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5. Timing counts
The time of year, and even the condition of the weather, can turn your buyers on, or off your property.

Harvey says that selling your home during the holiday season over Christmas and New Year, or even on a long weekend, can be a bad move as it tends to restrict your exposure to several buyers markets.

“You will notice that the most auctions occur in late February and March because the weather is hot, everyone is back from holidays and it encourages buyers to get out and about to see your property. