How to stand out in a crowded spring market

Spring selling season is just around the corner, and real estate agency heads from around the country have been telling us that the tide is turning.

They say there are more buyers out looking for houses, buyers who are frustrated at how little stock they have to choose from. There are stories of in-demand properties having six or more bidders at auction, meaning five or more disappointed under-bidders who are missing out. Forecasters are expecting the stable prices to continue into spring as sales numbers pick up after winter.

And with interest rates so low, renters are deciding there won’t be a better time to become first home buyers.

So beat the rush and get your house onto the market now. You’ll need to start today.

1. Check out the competition

Yes, listings sites are not just for buyers. When you’re selling, you need to be registered and tracking properties for sale in your area.

Check out the local market stats for things like recent sales comparable CVs, schools and amenities you can promote when you go to market. You can find them here on OneRoof.

Don’t just look at similar properties to your own – you need to get a grip on what is available at both the top end and the budget ends of your neighbourhood. Think like buyers, figure out what they might get for, say, another $50,000 or $100,000 less, what they might get in neighbouring suburbs or if they went for a different type of house.

Are you competing new build houses? New developments of town houses or apartments? Bigger or fully renovated properties?

You need to understand what your competitive advantages are – for example, your older house might have a bigger back yard, or more storage, or better garaging than a brand new shiny build. Or your newish house may appeal to people who don’t want the hassle of maintenance or renovations. Houses that need work are harder to shift in the current market, so understand how your ‘before’ state will likely affect price.

2. Meet the agents

Even though you’re not buying, go to open homes around your area. Most agents specialize in a geographic area – seeing the same names again and again on sales boards is a good clue. You may not be ready to sign up with an agency yet, but chatting to agents at their open homes will give you a good sense of who you’d like to work with.

How do they talk up the property? How do they ask questions and sort out real prospects from tyre kickers? How efficiently do they follow up after the open home?

Talk to friends and neighbours who’ve sold or bought recently to get feedback on people who worked well for them.

3. Do the math

Yes, it would be amazing to get top dollar from that rare unicorn – a buyer who’s cashed up, been looking for months, is prepared to pay anything to get your house.

But it’s also wise to have a plan B. A realistic assessment of what your house is likely to get can come only from agent appraisals or a registered valuer. And even then, the price you get depends on what buyers in the market, on that day, are prepared to pay.

Do the calculations so you are prepared if things don’t go to plan – budget what you’ll do if you don’t get the price you want, if time to sell drags out beyond the average (which, in some markets or price points, is over 40 days), if you need to get bridging finance if you’re also buying and there’s a gap between closing dates.

4. Line up the team

While you’re getting the house ready to sell, you need to also line up the team. As well as interviewing and appointing your agent, catch up with your lawyer or conveyancing professional to make sure the titles are clean and tidy.

Check with your council for a full property report as well as the LIM – there may be hooks lurking in their paperwork that you didn’t know about from work you have done, encumbrances from neighbours or un-consented work that pre-dates your purchase that are now your responsibility. Figure out what conditions you want or don’t want in the sale and purchase agreement and discuss these with your agent – better now than trying to add in the heat of negotiations.

If your house grooming might incur some significant expenses – a few thousand here or there for repairs or painting or staging soon adds up – talk to your bank to keep them sweet.

5. Spruce up the house and garden

While it’s easy enough to go through the checklist of cleaning, gardening, repairs or de-cluttering, sometimes it is impossible to see the really obvious flaws in your house.

Be strong enough to walk through the house with your agent and listen to his or her feedback. They know from experience that buyers would rather see a room as a fourth bedroom than your cluttered, dated office. They’ll be blunt about repainting the lolly pink walls, ditching the tired drapes or clearing out the garage so a car can actually fit, or upgrading the front path or deck.

They’ll make suggestions on how best to arrange the house for the marketing photography and for open homes. Be prepared to really, really clear out a heap of furniture and most of your accessories and books. Sell or donate the clutter, don’t think you’ll store it and then love it months later when you unpack into your new place. You won’t.

Even if you’re not using professional stager, see how they make a living room or bedroom look great with only a few pieces of furniture. A bathroom or kitchen has a handful of tasteful accessories (and not, you’ll notice, 20 random shampoo bottles or the kids’ lunch boxes and piles of laundry).

And if there are chattels you totally love and want to take with you – a precious light fixture, that garden bird bath – it’s best to remove them before you show the house, rather than negotiate them in or out of chattels list in the sale and purchase agreement.

6. Lights, camera and sell

Slogging through weekends of open homes is not fun – all that cleaning and tidying, packing yourself out of the house for an hour or two, then listening to the agent feedback from viewers (which can hurt, frankly).

It helps to emotionally detach from the house by thinking of it as a product, part of your past not your future. Enjoy living with less stuff, and promise yourself you won’t build up the clutter ever again. Get excited about the next steps in your life, even dare to go to open homes, now as a prospective buyer.

And keep the Champagne chilled for when that sweet, sweet sale and purchase agreement is finally signed and sealed.