Selling your own home has never been easier. Thanks to the internet and social media, putting your home up for sale can be relatively quick and pain free. If you have time and are organised, patient and willing to work hard, then selling your home without using an estate agent can save you money. It is however not for the inexperienced, but it can be done. As with most do it yourself options, there are advantages and disadvantages to this kind of solution, here are just a few;
Advantages
- It saves you money. Estate agent’s fees can be as much as 2.5% of the final price of your home, meaning that on a $150,000 property you could save as much as $3,750!
- Going it alone cuts out the middle man and allows you to deal with buyers direct, which is a major plus for anyone who (like me!) has fallen out with agents in the past.
Disadvantages
- You don’t have the estate agents knowledge and insight into the local market. You can easily lose money by undervaluing your house, or not sell it because you price it too highly.
- You have to show the house yourself to potential buyers, which is problematic if you have a full time job.
- You still have to spend money on advertising, but do so without the network and marketing access an estate agent has.
- You’re not an experienced negotiator and might not get the best price from a buyer.
So, what are the best tips that someone can take with them when it comes to selling your own home online? Jet Homes are specialists in the area, providing an online service that allows you to sell your property online and they have a few handy suggestions.
Tips on selling your own home
- Use estate agents by getting three or four round to value your house and pretend you will use them. Pay attention to what they say and put that into practice. Get ideas on prices, decor and even little tips and tricks such as the smell of fresh coffee to give your home that welcoming feel to any potential buyer when they visit.
- Compare your house to similar houses on the market or those that have recently sold. Sites such as Zoopla provide some really nice insights into the market around your area.
- Produce accurate measurements of the property, and if you are not confident employ a surveyor to do a floor-plan. Make sure you receive all plans in a digital format, this makes it easier to upload directly to third party sites and or your social media profiles.
- Use high quality photographs or employ a photographer for an hour to make sure your house is accurately lit and really shows off the selling power of your home.
- As the potential buyers will be calling you directly, make sure you answer the phone in a professional manner. Some people like to have a crib sheet they can refer to help them talk to the person on the other end of the line. Include things like, number of rooms, nearest schools and medical facilities etc.
- Invest in a high quality “For Sale” These usually cost £40-50. So much more impressive than a homemade one. Between a third and half of all sales are generated by a ‘For Sale’ sign.
- Set up a temporary email address so that you can this keep your selling process more organised without adding to the amount of spam in your inbox! Google and Yahoo provide a monthly email account for free or you could invest in a “business” format which starts from £3.99 a month.
- Be prepared to hold viewings whenever it suits a potential buyer. Most viewings happen at weekends and evenings so make sure that your calendar is free in these periods.
- Get an energy performance certificate. These are a legal requirement and contain information on your home’s typical energy use and cost, as well as a recommendation of how to reduce energy consumption. They usually cost $70 to $90
- Don’t be afraid to go back. If after several months you haven’t sold, approach an estate agent, there’s no shame in it. Talk through the things you found when you were speaking to potential buyers as this will help the estate agent form an idea of what things were working and maybe what wasn’t.
You can find more specific information at readysteadysell.co.uk.
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