Useful Information
> Moving in
If you own your existing home you may need to consider the best way as well as the timing of selling it before your ready to move into you new South Pacific home.
If this is the case we have put together a small guide that might help you plan the best approach to this often stressful process.
When should I sell my existing home?
This will vary depending on each persons individual situation as well as the type of property, its location, its value and so on.
South Pacific will provide you a minimum of 4 months notice prior to the completion of your new home which should give you sufficent notice to prepare. Having said this, we do recommend that you do talk to a professional real estate agent early to ask for their professional opinion about the time required to sell you peoperty and the price that they feel will attainable in the local market.
Here are some tips to help you find the agent that's right for you:
1. Firstly, be clear about the benefits an agent should be offering you,
2. Build a list of possible agents,
3. Ask the right questions, and
4. Enlist an agent's services.
Each of these points is now discussed below:
Understand the benefits an agent should offer
Your home is likely to be your most valuable asset, so professional expertise and assistance with the sale is worthwhile. For this reason, most home sellers engage a real-estate agent.
Working with an agent should offer you the following advantages:
- Access to a clear market appraisal of your property and prices in the area
- Advice on the most appropriate method of sale
- The development and implementation of a good marketing plan
- Advice on how to present your home to the public
- Access to a large numbers of buyers
- Screening of potential buyers
- Assistance when negotiating the best price
Build a list of possible agents
You should meet with several real estate agents before deciding on the one you will use.
We recommend that you check through the local newspapers and the internet for agents actively promoting property within your area, ask neighbors and friends to refer you to local agents and watch out for Sale signs and make a note of the listing agent/s.
Meeting with agents is similar to conducting job interviews. The agent wants to work for you, and you want to select the best agent for the job. Therefore, prepare a list of questions to ask of all the agents you meet.
Questions to ask prospective agents include:
- For how long have you been a real-estate agent?
- How familiar are you with the area in which your home is located?
- How many homes have you sold in your suburb over the past 12 months?
- How did you arrive at the price you suggest we could sell our house for?
- What marketing plan would you envisage using for our house?
- Will you provide weekly sales progress reports?
- Do you place importance on high ethical standards?
Other items you may like to review include the quality of the promotional material and the presentation of the salesperson. You could also ask for the contact details of recent clients, and then refer to these people for further insight into the agent's operations.
