It pays to be well-prepared when putting your property on the market, as it can not only lead to a quicker sale but also obtaining a better price.
It will seem obvious to most people to properly prepare your home when you put it up for sale, but there are still homeowners who don’t even tidy up before a viewing, let alone think the process through beforehand. Since we mostly still buy with our eyes and hearts, the chance of having someone fall in love with your property is so much smaller if you don’t create the right conditions.
Documentation
The first step is to ensure you have all the required documentation to hand, from the title deeds and inscription into the Land Registry to utility contracts and receipts for taxes paid. As part of this process, you will also have to make sure there are no outstanding debts related to the property, as a potential buyer’s lawyer will check this as part of an overall due diligence process. Vendors are also required to commission an Energy Certificate from a specialised company or technician, a process that requires an inspection and subsequent report with energy (efficiency) rating certificate and costs somewhere between €50-€200. Any estate agency that lists your Marbella property for sale will have to create a dossier containing the above information.
Promotion
You could place your home on the market with a multitude of agencies, but especially in the case of more luxurious properties this can have a counter-productive effect as you begin to lose any control over how it is marketed. It is better to select one or a small number of highly professional and effective companies that have the expertise and resources to promote your home effectively, produce quality descriptions and marketing material, apply modern online and offline sales tools, and give you personal account management and consultancy. The latter pertains particularly to a valuation of the home with suggested asking price, sales/marketing strategy and also advice on how to present your Marbella property for optimal impact and results.
Presentation
Before one can even take the images needed for marketing material, the property should be presented to look its very best. This can include tidying up, decluttering, painting the walls in neutral tones, fixing any little snags and ensuring gardens, pools and similar amenities are in good condition. In some cases, it will even pay to slightly modernise, upgrade and renovate the home in terms of furniture, kitchens and bathrooms, to ensure that the home looks fresh and appeals to modern tastes. Today’s buyers are particularly susceptible to this, and many a resale purchase has fallen through over the initial visual impact, so it would be a pity to sell your home short by not presenting it at its best. Not only does this lead to a far quicker sale, but generally speaking any money spent on improvements will be more than returned in the selling price.
Let our team assess your property and advise you on how to achieve the best results. We are experts in this field and have helped many homeowners sell their Marbella property with success.