to justify what the property may sell for, a property’s value is never known until it is sold.  

First impressions are everything

Do all the spring cleaning, de-cluttering, touch ups you have been putting off doing. Move all your personal photos, memories, kids drawings etc. into storage so that potential buyers can imagine living at their future home not yours. Here are some top tips for what you can do to make your open home a success.

Talk to your real estate agent about any ideas they may have.

Decide how you want to sell your home

How you decide to sell your home will depend on your own circumstances. Your real estate agent and lawyer can help tailor a plan that suits your needs. If you want to know how the three most common sale methods work, click here.

Be up front about any issues

The standard form of sale and purchase agreement in New Zealand requires the vendor to give certain warranties in relation to various matters in the agreement e.g. the vendor often provides a warranty that the chattels sold with the Property are in reasonable working order.  If a warranty is breached, the purchaser can seek compensation equal to the cost of remedying the breach.  

If you do not have all the required consents for your property e.g. you did not obtain a code compliance certificate for a building extension, you should address this before you put your property on the market. Please contact us if you require any help with this as we can recommend a building inspector or we can amend the agreement to disclose this issue.

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