5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID A PRIVATE SALE!

Another fuel price hike is looming in June. Considering that, as well as already having to cope with rising food prices, the VAT increase etc, many property owners may want to opt to save on the ‘high’ commission of a estate agent and rather try to sell your property privately through the various online options, but do you know all the risks involved? Here are five good reasons to rather let the professionals do the hard work of selling your property.

1. PRICELESS KNOWLEDGE

It is with good reason that estate agents these days must meet stringent educational requirements and commit to continuous training. There’s the constant changes to legislation governing property transactions; e.g. certificates of compliance; that agents are aware of, but you wouldn’t generally know about. Agents are equipped to guide you through the entire selling process: responding to initial enquiries, sifting through the callers, showing the property, responding to questions and concerns and finally closing the deal. Sellers inexperienced to the property market, could find themselves making ‘repairs’ which in reality are improvements.

2. TIME

Selling property successfully is a full-time job. This is something, when selling your own property, you don’t realize until you are in the process. You need to consider whether you are prepared to deal with calls from prospective buyers and repeat showing of the property, even on weekends.

It is an estate agent job to do follow-up calls and to be available to assist interested buyers. Everyone’s time is valuable these days. Estate agents will be saving them a lot of hassle.

3. EMOTIONAL DISTANCE

Selling a property can often an emotional experience for you. Having an estate agent puts a little more distance between yourself and the selling process, where as dealing directly could lead to you making costly mistakes such as overpricing, or on the other hand settling too easily for an offer that is below market-value because you feel pressurized to sell. As an agent, without any emotional ties to the property, they are in a better position to objectively focus on getting you the best deal possible for your property.

4. KNOWING THE PLAYING FIELD

The agent would know a vast array of contacts that could assist in bringing in prospective buyers as they know the role players in the property industry. The extent of the marketing campaign is vast, and you will soon see the value of what the agent has to offer.

5. MARKETING

Proper marketing these days entail far more than merely posting a few snapshots on Facebook and maybe placing a classified ad in the local newspaper. An estate agent knows what marketing strategy to apply to best reach the intended target market (and they are also better qualified to know which market segment to target).

They know how a property and its interior should be photographed to best display the strengths of the property.

Hosting show days can be very stressful to private owners. The agent takes over the responsibility of ensuring the property is displayed at its best and they can advise the seller on simple things that could make the property more attractive. They also take the responsibility to make sure the necessary safety measures are in place.

All in all, it is smart for you to let estate agents market your properties