In the current turbulent South African junk status environment, it’s important to have a well thought out plan for selling your home.
Start with CLOSURE on the space, have CLARITY of intention and CLEAR every last inch of superfluous stuff.
CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE - Buyer centric to shift the board from ‘For Sale’ to ‘SOLD’
Don’t fall into the common current victim mentality where sellers are blaming the housing market / South African junk status/ high mortgage rates/ crime/ increased urbanization and every aspect of the market for the extended “days on market” or non-interest of their property. You are way more in control than you think, keep reading.
Do your homework to fully understand what properties are listing and selling for in your immediate neighbourhood. Become property savvy and consider using real estate professionals to navigate this complicated territory and tap into the right buyers.
Even though you are the seller, it will serve you to now become “buyer centric” and put yourself in THEIR shoes from now on. The moment buyers pull up at the front curb, they need to be instantly impressed with the look and feel and can see themselves living in this space the moment they walk through the door – so that these feelings influence the economics of their purchase. Your buyers have to be “blown away”.
LOOSEN YOUR GRIP - Do all the emotional CLOSURE before putting it on the market.
Reduce the last minute stress – don’t wait till the week before moving day to get into a flat panic and stress like everyone else does. Learn to emotionally “detach” from your home and say goodbye to the era of your life with intent – closure right at the start of the sale process, brings acceptance and reduces stress. This psychological, emotional and mental shift is how Kate supports her clients at this pivotal time to ensure they do not sabotage the potential sale. We are embedded into every brick in our homes, and we have to loosen this grip before we can move on.
From home to house: Consider yourself a custodian of this space from now on and start thinking of your home as a house – better yet, a guest house always ready to welcome new guests.
The moment you decide to sell, get stuck into de-cluttering and de-personalizing every single inch of your space. It will make the space appear more spacious for the buyer, plus you will not lug any “stuff” that no longer serves you or the next phase of your life. A house move is an ideal time to purge at every level. Let go and live a little lighter, taking only that which you love, use and respect into your new home.
SHOWDAY READY, STEADY, GO!
Be vigilant to get SHOW DAY ready – property maintenance, sprucing, fixing, cleaning, clearing and decluttering. Keep your home in tip top shape should your buyer happen to drive past and want to pop in NOW. Follow the USA property trends and utilise a home stager to showcase the positive attributes if needs be.
Our current South African buyer’s market means cash buyers are a very attractive prospect – you have to be ready and agile in your response and be willing move as soon as possible as there will be no delay in waiting for bonds to be approved. Be prepared to move sooner than expected to help facilitate this sale (and enjoy occupational rent too).
Neighbourhood watch. I recommend that sellers make the transaction as easy as possible. Highlight the best features of your home with professional photographs and videos. One of the 2017 trends is to use drone technology to show the neighbourhood, as that dramatically influences buyer’s decisions - schools, retail, health facilities, etc. - and this significantly influences purchasing outcomes. Use high definition and professional photographs and even better - videos.
The bottom line is that YOU, in your heart and soul need to be ready to sell your home; then align the look and feel of the space to match that intention and do what you can to knock your buyer’s socks off.
Article courtesy of Kate Emmerson
Her book, Shift Your Home, launched June 2017 and is available for purchase as an e-book or in hard copy.
For more information visit www.kate-emmerson.com
