The preparation you put into getting your property ready for sale can be the difference between getting a standard price and a great price. The best part is, it's not hard, time consuming or expensive. Whatever your motive for selling, the process can either be stress free or tense and disappointing. The good news is that you have the ability to choose!

There are four factors that will influence the outcome of any sale. These are price, marketing, timing and your choice of agent.  Consider factors such as the number of properties the agent has sold recently in your area.  The list to sell ration of the agent.  The information given to you to establish a realistic price.  Many agents will tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear.  Not selling in a downward market can be a costly exercise.  Under selling due to poor marketing can also be costly.

Choosing a real estate professional with a proven track record is also vital to the success of your sale. If you want the best result when selling, contact one of professional consultants today.

Buyers for a property can be found all year round however it's not often that a purchaser for your home is out there, just waiting for you to put your home on the market. Timing, presentation and advertising are all required to bring buyers and sellers together for the best result. Spring is often considered to be the best time to sell. It's a time of optimism and with the weather clearing, more potential buyers will be out and about. It is also a time when more sellers will put their homes on the market so there will be more competition.

Winter usually presents fewer buyers, but the buyers are usually more focussed on purchasing and traditionally there will be fewer homes on the market to choose from. Prior to placing your home on the market, allow an additional two weeks to prepare both the property and the marketing material.

With the thought in mind of exposing the property to the maximum number of buyers, you may "Open List" with any number of agents of your choice, nominate your price, then wait for one or more agents to find a buyer for the property.  While this does not commit you to any one agent, it also has the reverse effect whereby no agent is committed to you.

There are few advantages with this method and statistics show it to be the least efficient method of selling. The disadvantages are as follows:  While most agents will record and list an "open listing", the most frequent complaint by vendors is that they never hear from any of the agents again. This is because an agent gives his first priority to a property that is exclusively listed with his/her office. Furthermore the agent is aware that they can put a great deal of effort into selling the property, only to have the property sold by another agent, or the seller, resulting in costs and lost time and effort.

As you have to nominate a specific asking price, you run the risk of either underselling or overpricing the property. If you undersell you have lost money, if you overprice you receive very little buyer inquiry and no sale. Buyers will only inquire on properties that they perceive to be at market price.

With no agent taking responsibility for the coordinating of marketing, past experience has shown that very little marketing activity takes place. Without marketing, you greatly reduce the number of buyers who will be aware that the property is for sale, which ultimately affects the price you will receive.

You do not have a specific time frame in which to work or plan. For example, there are many properties that have been open listed with a price with numerous agents that have been on the market for over two years.  Agents who work with Open Listings, generally work for their buyers, not their vendors.  Our aim is to find the buyer who is willing to pay the most for your property.  We do not recommend open listing.

The appointment of an "Exclusive Agent" establishes responsibility for that agent to work on behalf of the vendor.  In the right hands, "Exclusive Agency" can effectively eliminate many of the draw backs that accompany "Open Listing". However there are still several disadvantages:  The property must still be listed at a nominated price and there is a direct relationship between the volume of buyer inquiry and the asking price. Obviously the less you ask, the more inquiries you get. The more you ask, the less inquiries you get.

The Price of an Overpriced Property

Some points for you to consider:  Too high a price is costly because it causes a property to miss its market:  Those buyers for whom the property WOULD be right won't see it because it is out of their price range.  Those buyers who are in the price range of the over-priced property won't see it as good value.  Agents will be reluctant to show the property except as a comparison to more saleable properties.

Testing the market at a higher price:   A property receives the maximum exposure in the first three to five weeks of being on the market.  Buyers in the market TODAY will see it and reject it. Thus the best of the potential buying prospects are turned away.  As the vendor, you may be tempted to believe in the exploratory price and refuse a genuine offer which may seem low in relation to the asking price, but which turns out to be the best offer. Many vendors have declined such offers, only to sell for less quite some time later.

With Exclusive Agency there is no deadline and therefore no urgency for buyers to complete their pre-purchase investigations by a certain date. You are therefore waiting in hope that a buyer may sooner or later make an offer.  Regrettably, in most cases, this lack of urgency causes most buyers to 'cool off'.

Auction is a process whereby your property is promoted for its merits without the deterrent of mentioning price.  Your property is "marketed", not just listed for sale.Auction is one of the oldest and most successful forms of selling, with a history of proven success. There are numerous advantages with the auction process:

You have a catalyst to entice buyers to act rather than procrastinate. An auction is the quickest and most effective way to sell a property. The pre-determined date of the auction eliminates buyer inactivity and creates positive action by putting a time limit on negotiations.  Your property receives greater buyer exposure because it becomes a priority.

It allows you to assess the market's response before announcing your asking price.  It allows the property to be promoted with high-impact advertising over a short period of time.  It allows the property to be promoted without a price. Consequently all buyers in the market will come to have a look and none will disregard it due to price.

As the price is not revealed, the buyer's evaluation of the property is not affected by thoughts of "how much less will they accept?"  With an auction, the bidding starts at a point and increases. With other methods the reverse is usually the case.  In many cases an auction will attract more enquiry in its first week than a property being promoted with a price does in a 3 month period.

An auction allows you to set the minimum price acceptable to you and encourages competition to ensure you have the best possible opportunity to obtain the maximum price. Unless the bidding reaches the reserve price or more, the vendor is under no obligation to sell.

Auctions maximize the number of opportunities to sell - prior to auction day, on auction day, or after the auction.  At all times the decision is made by you.  A credible sense of urgency is created, enabling the agent to clinch a buyer. The shrewd buyer playing a waiting game is forced to act promptly through fear of missing out.  Suitable predetermined "Open for Inspection" times can be arranged to suit you and/or the occupants.

