The Planning Stage
Choosing the right agent
Thank you for inviting us to discuss your property. Your home is one of your most valuable assets so when the time comes to sell, we realise your choice of agent is an important and often personal decision.
There are many factors to consider when choosing your agent, such as:
- Do they have good local knowledge and sound advice you can trust?
- Do they have the personal skills to build a strong rapport with potential buyers?
- Have they demonstrated a positive past track record and received great reviews?
- Are they easy to understand and do they communicate well?
- Do they operate a quality marketing system?
- Do they understand how to run an optimal digital marketing campaign?
It's also important of course that your agent makes you feel at ease and confident with the process. Selling your property can be daunting so it's vital you feel well supported and in trusted hands.
To help you in making your decision, we have pulled together in this document some information on what you will experience if you choose our team sell your home. I would love the opportunity to answer any further questions you may have.
Agent Details
Jane Smith
Executive Sales Agent
Preparation
Decisions to be made
01
Agency Agreement
If you choose to engage us for the sale of your home, an agency agreement will need to be signed. This must be completed prior to any kind of marketing being conducted on your property.
02
Meeting the Team
We will then set up a time to introduce you to our support team. You will always be looked after by our Principal John Smith as your primary contact but you will also be supported by our other team members who have valuable experience and skills in marketing, administration, contract law and customer support.
03
Method of Sale
You will have the choice of selling your property either through private treaty or auction. Both options have benefits, depending on your circumstance and needs. We will take you through both options in detail to allow you to make an informed decision.
04
Setting the Price Range
Setting the right price range for your property is critical in achieving optimal results. There is a wealth of information available on recent comparable sales but it takes experience and an effective marketing strategy to use that guide to set a realistic expected price.
The price range we propose will take into account your preferred timeframe to sell and any work you are prepared to do to your property to achieve a higher price. We will discuss with you our methodology for ensuring we don't under-price your property, especially in a booming market when prices are on the rise, and we will keep you informed throughout the process of any feedback we receive that suggests a change in price might be worth considering.
05
Maintenance and Repairs
It is vital that your property is well presented if you are to achieve the highest possible price. We suggest you take a good look around your property, inside and out, with a buyer's eye. Anything with signs of wear and tear should be addressed such as cracked windows, chipped tiles, scuffed paintwork and stained carpets. We can guide you on work that should be done and can put you in touch with qualified and trusted tradespeople.
06
Declutter and Cleaning
We recommend you go round each room in your property and declutter everything, even removing unnecessary furniture items and putting them into storage ready for your move. This creates the feeling of space. Then go round and clean, clean, clean so that your property is spotless and ready for photography and open home inspections. Don't forget hidden areas like under the sink and inside cupboards as this will make your house look well maintained. We can help you organise a decluttering service if required.
07
Home Styling
Styling gives a property a fresh look to optimise your appeal to buyers. Each room should show its purpose. We will give you advice on additional items you can buy yourself or alternatively you could hire a stylist to do it for you. We can put you in touch with excellent stylists and are very experienced in helping you through this process.
08
Pest and Building Report
It is often best to organise your own pest and building inspection reports as this puts you in control of the negotiation process. If you have a clear inspection, you have peace of mind that the purchaser cannot negotiate the price down. If you would like us to organise the reports for you, we would be more than happy to help.
Pre-Marketing
Getting ready for the big launch
Prior to your property listing going live, we will go through a premarketing phase to gather feedback on your home and take advantage of existing prospects. This will ensure your property is marketed at the right price with the right messaging and for the lowest possible cost. We will:
- Identify the key selling features of your property
- Do a property match from our database to establish a list of potential buyers and send them a VIP email
- Talk directly to our list of buyers about your property and with your agreement, organise private inspections
- Promote your property on both Facebook and lnstagram and run a 'Coming Soon' SMS campaign to encourage buyers to contact us
- Test the price of your property and respond to any concerns that may impact the ability to achieve the desired price before putting your property on the market.
It is possible that we will find the right buyer for your property in this pre-marketing stage. If not, we will be in the best position to promote your property on the portals with the right price range and the most effective communications strategy.
Marketing
Taking your property to market
To get the best price for your property, we need to attract more buyers. More buyers means more interest. More interest means more offers which means a quicker sale for a higher price. We will therefore recommend a comprehensive, tested marketing process specifically tailored for your property that may include:
On The Market
Finding the right buyer
Once your property is 'live' and can be seen on all chosen web portals, it will be actively marketed by the team under the leadership of our Principal, John Smith.
We will attend to all enquiries and arrange private viewings or Open Home inspections at your convenience.
Within 24 hours of every viewing, we will provide a detailed report on feedback received about your property and the advertised price range.
If your preference is not to conduct open homes at all, we can arrange for private viewings for potential buyers.
After listening to the market, we may recommend adjusting the marketing and/or price. We will arrange regular meetings with you to discuss the progress of your campaign and any changes we feel may be required.
At all times, we aim to be as transparent and informative as possible so you are best placed to make the right decisions about the sale of your property - with minimum stress and inconvenience.
Offers
Receiving and negotiating offers
We understand that you may find this process a bit unnerving but this is the most exciting part of selling your home. It’s a game of strategy and one that we can help to guide you through.
When we receive offers for the purchase of your property, we will always act in your best interests. We will advise you of all offers, high or low, and allow you the time to decide on your preferred way forward.
Our role is to use our experience and understanding of the market to negotiate on your behalf to optimise the price offered until you are happy to accept.
