Wagga Wagga Blog

Spring is here and are you ready to sell? 

The key to a successful sale is choosing  the right agent. Someone with a professional approach, local market expertise and sales experience

1 – Prepare/Research
Before your property can go on the market you need to do some preparation. Apart from physically preparing your property for sale, there are legal requirements to be met and an entire marketing plan to arrange in order to attract your buyers.

1 - Selecting the right Agent
The key to a successful sale is choosing the right agent. Someone with a professional approach and with local knowledge, market experience and drive to achieve the best result possible is our recipe for success.

2 - Setting the right price
Setting the right price for your property is a big decision. The agent will offer you their expert opinion based on research and experience. Once your agent has inspected your property, you can be sure you’re getting a reliable true price estimate.
Our estimates are well researched and based on a number of factors:

• Data sources, including property data
• Recent advertisements
• Recent sales negotiated by Raine & Horne
• Recent sales by other agents
• Valuations from other registered valuers

3 - Signing an agency agreement
No matter which agent you engage to sell your property, you will need to sign an agency agreement. It’s a standard legal agreement that authorises the agent to act on your behalf in relation to the sale of your property. You can expect to find an agreed term and an estimate of the selling price. It will also include the services the agent will provide as well as the agent’s commission and may include details of marketing costs.

4 - Contract of Sale
Before any property can be sold a contract of sale must be prepared. This includes all the correct documents required by each state or territory laws and any inclusions and exclusions as well as details around the cooling-off period.

5 - Marketing your property
Once the contract is received by the agent the property can now be placed on the market. Marketing your property correctly is vital for a successful sale. The agent will advise you on the best method for you based on the type of property, its location, the nature of the market and the timeframe you are looking at.

6 - Preparing your home for open inspections.
The best approach to prepare your home for marketing is to declutter.
Decluttering your home will have the most impact when preparing your property for sale.   Spring is the time to let your home shine and let buyers see your property at its best. 

• Create a well-kept look by cleaning walls, floors and skirting, as well as marks on the carpet or around light switches. 
• Draw buyers in with a bright and welcoming home by opening up blinds.
• Neat and tidy lawns with trimmed edges, even a splash of potted colour can help.
• Windows should be sparkling.
• Remove leaves from paths and verandas.
• Small objects that don’t need to be there should be packed away, and entrances and stairways should be clear. 
• Little faults can make big impressions. So get on top of defects that can annoy buyers such as dripping taps, sticking doors, and loose tiles. 

Your agent will advise you of what you can do to enhance your property before hitting the market.

7 - Negotiating & Accepting
Good negotiation skills are key to delivering outstanding results. Agents pride themselves on their qualifying skills and focused on identifying motivated buyers and drawing out quality offers for your consideration.

To deliver the best results, all negotiations need to come through the agent. If you are approached directly, simply refer the buyer back to your agent.

8 - Contract Exchange
After the sale, both the vendor and the buyer will need to sign the contract and receive a copy. The buyer will be required to pay a deposit and the remainder will be paid at settlement. Things vary slightly depending on your method of sale. If you’ve sold a residential property by private treaty, there may be a cooling-off period following the signing of the contract.

9 - Settlement
The settlement is when the buyer, becomes the official owner. It’s a process that can take between 4–12 weeks after contracts are signed. Once complete, the new owner becomes fully responsible for the property, until that point, it’s the vendor’s responsibility to keep insurances and rates paid up.