A guide to helping you make the right move with the successful sale of your property.

This information can also be downloaded in pdf format.

OBTAINING THE BEST POSSIBLE RESULT
If you were to ask people who were intending to sell their property what their main objective was, we would suggest that the majority of them would answer 'To sell our home for the highest possible price in the shortest possible time'. This sounds very straight forward and quite frankly is achievable, so long as correct procedures are undertaken.

HOW MUCH IS YOUR PROPERTY WORTH?
A wise way to approach having your property appraised is to call in three local real estate agents and assess each one.
 
You should be asking the following questions:

1. What is the home worth on today’s market?

2. Are there any improvements I can make that might increase the value of my property?

3. How would you go about selling my home for the highest price in the shortest possible time with the least amount of inconvenience?

4. What are the costs involved and your commission rates (remembering commission rates are negotiable)

5. Why should I select your agency against one of your competitors?

                
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING
The old saying of 'You can’t sell something if you’re going to keep it a secret' certainly is relevant to property sales.
 
Advertising is the main thrust of a total marketing campaign However, it should be noted that advertising doesn’t sell property, sales people do. It is vital that your property reaches the buying public and not only reaches them but is delivered to them in such a way that they sit up and take notice. Once the property has created interest, this will generally result in enquiries and then it is up to the sales people to obtain you the maximum result.
 
You should be guided by your Real Estate agent as to what advertising expenditure would be required and this in our case, is done by past and present experience and considering the specific needs of the property we are handling. It is vital that your property be presented to the market in a professional way and again, “Sloppy Advertising” can result in “Sloppy Prices”. You don’t have to spend a fortune in advertising but what is done must present the image you want, be sharp, crisp, well written and something of obvious pride. This will certainly add to the result.
                    
SIGNAGE
Again very important. Signs must be clear and something you are proud to have outside your home. Over the years we’ve seem some absolute “shockers” and wondered how the agent or the property owner could live with such low standards of marketing. No need to spend too much on signage but have them with 'professional photographs', have the sign lit at night and pointers leading to your property.

BROCHURES
Must be informative, must be concise and again something you are proud to show your friends. This is the image of your home that people will take away with them and we do of course want them to come back.

THE INTERNET
Amazing, absolutely amazing. We list all our properties on our Internet site and our enquiries from this medium are growing all the time. Our office recently sold a property in Fremantle for $790,000 as a direct result of an Internet inquiry.

BOOKLETS
Our company was once a member of a large Real Estate network and they were desperate for us to obtain advertising dollars from our clients so they could promote their image and profile through this medium. They look great but frankly they’re used by agents to inflate their own image to help list more properties, but as a 'selling tool' we found they were very expensive for our clients and didn’t help at all to sell their homes.

REAL ESTATE OFFICE
The agent you select must be in a prominent location so they can be accessed easily by potential purchasers. The window display must be well lit and exceptionally presented. We have the advantage of being located in the heart of Fremantle in the beautiful Woodson’s heritage building on Cantonment Street.
Our window display frontage is some 25 meters and we don’t just show your property, we show it off.
 
Before selecting an agent to act on your behalf it’s not a bad idea to go around one evening and look at their window and office, as after all this is where your displaying your valuable asset and it must be impressively displayed. It is important that the office has a comfortable welcoming feel about it as clients won’t enter if they feel intimidated or not important enough.

PRESENTATION
'You don’t get a second chance at a first impression' How true is that! It is vital that your home is given the best possible chance at obtaining the best possible price.
 
