The stumbling block of selling real estate

A change of scenery is on the horizon and you wonder how best to sell your house or flat? In the process, personal goals in terms of time, price and other factors are to be achieved. Many are unsure whether to sell themselves, use an estate agent or even one of the new online brokers. Experience shows that sellers often make four important mistakes that cost them a lot of money.



1. They position the property incorrectly on the market

You have lived in the property yourself and have felt correspondingly comfortable within your own four walls. However, a prospective buyer will look at the property with different eyes than the sellers. This mental change of sides is often stressful. Older properties in particular often no longer meet the wishes of today's buyers in all respects.

It's good to have someone at your side who knows what's currently in demand and what the contemporary development standards are. From this perspective, solutions can often be found with little effort that significantly increase the value of the property in the eyes of the prospective buyer. This can be a small refresh, an idea for a refurbishment or even a conversion project. 

This is where experience and market knowledge are needed, the results of which can quickly add up to a few tens of thousands of francs in additional revenue.

2. They are not reaching the right buyers

With today's real estate portals, it is supposedly easy to find interested parties for the property. But if you want to find the right buyer who will pay the best price for your property, you have to approach them specifically and find them. Therefore, it is important to think about what could be the right target group. The headline, the images and the choice of words must be adapted to this target group. Especially for special properties, buyers are rarely available online. 

An experienced broker has a broad database and, ideally, an international network, which enables them to approach the target clients directly and to inspire them personally for the properties. A path that is rarely accessible to self-sellers.

3. They underestimate the effort

Selling a property involves a lot of effort. With a good advertisement, the sellers receive numerous enquiries – also from estate agents and "property tourists" who simply like to look at nice properties – which have to be dealt with. Viewings cost a lot of time and are costly if they are prepared and followed up in a promising way. The various interested parties must be contacted and clarifications must be made with architects and experts. 

Often the sellers are then glad to have someone on their side so as not to run the risk of accepting the bid too early and at too low a price, just so that the sale can finally be completed.

4. They are not skilled enough in negotiations

Closing negotiations are the fine art of the sale process. It is by no means only the sale price that is decisive here, but also whether the sellers can fulfil their other basic conditions. Someone who is strongly connected to the property for sale often lacks the necessary distance that is needed to confidently identify the best possible options and to get the maximum out of the negotiations in a consistent and goal-orientated manner. In addition, there are many pitfalls lurking in relation to financing, creditworthiness, the drafting of purchase contracts, liability, renovation, refurbishment and other technical issues, which can cost quite a bit of money. 

Selling a house with a professional

In any case, it is worth consulting an experienced specialist. A good and serious broker supports the sellers in this process on a contingency basis and only costs them something in the event of success. On closer inspection, free and cheap offers often turn out to be deceptive, as they have to do most of the work themselves and are left alone to deal with important issues.

It is therefore worth examining the various offers carefully. Time and time again, it becomes apparent that the offer, which at first glance appears to be somewhat more expensive, then guarantees an all-round carefree package, in which the seller's interests are optimally taken care of and the property is sold carefree and at the best price.

Our real estate consultants know both the market and the essential success factors for presenting and marketing a property and lead the purchase negotiations to a conclusion in a target-orientated, competent manner and, above all, in the interests of the seller.

We are happy to accompany you as a seller or buyer in your important decisions. A call or a visit to one of our shops is all it takes.