Selling your home without the help of a realtor might seem like a great way to save thousands of dollars. After all it seems perfectly easy to get the word out about your home sale, let people in to see the house, and get some paperwork done. How hard could it be?
You’d be surprised how much the risks can outweigh the benefits. In this article, I will walk you through how a good realtor can help make the process of selling your home smoother than if you try to do this on your own.
Step 1: Comparative Market Analysis
This is an absolutely necessary step in order to find out how to price your home in the market. While there are some free tools available directly to you, a licensed real estate agent will have access to more accurate data and be able to give you a full report on your home, historical transaction of units in the same development, across neighbourhoods, and districts. This really lends an edge and gives you great clarity while increasing your chances of selling your home quicker since it will be priced correctly.
Step 2: Photos, Videos & Walkthroughs
Today’s homebuyers are extremely visual. You’d be surprised the role that good quality photos and videos can play in generating interest for your home listing. Wouldn’t you rather click on listings that have bright, appealing photos and professionally created detailed videos? And who doesn’t like clicking through one of those virtual walkthroughs that make you feel like you’re actually in the house?
I personally always engage professional photographers, videographers and do virtual walk-throughs for all my clients that work with me exclusively. A picture really is worth a thousand words, and sometimes quite a few thousand dollars in sale price.
Step 3: Good Copywriting
Writing a listing description really isn’t just about being good with words. Before I write a description for a listing I truly immerse myself in the neighbourhood where your home is. I try and understand it from the perspective of the buyer. Why would they want to come and live here? What are the conveniences around the home? Are there any good schools in the neighbourhood? Is there an MRT station, supermarkets or malls within walking distance? I aim to bring out the best of everything about the home and its neighbourhood into the listing description. It’s really not just about how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are and how big the unit is.
For sellers that work with me exclusively, I would even engage a professional copywriter to put it all together once I have the facts with me.
Step 4: Marketing
Realtors are obviously going to have a much bigger reach than individual sellers, just by nature of the fact that we have access to all the different property portals.
For sellers that work with me exclusively, I’m prepared to go a step beyond this. I have access to expert online and social media advertising gurus in my network that will help to specifically target buyers that are right for your home. Your listing may land on many eyes on the property portals, but with targeted advertising it can land on the right pair of buyer eyes.
Step 5: Negotiations
Two things can get in the way if you engage in negotiations with a buyer or a buyer’s agent without the help of your own realtor. A: you end up with less money in your pocket due to lack of experience in negotiating home sales. B: you are more likely to be emotional about the process and end up making poor decisions. A low offer might make you feel offended or defensive and having a realtor manage this stage can really make or break the deal.
Negotiations need to be handled extremely delicately and I personally usually help defuse the intensity of this process by ensuring good care of all stakeholders and managing expectations on all ends.
Step 6: Compliance
Having worked with many buyers and sellers, I come to you equipped with checklists so that nothing is missed out. There’s a bunch of things to do that are legally required by you when selling property such as paying outstanding tax, terminating existing GIRO payments and citing claims for tax refunds. Would you rather spend hours researching what exactly your own obligations are, or would you rather have someone who does this on an everyday basis simply walk you through it?
What’s Next?
So there you have it, the above are just some of the highlights of what someone like me or any other quality realtor will help you with during the process of selling your home. On top of handling this and more, the realtor is also there for you to advise you in case one or more things go sideways during the transaction (and trust me this happens more often than you would think).
I sure hope you’re feeling a lot more empowered after listening to my series of 3 videos all about selling your home in Singapore. My intention is to help you feel well informed and confident as you step into the process. And that’s exactly how you will feel when you work alongside me too.
Curious about the buying process? Check out the next series coming up next starting with: 6 Questions To Ask The Listing Agent Before Setting Up A Viewing.
If you have any questions for me, let’s talk!
- You can reach my on WhatsApp by clicking here.
- Or send me an email at properties.nadia@gmail.com
Talk to you soon!