Hi Folks,

Selling a property for the first time can be a big learning curve. It can also be an emotional time, as you prepare to part with a home that is likely to hold many happy memories. 

 Before your property hits the market, here are five mistakes to avoid.

1. Being in a rush

Give the place a spring clean, declutter, make any small repairs and decide whether you’d like to hire a furniture staging company. It’s a good idea to wait for a sunny day before getting the professional photographer and videographer around to shoot your property. Ensure your advertisements are well-written, include as much detail as possible and tell a story about your property. All this happens before your home even hits the market, so don’t be in a rush.

2. Not hiring a professional photographer

Listings that feature professional photography receive a much greater rate of views on realestate.co.nz. Professional photography ensures your home looks its best. Having access to beautiful high-res images of your home means you can advertise in print, digital and beyond. Ideally, you want at least 20 quality images of your home. A video that is no longer than two minutes in length will help transport potential buyers to your home.

3. Not spreading the word

Once your property is for sale, you should be shouting it from the rooftops. You want as many potential buyers as possible to cast their eyes over the place. Ensure your agent has a multi-pronged marketing strategy in place through online property websites and social media. Finally, let all your friends and neighbours know you are looking to sell, you never know where your buyer might come from.

4. Too high an asking price

Serious buyers are looking at property after property as they knuckle down to find their perfect home. After weeks of searching and dozens of open homes, these buyers become experts in what is on the market at that time for a particular price. If your asking price is too high, serious buyers may be put off and not even enquire. To ensure you are getting the right people through the door at your open home, speak frankly with your agent about the asking price.

5. Not being open home ready

Buyers want to see a property that is well cared for, so make sure your home is clean from top to bottom and tidied throughout before an open home. Buyers will look inside your cupboards and under the bathroom sink, will your place impress house hunters?

Posted in Tips on Selling;

Hi folks,

When it comes time to sell your house, you want the process to go quickly and smoothly, all while getting the maximum value from your home. In competitive markets like Upper Hutt’s today, a few small tweaks can go a long way in setting your home apart from the others on the market. Here are a couple of cost effective methods to spruce up your home and make it stand out in the sea of homes on the market.

Kitchen Renovation: I know what you are thinking but before you skip on to the next item, hear me out. Installing new cabinets, flooring, tiles, and appliances is certainly not budget friendly. However, there are some much more cost effective items that can be updated. If your home has timber cabinets, refinishing them is one such option. If you have some time to sand and repaint your cabinets, you could completely change the look and feel of your kitchen for a few hundred dollars. In addition, hiring a professional cleaning service to deep clean your appliances can also go a long way. A polished sink, spotless stove, and like new refrigerator will appeal to potential buyers and again, will only cost you a couple hundred dollars to have completed.

Ever heard the old saying, “you never get a second chance at a first impression”, this holds true when selling your home as well.

Before a buyer ever sees the kitchen, bathroom, or unique character of your home, they will see the outside of your home. This is your chance to play up the strengths of your home.

Outside grounds: Do you have a big yard, a beautiful flower garden, or an area destined for a fire pit and seating? If so, making sure your plants are fresh and vibrant, staging the back yard with some cheap seating around a fire pit, or even showing off some unique stonework in your yard can weigh heavily in the buying decision. When you are selling your home, you need to help buyers picture themselves living in it, your landscaping is a great way to spark their imagination. 

If you are thinking of selling your home, would like an appraisal, or want more information on the Upper Hutt property market please call me on the numbers below or contact me via email steve@steveslicker.com alternately fill in your details here on my website.

Posted in Tips on Selling;

Many professional agents are so ready to stand behind their services that they offer vendors the option of cancelling the original agency agreement if they have a problem with the way the agent is handling the marketing.

This offer is called a Service or Performance Guarantee. It doesn’t mean a vendor can decide to cancel the agency agreement just because they don’t like the colour of the agent’s car or the suit they’re wearing! The offer usually involves the vendor giving the agent time to remedy any problem they might have and at the end of that time if the vendor is still unsatisfied, the agent will release the vendor from the agreement. The vendor is then free to sell their house with someone else without waiting out the period of the agency agreement.

I have my own service guarantee, I call it Steve’s SPOD (Significant Points Of Difference). Real Estate agents are not all the same, let me show you why, simply fill in the form, call me on the numbers below or email me.

Posted in Tips on Selling, Working With An Agent;