Frequently Asked Questions

• The time and cost to hire a professional realtor (and even more of your personal time if you decide to sell yourself)
• A home inspection – to identify any repairs that are likely to be required before a sale can be closed
• Time and cost in fixing up your home to prepare it for sale
• Removals, and shipping if applicable
• Legal representation fees
• Cost of the advertising / exposure needed to sell your home – these costs may be covered by your realtor if you use one
• Tax
  

• Your location in relation to amenities – shops, transport links, big cities, etc.
• The immediate neighborhood – the feel of the surrounding homes and their community
• The age of your home
• The condition of your home
• Market conditions
• Your home’s extras (e.g. garage, pool, mortgage helper opportunities, etc.)

There is no doubt that the timing of placing your property on the market can affect both how fast it sells and how much you can ask for your home. Many factors can affect market activity, including seasons, economic changes and local activity. It is best to get the advice of a realtor who is familiar with current market trends in your area, and has a feel for how the market is likely to change over the coming months. They will be able to advise you on whether it is best to try and sell your property immediately or perhaps to wait a month or two in order to get the best price for your home.

The time it takes to sell a home is impossible to estimate accurately. In general, finding a buyer can take anything from a week to 6 months, and sometimes longer. If a property takes too long to sell, it may be that the price is too high, or that another factor is putting potential buyers off the property. Your realtor if you use one will follow up with everyone that views your home to establish their feedback, and anything that may have discouraged their interest. This will help to speed up the process by providing insights that can help you to make your home more appealing to potential buyers. Once a sale is agreed and a chain is complete, it usually takes one or two months to put all the paperwork in order and transfer ownership of the properties involved.

First impressions are very important, so you may want to consider taking the following measures to make your home more appealing to potential buyers:

• Keep your lawn clean and trimmed
• Freshen things up by re-painting the walls, steam-cleaning carpets and getting rid of strong odours from pets or smoking
• Remove as much clutter as you can, to make it easier for buyers to envisage their own belongings in your living space
• Open curtains/blinds and turn on the lights before buyers view your home
• Carry out any obvious repairs, such as fixing guttering or oiling squeaky doors
• Do a spring clean so your potential buyers feel they can look closer without having to tackle any cobwebs

You need a real estate lawyer to process all the legal paperwork involved in selling (and buying) a property. They will run through the written agreements with you, so that you fully understand your options and can make the best decisions about the finer details of your sale. The most important document they will help you complete is the Agreement of Purchase and Sale. This is a legal document that you will need to sign in order to complete the transfer of ownership of the properties involved in the transaction.