6. Enlist expert help
While Harvey says you can give DIY selling a go, it is not usually a tactic that is recommended by property experts.
“Although DIY advertising can save money on agent fees for your sale, you are not typically able to reach your whole market and not able to gauge the best price range to advertise at or sell your property at,” Harvey explains.
If you’re going to auction it will cost you between $300 and $500 to hire an auctioneer. For about 1.5% to 3% of your sale price, your agent will sell your home via private treaty, listing your property on their own agency website database as well as the main web portals and the local newspapers, covering a wide range of potential buyers.
“In this sense, I find that DIY selling can be a false economy, because an agent is likely to get you more from your sale than you can. I have sold one of my properties DIY and it is really hard work and I have hired an agent each time since,” says Harvey.
If you’re not sure which agent to choose for your sale, consider a vendor advocacy service (provided by a buyers and sellers agent). They can help you choose the best selling agent, as they know which agents are tough to negotiate with to help maximize your sale price.
“They can appraise your property and advise you of the price range to sell at and make sure this fits in with what your agent says,” Harvey explains.
“A vendor advocacy service can also assess the advertising campaign recommended by your agent, and even help negotiate the sales commission the agent is going to charge. If you choose to engage the help of a vendor advocacy service you should not be charged, as they will be paid a referral fee from the agent of your final choice.”