All offers will be handled personally by our Principal, John Smith who has nearly 20 years’ experience in selling properties and achieving record prices. We will not be satisfied until we have taken all opportunities to achieve the sale price of your dreams.
Sale & Settlement
Congratulations - you have sold!
Once we have received an offer that you are happy to accept, we will arrange for a contract to be signed and a 0.25% deposit to be taken from the buyer. Your property will then enter a five business day cooling off period and if the buyer chooses to withdraw from the contract at this time, they will forfeit their deposit.
If you sell your property via auction, there will be no cooling off period and the buyer will be legally bound to purchase your property as soon as the contracts are exchanged.
Vendors will not usually have a cooling off period and will be legally bound to the agreement as soon as the contracts are exchanged.
Before the expiry of the cooling off period, 10% deposit will usually be paid by the buyer and held in trust by us or by your conveyancer.
There will usually be 6 weeks between the exchange of contracts and settlement. During this time, you will need to attend to any repairs that
have been agreed as part of the contract. You will also need to start packing and prepare to move.
A pre-settlement inspection will usually take place by the buyer as the settlement day approaches. If they are happy with the inspection and there is no further work outstanding, settlement will take place on the agreed day. This will involve paying off outstanding loans, taxes and rates and the transfer of documentation. The keys can then be handed over to the new owner.
And you can hopefully move on to your next dream home!
Service & Communication
Making your life easier
If you think all real estate agents are of the same mould, we hope you will find us a refreshing change. We love building relationships with our clients and bringing some good natured fun to what may at first seem to be a stressful process.
We want to make the sale of your property as easy as possible for you so we will:
- Listen to you always
- Ask questions to understand you and your needs
- Keep you informed of feedback and results in a timely, efficient manner
- Organise regular, pre-arranged times for catching up
- Send you a weekly vendor report which shows buyer interest, feedback and the number of buyers through the open homes
- Listen to the market and adjust the marketing and/or price, if required, with your approval.
And remember, if you have any concerns or questions at all, you can contact our Principal, John Smith, directly at any time. We want you to enjoy the process as much as you enjoy the results.
FAQs
01
Which is best - private treaty or auction?
You will need to think about the method of sale that you would like to use, Private Treaty or Auction.
Benefits of private treaty
- A fixed price makes it easy for buyers to understand whether the property is in their price range
- You have better qualified buyers requesting inspections
- The price can be adjusted through the marketing campaign
- It's a tried and tested style of marketing
- It helps guide buyers in deciding on an offer.
Benefits of auction
- Auctions attract more buyers as they aren't deterred by an asking price
- The auction date creates a sense of urgency
- You are protected by a reserve price
- There is no ceiling price
- At auction, once it is sold, it goes straight into an unconditional sale.
02
Marketing Options - what do I need to pay?
At our meeting, we will run through your tailored marketing plan with you but it is likely to incorporate a mixture of photography, signage, brochures, social media and digital marketing. We will provide you with a choice of marketing options so that you can choose the most appropriate package for you.
03
Communicating with agents - how often and how
Your leading agent, John Smith, will be in touch with you on a regular basis, keeping you informed every step of the way. He will ask you which method of contact you prefer and after each open home, will contact you to discuss numbers, feedback and answer any questions. He will also contact you to discuss any recommended changes to marketing together with any enquiries or offers. Weekly reports will be sent via email to show you the numbers of buyers through the open homes, enquiry activity and feedback from buyers.
04
Will I hear about all offers?
Absolutely! All offers are presented to you either on the phone or face to face. You can discuss all elements of the offer with us and can take as much time as you need to confirm whether it is acceptable for you. We work in your best interests at all times.
05
Is there a cooling off period and if so what happens next?
Once an offer has been accepted and a 0.25% deposit has been paid by the buyer, you enter into a cooling off period. This ends at 5pm on the fifth business day after exchange of contracts. Settlement happens approximately 6 weeks after exchange. There is no cooling off period after exchange when the property has been sold by auction.
06
What happens at settlement?
Most commonly, solicitors will use PEXA to electronically exchange funds to all parties without the need for physical funds to reach the other parties. PEXA lodges with the Land Registry and finalises the sale process. Once settlement is complete, we will notify you and congratulate you on your sale!
Action Plan
About Us
We don't like to be classified as a typical real estate agency. We are good natured, fun loving people who just happen to have an absolute passion for bringing buyers and vendors together to deliver 'dream results' for both. When we do that, everyone is happy and we get a genuine buzz.
Our Principal, John Smith, has been in real estate for nearly 20 years. During that time, he's consistently proven his skills as a high performing agent, placing in the top 15% of agents across the local network.
When John made the move to launching his own real estate agency in 2018, our network was the natural fit. With an advanced digital marketing platform, it presented a totally different paradigm in selling property. Combined with John's exceptional social skills and love of connecting, this digital expertise has proven to be a genuine edge in creating high buyer demand for vendors' properties to deliver outstanding sales results.
We have a compact but highly skilled, experienced team. Our Principal John personally looks after all of our vendors so you know you're getting the very best advice and guidance. Our support team looks after the administration, marketing, legal matters and service to ensure everything runs to plan.
We'd love to have the opportunity to help you sell your home and move on to your next adventure. If you'd like to speak with any of our past clients, please just let us know!
John Principal & Real Estate Agent
Jane Executive Sales Agent
Jordan Real Estate Agent
