LEGGETT IMMOBILIER - LOCAL KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST
high and haven't sold within a
few months, then a good agent
won't be shy in asking if you
have thought about a price
reduction (avenant in French).
It's still a buyer's market.
Property needs to be priced
correctly to sell.
STAGE YOUR HOME
Here are ten things you should
do so your property looks its
best:
➤ Paint your front door and
tidy the entranceway: first
impressions count.
➤ Clean the windows, take
down the nets and let in the light.
No one likes a gloomy house.
➤ Add greenery to the courtyard,
plant some colour and cut
that lawn.
➤ Don't allow your neighbours
to let you down: cut their hedge
if necessary.
➤ De-clutter the house. It will
appear bigger and be much
more visually appealing.
➤ It sounds obvious, but get
rid of odours. Fresh coffee is a
plus.
➤ Control your pets. We've
had it all, from aggressive
dogs to overflowing cat litter
and buyers standing in horse
manure. You love them, but not
everyone shares your feeling.
➤ Get your compulsory diagnostics done and have
them
available for inspection.
➤ Agree to short notice viewings or give
us a set of keys. We
often sell houses that were a
'last minute drop-in'.
➤ Let your agent do his/her
job and conduct the viewing.
They will know the buyer's wish
list - and if they don't know the
answer to a question they won't
hesitate to ask you.
NEGOTIATE THE PRICE
Unless you are lucky enough
to get an asking price offer
(yes, they sometimes do still
happen) you'll be asked to negotiate
on price. The first thing
to do is to be absolutely clear
on what's included in the offer.
Is it just the house or do they
want some furniture - or even
the aforementioned horses?
Next, it's time to get your
calculator out and decide if
it's an offer you can live with.
Again, seek your agent's help in
making up your mind. How does
the offer stand against comparable
houses the agent has recently
sold? What's the market
like? How many viewings have
you had recently? Have you had
any other offers? Bear in mind
your immediate plans: do you
have to sell quickly or can you
afford to wait?
All of these need to be added to the mix before
you can
come to a logical decision.
I do hope that some of this
helps you find a buyer. There
will be around 800 000 properties sold in France
over the
next 12 months and I hope that
yours is one of them - preferably with Leggett
Immobilier as
your selling agent!
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LEGGETT MAGAZINE EXPERT ADVICE