Selling your house is a major milestone. There is a lot to consider when preparing to sell – with open homes and paperwork it can be a consuming process. Some sellers do however want to do it themselves through private sale. Whether that is to avoid the real-estate agent fees, to market the home in their own manner or if they have their own plan for the home sale.
A private sale simply means you have chosen not to use a real estate agent. And can easily be done particularly when the market is busy as it is currently. There are some things that you should consider if you are looking to sell your home property. Shopless has looked into things that you should know when selling your property through private sale.
Market Research and Valuation
Prior to listing your property it is important to know the worth of your property. This is because commonly private sales tend to be sold at a lower price than through an agent. This is often due to either the seller being happy to settle for a lower price due to not paying agent fees. Or because the seller has not done extensive research on the current market rate of their home. Gaining a property valuation is simple and there are a few ways to gain perspective on the worth of a property.
Firstly there are online tools to gain an estimate of the worth of your property, however they do not take into account the condition or improvements that have been made. So an in person valuation is recommended. To do this you can either organise an agent to look at your property, and evaluate how much they would recommend selling it for (an appraisal). Or for more accuracy you can get the property appraised through registered valuers such as on https://propertyinstitute.nz/ This will offer the best insight in to much you should be selling your property first, and in discussion with one or multiple valuers you can gauge whether houses are selling around or above GV.
Preparing your Home to Sell
If you feel you need to make changes to your property before selling it is important to consider how much value will be added. Major renovations such as bathroom or kitchen renovations may be very expensive, and although they should add value to your home it is important to ensure it is within your budget prior to the sale of your home. Easy changes can be a deep clean or tidy of the home, or gardening. Settled.govt.nz suggests making a home presentable and inviting in order to gain interest.
Marketing Your Home
When you sell your home through a realestate agent they are a part of certain marketing avenues such as a property magazine. For private sellers they do not get quite the same luxury so they need to find their own places to market their property, while ensuring that the marketing is kept within a set budget. Online marketplaces such as Shopless are a great place to list your home for free, and you can advertise open homes or boost your post to be seen.
Additionally you can list your home through news papers, or ensure you have a open hoe sign up with contact details to attract buyers in the area. In recent years people have shown interest in homes without any advertisements such as questions on community boards and letterbox drops. But as mentioned above, it is important to know the worth of your property if you receive interest before it is listed on the market.
Paperwork for your Home Sale
All of the paperwork for a private sale can be daunting, therefore it is important to go through the secure pathways to ensure your sale is a success. Settled.govt.nz states you should disclose any relevant information to the potential buyers, including issues.Make sure a lawyer creates the sale and purchase agreement and use the lawyer or conveyancer to hold the deposit before the sale is settled.
Choosing your buyers.
Some people choose to sell their property so that they can be more picky about who purchases their home. For example in this stuff article an older couple looking to sell their home, wanted first home buyers to purchase their home. Giving a young couple an opportunity to get on the family ladder. A private sale means that you can see and talk to the purchasers of your home. And for some people selling their home they want to know it is not being sold to investors, or they just want to know that the person purchasing the home will relish the opportunity.
If you are looking to sell your home privately, great! You are part of the 5% of sellers that choose to sell their home themselves. Even though it may be slightly extra work, for you it may be worth it in the end. If you are looking to list or purchase a home make sure to check out the property section of Shopless, here. And get started on the journey of selling your home.