You have the potential of finding a buyer with a strong emotional interest in your property (an emotional buyer will generally pay a much higher price than a shrewd investor).  There is no waiting period for contracts to become unconditional because of conditions imposed by purchasers. Contracts are signed the moment a sale is negotiated, with cash settlements in thirty days.

Buyers are forced to have their finance pre-approved so that they can buy without making an offer subject to finance; thus eliminating delays afterwards.  Auctioning your property gives you the best chance of receiving the best result in the shortest period of time.

Which Agent?

Source: www.realestate.com.au

This graph illustrates the number of properties sold in the March Quarter of 2010 in the Tamborine, Canungra, & Mundoolun areas.  These are the areas our Hinterland office specializes.

Why?

• All our staff are Professional, Experienced, Trained, Skilled and Qualified
• All our agents are Fully Licensed Real Estate Agents, not just certified sales people
• Your property is professionally marketed, not just listed for sale
• Our sales team has over seventy years of combined real estate sales experience
• Our modern, high profile Hinterland office is open Seven Days a week
• We tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear
• We’ve invested heavily in google adwords & SEO so we come up first in searches
• We send out 2,500 emails each week to potential buyers
• We are the biggest advertiser of property in the Gold Coast Bulletin

At Geoff Brand Real Estate we design marketing programs to ensure we get the maximum possible price for you. We have a number of marketing activities that would be suitable for promoting your property to potential buyers. Our marketing programs have been refined over the years to incorporate the most successful techniques and communication tools to create maximum exposure for your property.

Ouside the Home....

Your properties presentation is indeed very important and if ignored can greatly hamper the successful sale of what is probably your biggest asset.  

It is also important to remember that you don't have to spend a fortune to present your home in its best light.

Most home buyers are attracted firstly by the appearance of your home, so it is important to remember the old adage "you never get a second chance to make a first impression".   

This, we guess, is what you could call a guideline or checklist to help ensure that your home is ready to be presented to buyers, with confidence.

External appearance or "street appeal" is the first thing to consider.

Stand in front of your home and imagine for a moment that you are a potential buyer turning up for an inspection of the property.

Make sure lawns and gardens are neat and tidy, neatly trimmed edges are a big plus and you can always add a splash of colour with some inexpensive flowers.

If you have fences or gates that need repair it is best to tend to them now.

Clear your mailbox daily and remove any flyers that are sometimes left half in or perhaps fall out and look very unsightly.

Clean the gutters of any leaves or debris.

Make sure you give your windows the once over.

Clean driveways and footpaths and try if possible to keep garbage bins out of sight.

Lubricate any squeaky hinges and fix any loose door handles or knobs on your doors.

Remove any spider webs from your eaves or under verandas.

Make sure there is a door mat in place, as this also indicates that you are conscious of keeping your home clean inside.

These items kept in check will greatly help in setting the mood when buyers first arrive, and will have them looking forward to seeing inside your home.

These may seem like simple things but if overlooked or treated as unimportant, they can greatly influence the decision of the buyer to inspect or not inspect.

OUTDOORS

       o      Keep lawns mown and paths swept.

       o      Store hoses neatly.

       o      Repair gates, fences and footpaths.

       o      Remove or replace dead or dying plants.

       o      Add colour with blooming flowers.

       o      Clear grounds of all debris.

GARAGE

       o      Keep the floors clean and swept.

       o      Store or neatly arrange all items.

Inside the Home....

Inside the home is all about creating a feeling. Many buyers will have only taken a few steps inside a home when they 'feel' that it's right. It feels welcoming and homely.

Remove clutter as this makes your home seem smaller than it actually is.

Allow as much natural light in as possible by opening blinds.

If the weather permits it's always preferable to have a couple of windows partly open to allow fresh air through. If in winter or summer provide heating or cooling as necessary as the home should feel comfortable at all times.

Make sure bathrooms and kitchens are dazzling; these are the two main areas that the major decision maker rates. (whether we like to admit it or not, we all know who that is!)

Make sure that the home is clean and tidy, beds are made etc. "don't confuse tidiness with obsessive behaviour", it is quiet acceptable to have a newspaper on your coffee table or a magazine on your bedside table so focus on clean.

Smell is particularly important, and even more so if you have pets. Some odours that are familiar to you may be offensive to others. Clean bird cages regularly, place dog/cat bowls outside. If it is a concern you can purchase several types of odour neutralising aerosols or plug in types which remove any odour.

Rather than the fresh brewed coffee or the bread in the oven trick, which most buyers are aware of and indeed may be concerned that you are trying to mask a bad odour, why not try some fresh flowers in a nice vase or some pot puree in a decretive bowl.

Try to remove dogs during inspections as some people are afraid "yes even of tiny friendly ones".

It is best that you are not in the home during the inspection as it can create a feeling of over-crowdedness, and can also make the buyer feel as they are imposing and as a result not relax and get a good feel for your home.

Attend to any general maintenance such as door knobs, light fixtures touch ups and anything that is generally speaking obvious to the buyer. Take care not to get into a major renovating job just make sure it is clean and looks well maintained.

BATHROOMS

       o      Polish the floor, mirrors and fixtures.

       o      Repair grout and caulking.

       o      Repair running toilets or faulty plumbing.

CUPBOARDS

       o      Hang clothes neatly; store shoes in boxes.

KITCHEN

       o      Clean appliances, cabinets and floors.

       o      Clean and clear countertops.

       o      Repair taps and appliances.

OVERALL

       o      Wash windows.

       o      Clean or replace carpets.

       o      Paint rooms where necessary.