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What to do when it’s time to sell

As one door closes another one opens - today you’re opening a new door to a family who is looking to buy your home.

You want to get the best value out of your house when you sell it. We’re here to help you through the process from start to finish. Read these tips for a good overview of how to get your house sold easily.

Prepare

A house that is in tip top condition is much easier to sell. Everything doesn’t have to be brand new, but it does have to be clean and polished.

  • Four top tips

    • De-clutter as much as you can. Open up your cupboard space, neaten up your floor space and get rid of everything that you don’t use anymore. This will give your house a fresh look and help potential buyers envision the space it offers. It will also make moving out a lot easier!

    • Make a list of repairs and prioritise them. Restore broken fittings fixtures, repaint old walls, clean out gutters and spruce up the garden.

    • Make a list of any renovations that you think will add great value to your house. Pulling out an old carpet or installing modern cupboards can really rejuvenate a space.

    • Keep up with spring-cleaning, because selling your house could take a few months. The more often you clean nooks and crannies, the less work you will have to do right before show days.

Price

Have a good estimate of what your property is worth, then decide on a final price to advertise. The most important rule is not to overprice. Houses that are not priced realistically from the get-go have a smaller chance of getting sold quickly.

Start by going online and finding out what other houses in the area (with similar features) have been sold for over the past 6 months. This is called comparative market analysis.

Real estate agents gather different information to create an even stronger analysis - it’s easier to sell your house through them. 

List

You can list your house through an agency or advertise it yourself. It all depends on your needs: are you in a hurry to sell or not? Using a real estate agency could speed things up, but they will take a percentage for commission. Selling privately means doing your own admin, paying for advertising and hosting show days - but it also means getting the most out of the selling price.

  • Two things that will make or break your advertising

    • An accurate and detailed explanation of the house, paying attention to special fittings, fixtures and additional features.

    • Stunning photos of the house taken in good lighting and from a variety of angles. Having an aerial photo of your property also helps. Screenshot a Google Maps street view- it’s free!

Negotiate

An offer to purchase comes as a contract and reveals what the buyer is willing to pay for the house. Now you must scope through the contract, revise it and submit it back to the buyer. Remember that you are at no point obliged to accept an offer.

Once both parties have settled on a final price and are in agreement with the terms and conditions, the contract can be signed. Once payment is secured your house is as good as sold!

Hint: give yourself a timeline to lower your price if you realise that you’re not receiving any offers to purchase. People tend to alter their prices after every 3 months of no sale.

Sold

Now it’s all about the transfer process.

You’ll need to submit your banking details, ID and other FICA documents to the attorney who is handling the transfer. Lucky you, the buyer is responsible for paying the admin and attorney fees!

When all the necessary documents have been gathered and approved, both you and the buyer can sign the Deed of Sale - and you’re done!

Now you’re armed with all the information you need to make a great sale. Good luck!

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home@absa.co.za