You may of arranged for a few agents to attend for a market appraisal, in-fact I encourage inviting at least 3 agents in the early stages to get an idea of what different agents offer and how they propose selling your home, I have adopted a new term rather than the traditional 'Market Appraisal' and call these 'Sales Advice Meetings'. Our role as Estate Agents is to inform you of a price that we feel your home should be marketed for and a sale price we anticipate after the right buyer is found, we do this based on compatibles of previously Sold and currently marketed properties, as close to type/size and condition as yours within as close proximity to your property as possible. The term valuation is used a lot but we must consider that for a true £ for £ value of your property this needs to be obtained by a surveyor and we are here to share our experience and advice as to how to market your home, not specifically what its brick and mortar value is.

So you have had a few agents round, they have walked around the property and they have give you a price, some may even say ' I think your home is worth £X amount, but have they really taken the time to explain how they are going to achieve that price, what basis they have come to that figure? This is where my 'Sales Advice Meeting' comes into play rather than 'Market Appraisal'. With every Advice Meeting prior and post research is completed into the market and more specifically your property, from here a action plan is put together of how we are going to achieve the agreed marketing price, yes agreed, as a seller you are still in full control of the price you are looking to achieve, so don't be put off by an agents appraisal if its a little lower than others, some agents still practice over valuing to try and win the instruction on price, this is where the important of comparable evidence comes into play, feel free to quiz an agent on how they achieved the price presented to you if you aren't sure, but more importantly your property is only SOLD once you agree the sale so you have complete control and should work with your chosen agent to achieve the price you are looking for.

How the Marketing Price can affect the listings success in the important first 14 days of marketing.

By starting your property with the correct Marketing Price you will achieve maximum interest when your property hits the portals for the first time, this in term allows you to achieve the optimum sale price, if this price is too ambitious or its set deliberately high- the oldschool ''People are going to knock the price down in negotiation so ill put it £20k higher to allow for negotiation'' (DOES NOT WORK) you risk the property becoming stagnant, being reduced and people generally loosing interest because of the ' Noone else wants it, so must be something wrong with it' mentality.

So by setting the correct PRICE your property benefits from maximum interest, maximum qualified viewings and therefore enables you to achieve the best possible price.

It goes without saying, the nicer something looks the more desirable it is, the alternative the same, the more undesirable something is the less attractive to someone it is, or a lower price would be offered for it, the simplest example is if you where purchasing a car, would you try getting it cheaper if it had scratches on the outside and was full of rubbish on the inside?

I'm not saying go to the extreme, but a uncluttered, clean and presentable property works wonders in not only finding a buyer quicker, but to help achieve that important higher sale price.

People sometimes ask if they should stage the property or to what levels they should go to make a property stand out to buyers, my advice is simple, keep it as neutral as possible, with as little as possible, neutral colors (Whites/Greys) will not only make the property feel more modern but also allows potential buyers to have a blank canvas, to walk around the property and image there own alterations, after all they aren't moving to live how you live, they are moving to great a home for themselves.

First impressions- from broken door handles,over grown grass or overflowing bins, these all add to the first impressions a potential buyer will feel the minute they arrive at your property, one of the most common sayings I hear from viewers is ' From when I arrived it just didn't feel right', when this has been explored its simple things that have put buyers off from the very minute they have arrived, discrediting the rest of the property before they have even taken their shoes off!

Smell is another big factor, we have all had that moment, we have borrowed someones jacket or top and it smells different simply because they use a different product, your home is no different, avoid over powering fragrances and weather permitting simply open some windows, if you have viewings booked in towards the end of the day avoid cooking dinner right before the viewing, not everyone likes the same foods and smells as you do.

This P covers many different tips and techniques in preparing your property for viewings as well as ensuring its presented in the best possible way, this will be covered in a separate post.

For those of you who have worked with me previously will know that this P has changed, I always had Photos as my third P in selling your home, but as estate agency has evolved and so has my experience this P now has to be Powerful Marketing, this is even more important as that is what Avocado Property is all about, market leading and truly exception bespoke video marketing. Photos are still important but there are so many other important marketing strategies to utilize and compliment the photos, for example our bespoke video walk-a rounds and local area insight videos that we create with every single listing is invaluable to connecting with potential buyers and the personal connection this creates is invaluable.

When it comes to in-person viewings and negotiation, by having a personal video, created by the same agent who will arrange and be present at viewings as well as the same person who will be negotiating the offers allows buyers to build trust and the power of a good connection between all three Agent- Seller & Buyers is what enables us to ensure as smooth, stress-free a transaction as possible, while also achieving a sale in the best possible time and for the best possible price.

I hope you have found this useful, and I look forward to meeting you for a 'Sales Advice Meeting' in the future, if you have any questions of are looking to see how we can help you achieve your property goals, do get in touch on the details below.