A quickfire guide to reducing the stress of selling your home

Selling a house can be a stressful time, but if you have a good estate agent who can guide you through the process it need not be an overwhelming time.

Diane Brainin recounts the stress she endured when she bought a flat in Fairland. “I felt like the estate agent only cared about keeping her seller happy and did not treat us very well. You need two parties to make a sale happen and one is not more important than the other.”

She says it was a very stressful process to buy and to sell and wishes ‘everyone involved could treat each other with respect and calm’.

Petronella van der Merwe an estate agent with Rawson Property Group in Northcliff agrees. “We are there, of course, to help sellers find buyers for their properties but all parties need to work in harmony with each other if the process is going to be an easy one.”

“Buyers are spoilt for choice now as there is a lot of stock available due to emigration or semi-gration to coastal areas. So, they can afford to look around until they find the perfect property for them.”

She identifies four areas that need to be done correctly to sell a property:

– Position
– Condition (of the house)
– Marketing
– Price

“Location and condition are so important when it comes to deciding how much to sell a property for. It is one of the biggest mistakes sellers make by wanting to charge more than the market will accept and properties sit on the market for a long time and become overexposed.”

When it comes to the condition of the house, she says not to do anything drastic to improve the house as the buyers will probably make it their own regardless of what you have done. “The house must be clean and neat though but don’t redo the bathroom.”

Lastly, she adds that how the property looks from the street is critically important. “Make sure your verge is trimmed and well cared for – first impressions do matter.”

– Get more than one evaluation.
– Meet different agents before deciding who to go with.
– Listen to the professionals about how best to sell the property and what needs to be done
– Keep the property neat and decluttered
– Get compliance certificates up to date

How does showing a house work?

– Buyers have access to the property to see if they want to buy it
– Depending on each situation there can be open days or visits by appointment only
– More expensive properties might only allow one buyer in at a time at designated times rather than having ‘property tourists’.
– Sellers are generally not there when the house is being shown – the estate agent will handle this process
– Try to have clear surfaces and hide unsightly items in cupboards, so it is more appealing to potential buyers
– Depersonalise the space as much as possible.

There is a lot of paperwork involved in selling a house. Try to get as much of this together as possible early on in the process. Here are some of the more common ones:

– Approved plans
– Compliance certificates (electricity, gas)
– Proof of address document (not older than three months)
– ID or passport
– Personal income tax number
– Proof of bank account
– Original deeds certificate
– Antenuptial contract if married.

Related source: Common myths around selling your home