Selling Considerations

Can I also use an estate agent?
Yes, you can advertise your property on OverseasPropertyOwners.com and still use an estate agent. Regardless of whether you have a sole or multiple agency agreement, using this site to advertise your property does not impact upon that arrangement. Some people think of either estate agents or selling privately and while you can certainly choose one or the other, there is nothing to stop you doing both. In fact an increasing number of people are using direct sales listings to supplement the activities of estate agents. The property market can be very competitive and if you want to achieve a quick sale or the best possible price, it's probably best to utilise as many avenues as possible.

What happens if I'm using an estate agent but sell privately?
Excellent news, you will have saved yourself a great deal of money! Study any selling contract so you know who gets what when the property is sold and if you're not happy cancel and start again.
You can enter into agreements with estate agents and still sell privately and as neither you nor OverseasPropertyOwners.com is acting as an "agent" you will not be contravening any agreement.
NB The exception and this applies to however you sell your property, is if you have given someone "sole selling rights" as opposed to "sole/multiple agency rights".

Should I tell the estate agents I am also selling privately?
Provided you have checked your contract thoroughly and established that you have not granted them sole selling rights, you can carry out any activities you like alongside theirs. You can look at the question of whether to tell them in one of two ways:

• Will they react positively to the 'competition' of your own selling efforts by raising their game, marketing your property more aggressively and generally pulling out all the stops to ensure that they are successful in generating a commission?
• Or will they prioritise other sales ahead of yours?

How to set a Price?
Agents have good knowledge of the asking price for similar properties in your area, however with all but the most unusual properties this is something some thorough local research can soon resolve.

• Check local press
• Use Internet for local property searches
• Visit some properties to get a feel
• Request a valuation from an estate agent - and you will have made contact in case selling privately doesn't work out!

Don't overprice - the price should be based on market research not what you'd like. If estate agents are selling similar properties for x why should someone pay x plus? Your initial research will have given you prices, how quickly similar properties are selling and how they compare to yours.

Can I use OverseasPropertyOwners.com for Advertising?
Yes, you can use the link/URL to your OverseasPropertyOwners page advertisement in any promotion you do, enabling people to instantly access all the details and photographs in full.

Be prepared
Let your lawyer know what you are up to, and prepare any paperwork that may be necessary to reduce the time it takes for a sale to go through. This will impress the buyer and shows you are committed. A pre-sale survey will prepare you for any potential problems. Make a list of the questions you want to ask a caller; what exactly are they looking for, do they have a property to sell, how quickly can they move, do they know the area? That should sort out possible time wasters and also gives you an opportunity to sell your property in more detail.

How do I manage appointments?
This can be difficult to manage particularly if you have a full time job. On the other hand, if you are master of your own diary for whatever reason, it's possible you can be more flexible than an estate agent. If you are selling from the UK you will obviously need to make viewing arrangements. If you conduct the appointment yourself you need to mix the impartiality of an agent with your knowledge of the property and ignore any feelings you may have towards a particular buyer.

How do I negotiate?
This is where some agents come into their own, knowing how far to stretch a buyer. Then again if you have done your research properly and are clear about what price you will and won't accept, then you don't necessarily need a 3rd party to do this for you.
Don't look desperate - remain calm and positive about the product (your home) you are selling otherwise your potential purchaser will pick-up the wrong vibes.

To prepare your Property Page Advertisement click here.