Advice on selling privately

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11 Jun 2010 12:00 AM by Faro Star rating in London. 1139 posts Send private message

What advice would you give to someone wanting to sell an apartment privately in terms of where to advertise etc.

Stick up a sign

advertise it on fotocasa





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11 Jun 2010 2:45 PM by georgia Star rating in Algorfa (As seen on .... 1835 posts Send private message

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 Be Careful.....

 

MONDAY, 07 JUNE 2010 18:44

THE FOLLOWING true story just goes to prove that you can never be too careful. We received a telephone call from two of our readers, a local couple, asking us to publicise what had happened to them recently as a cautionary tale for others to watch out for. The couple, who asked not to be named in the article as they are concerned about possible reprisals, have their property up for sale like many other people in the region. One evening last week the husband noticed there were two women talking to his neighbour. They seemed to be pointing to his house and he thought they were perhaps interested in buying the property.
They always keep their gate locked as a precaution but seeing as they were speaking with his neighbour he assumed they were bona fide possible buyers. He said they were speaking Spanish with his neighbour and he let them in.
They then proceeded to look round the house quickly and split up so that it was difficult for our readers to keep up with them and what they were both doing. It proved later to have been a clever diversionary tactic, because when they were eventually ushered out of the property the wife looked to discover that her handbag was not where she had left it. On looking round the house they found it in the bathroom. Opening the bag quickly, her worst fears were realised as she discovered to her horror that they had been robbed of 1,700 euros which, unusually for them, they had in cash on the premises.
They said it all happened very quickly and events were a bit of a blur but the brief descriptions they gave us were as follows. One of the women was quite tall, about five foot eight inches in height, dark haired, stocky with brown hair and the other was fair hired with a tattoo on one of her arms. The husband of the couple who were robbed described it as a very skilled operation. Afterwards when they talked to their neighbour they discovered that she had no idea who they were; they had just expressed interest in their house which had a ‘For Sale’ notice outside it.
Clearly if you are looking to sell your house at the moment with the market still sluggish, you will want to make the best of any opportunities that present themselves but as always, letting strangers into your house carries with it certain potential risks as our readers unfortunately found out. From their experience if you do have people in your house who you do not know it makes sense to try to ensure that at no times is anyone left on their own and to hide any valuables from plain sight.
Please let us know if anyone comes across this pair operating in the area again.

 



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www.taylorlandandpropertygroup.co.uk still here after all these years!



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11 Jun 2010 3:19 PM by redsam79 Star rating in Los Pacos, Costa del.... 192 posts Send private message

Found this on another site, hope it helps.

 

Create a "For Sale" sign. You can do this yourself or preferably buy one. This  results in enquiries.

You can list your property on sites that advertise private property for sale, in newspapers (which is cheaper than you might think) and by word of mouth.

• Take good, well lit, pictures showing off your properties best assets and views.

• Take time to write a short description of your property, too long and people won’t read it all, but make sure you SELL it. Add any selling points, terraces, views, talk about the neighbourhood, social events, shops etc, how far it is to the airport etc. If you can provide a video clip then state this as this is obviously highly beneficial and you can email this to enquirers.

• Facilitate viewings on as short a notice as possible. If you leave your keys with a neighbour who plays golf three times a week, you might be losing a vital chance to show the property at the buyers convenience.

• Ensure that curtains and shutters are open and lots of light floods the property when it is shown.

• If there are any small repairs or repainting that would enhance the overall appeal of the property, it's well worthwhile getting this work done. Although it goes without saying, a clean house is a desirable house, and many buyers are put off if the property is grubby or untidy. Make sure the place is spotless and you will instantly create a favourable impression.

• If you intend to sell your property with some furniture, it is most important to make an inventory right at the beginning and list these. Many a sale has been on the brink of falling though when a buyer thought that the painting over the fireplace was included, and felt that the seller was "too mean" when he learned that it was not! Negative energy during a negotiation can be avoided by having a clear inventory in writing from the outset.

• Remember that selling a property in a resort area is not usually a rapid procedure, even in good market conditions. Properties can stay on the market from three months to 2 years, depending on the market, the location, condition and general desirability of the property, the effectiveness of the sales strategy and, of course, the asking price.


• Points to consider when a negotiation is taking place: Is the buyer expecting a counter offer from you or has he given you a one-and-only, take-it-or-leave-it offer? Does he have other properties in mind if he doesn't buy yours? Is his offer a fair one? Are all details included in the offer -- price, target contract date, deposit, completion date, precise understanding of what is included in the sale in the way of fixtures, fittings and furniture, and who pays the municipal "plus valía" tax? These items should be agreed upon at the outset and before lawyers are instructed and above all, should not be negotiated "piecemeal", to avoid unpleasant surprises.

• Once you make up your mind to proceed, and with an understanding of "emotional factor" of the buyers of second or retirement homes, where they can change their minds abruptly, move quickly (but surely) to close the deal.




_______________________

SUCCESS IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF LUCK....ASK ANY FAILURE!!




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11 Jun 2010 7:17 PM by Roberto Star rating in Torremolinos. 4551 posts Send private message

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Interesting replies

Faro, I'm assuming the property in question is in Spain, but where exactly may make a big difference. I'm also assuming from your profile that you are not in Spain, at least not full time - in which case, I don't really know how you intend to sell without the help of an agent. Stick up a sign? Spanish or English number? If Spanish, do you speak Spanish? Or is the property such that only English buyers will be interested anyway? Will anyone ring a UK number? Either way, you'll probably find most calls come from agents wanting to list it. Advertising on the web - how about this site? Or maybe Kyero or Idealista? In southern Spain, the Sur in English may be a good place to put it. Depending on your circumstances of course, it may just be a lot simpler to list it with agents.



_______________________

 

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"

Mark Twain

 

 

 




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14 Jun 2010 11:01 AM by mariadecastro Star rating in Algeciras (Cadiz). 9419 posts Send private message

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EyeOnSpain?



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14 Jun 2010 11:25 AM by Faro Star rating in London. 1139 posts Send private message

Hi Roberto

Not my property. A friend asked my advice on how to sell without agent.

Agents in the areas seem to want 5% to sell cheap (ie cheapest apartment in block etc) so owner's attitude is give it a try herself first and see how she gets on etc. Property is in Torremolinos (1 bed/studio apt) and there's quite a few in the block for sale. I'm guessing it will more than likely be a Spanish buyer so advertising media to Spanish would be good. Owner is willing to sell at bottom end of price scale realising it's easy to check price etc

It may be agents lower their fee.  5% would be ok if agent brings in a buyer at top of scale but to expect 5% when vendor sells cheap does not seem reasonable.

I thought I would see what info I could gether from the experts on this site and pass on my findings.





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14 Jun 2010 6:49 PM by Roberto Star rating in Torremolinos. 4551 posts Send private message

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If she is here (in Spain) and speaks adequate Spanish, then by all means put a sign in the window, but bear in mind what I said - that she will probably get more calls from agents or "go-betweens" than genuine buyers. Agents here typically quote 5%, although nowadays many will settle for 3%, but contrary to what you may think, for properties at the lower end of the market, they are more likely to demand a minimum fee which may well work out at far more than 5%.

In my experience, it is not easy attracting private buyers, and although it pains me as much as the next guy to pay agent's fees, epsecially now when there are so many properties on the market, your friend may still find it's the only realistic option. Some agents have access to potential buyers that she would otherwise not be able to attract (e.g. Russians). I will PM you with further info on this.



_______________________

 

"Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please"

Mark Twain

 

 

 




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