Over the years there have been instances where we’ve been asked to take over the sale of a property from one of my competitors with the owners of the property so negative they thought they’d never sell. By taking a step back looking at the situation and by making some slight changes we’ve been able to have almost instant success. Presentation is vital and listed below are some helpful suggestions you may like to consider:

         For two weeks prior and during sale period use lemon scented fragrances when cleaning wet areas.
         Maximise the use of natural light.
         Cut back bushes near windows and clean windows.
         Be conscious of clutter. Don’t have rooms over furnished.
         Keep kitchen clear of dishes etc and allow bench tops to be as clear as possible. Add colour with a bowl of fresh fruit.
         Steam clean carpets.
         Keep laundry neat and tidy.
         During winter, keep home warm.
         During the summer, keep the home cool.
         Pets are great but be aware they don’t help when selling homes.
         Try and keep the garage neat and tidy.
         Keep the home as clean and tidy as you can during the sale period.
         Keep lawns and garden neat and trim.
         Remove all rubbish from the site.
         Clear all guttering and downpipes.
         Check the roof for obvious re-pointing of tiles.
         Give walls and facias a lick of paint if required.
         Consider fragrances for the home – Smell is of the utmost importance.
         If the neighbouring property is a little down explain your situation and see if you can help in some way, this in turn will help you.

Please note that these presentation points are there to assist you, but the best idea is for you to “Visit your own home” as a potential purchaser and just walk through. You will pick up on things and attend to them for the purpose of the sale.

LEGAL ADVICE
It is important to make sure that when you’re dealing in property transactions that everything is as it should be.

Have your legal representative check over all documents before you sign (including agency agreements) and this will ensure you are protected.

INSURANCE
It is wise to keep your property fully insured right up until settlement.

SECURITY
We have conducted literally thousands of “Home Opens” over the years and we can honestly say we haven’t had problems with security. We always suggest to people that they remove valuables from the home and use common sense during the sale period with respect to security and this avoids problems.
SUMMARY
Not all Real Estate Agents are the same. Some are excellent at what they do and some leave a bit to be desired.
 
My experience in life and business has been that if you do the right thing you always come out on top. We are confident that should you decide to select Port City Real Estate to act on your behalf we will not only exceed your expectations in professionalism and capability but form a lasting friendship like many clients before you have done.
 
Thank you for considering Port City Real Estate in regard to the marketing and sale of your property. Initially we are putting forward some details with regard to the different options that exist with selling and we hope this is of some assistance to you.
 
After carrying out an inspection we will issue you with a letter detailing our recommendations and we would then welcome the opportunity to sit down with you and assist you in any way we can.

OPTION 1.
Port City Real Estate can handle the sale of your property on what is commonly known as a 'no sale no charge basis'. This means that our company would list your property for private sale at an agreed commission rate and all marketing expenditure would be at our cost not yours. The level of advertising would depend on what was considered fair and reasonable by both parties. It should be noted that our company has sold many many properties on this basis since the start of business.

OPTION 2.
You may decide that you would like to set aside an amount as advertising and marketing budget (as they say, 'You can’t sell something if you’re going to keep it a secret'). However, you’re not keen on the idea of auction. Again we would place your property on the market at an agreed commission rate and together with you, come up with the best plan detailing specific advertising and marketing strategies. This method of sale is most popular, as we team up with our clients and work together to achieve an outstanding result without the stress of being 'too public'. 

OPTION 3.
There are arguments for and against auctions. However, after 20 years in real estate and on the basis that the property fits the requirements of an “Auction Property” there is no doubt whatsoever that this is the most clear cut way of maximizing the price of your property.

Some of our competitors don’t do auctions and in fact are critical of this method. However we at Port City Real Estate believe you the client, should have the choice of being part of what can be a most rewarding and satisfying real estate decision.

So, the often asked question is how much is it going to cost me to auction my home and am I going to recover that money by achieving a higher price?. The best way to maximise your price is to have people competing to buy something and this happens every Saturday not only here, but all across the state of Western Australia.

In regards to the cost of auction we would arrange a meeting with you to design an auction campaign to specifically suit your property.

By design, our company’s strength is our size, not too large and not to small. Perfect to obtain you the best result.
 
We will be in touch, in regard to our recommendations for your particular property and thank you for considering Port City Real Estate to act on your behalf.

 

Yours Faithfully,
Port City Real Estate

Glenda Omacini
Principal