Selling Tips
Tracy Yap Realty is able to offer you a complete service that is of paramount importance to you. After all, you are about to sell your most valuable asset … your home. It is one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make, so it has to be right.
The preparation you put into getting your home ready for sale can be the difference between achieving a standard price and achieving a great price. And, the best part is, it’s not hard, time consuming or expensive.
The process, or indeed art, of presenting your property for sale is an important one to master. For most, the sale of a property comes around every 6-8 years. For others it has become a more regular event, choosing to capitalise on the opportunity of upgrading the family home and make substantial tax free gains in the process.
Whatever your motive for selling, the process can either be stress free and lucrative or tense and disappointing. The good news is that you have the ability to choose.
When is the best time to sell my home?
Buyers for good quality home can be found all year round. With the marketing process having become far more sophisticated than in previous times, the issue of timing is less critical today than in the past. However, there are some important points you may wish to consider.
The time required to sell your home that is accurately priced will typically vary between two to six weeks. Prior to placing your home on the market, allow an additional two weeks to prepare both your home and the marketing material.
Presentation
Presentation of your home is a critical factor in achieving the highest possible price. This is similar to detailing a car before you sell it. The emotional appeal required to stir the spirit of the buyers is unlikely to be generated by a poorly presented home. And a neglected building sends out ‘warning signals’ to prospective buyers.
So it is important to do whatever is possible to have your property looking its absolute best on inspection day. Some of the turn offs for buyers include:
- Too much furniture or personal belongings cluttering the space
- Evidence of damp or moisture in the walls
- Cigarette, food or animal odours in the house
- Shower leakage, cracked walls
- Stained carpet
To improve the presentation, seek an outside opinion, as many of these problems can be fixed over a weekend for little expense. Remember, first impressions always count.
Occupancy
Only the people originally included on your application approved by the Owner are permitted to reside at the property permanently. If a new tenant wishes to replace an existing tenant, our office must be informed immediately in order for them to complete an application and have it approved before taking up residence.
Insurance
We strongly recommend that you obtain Contents Insurance for your furnishings and personal items, against any loss, damage or theft. The landlord has no obligation to insure your personal belongings.
Maintenance/Repairs:
All repairs are to be put in writing. We ask that you report any matter requiring repair or maintenance immediately to avoid the risk of injury to visitors or damage to the rented property.
All repairs are attended to as promptly as possible, however, it is often necessary to obtain the Landlord’s approval and/or quotes before any work can commence, so sometimes a time lag is unavoidable.
If you have an emergency when our office is closed contact the tradesperson listed on the front of your lease. See clause 17 for those items deemed to be an urgent repair. Any maintenance items arranged by the tenant outside our normal business hours will be at the tenant’s cost if not proven to be an emergency.
Care of Property
Do not use pins, blue tack or sticky tape substances to hang or place pictures on walls – removal usually causes damage to paintwork.
It is important that the property be kept clear of mould. We suggest regular cleaning with suitable product eg Exit Mould, to prevent damage to walls, ceilings and tiled surfaces.
If you are renting a house or town house the upkeep of the gardens and grounds are your responsibility. Please do not store unnecessary paper, rubbish, bottles, cans etc on or around the premises.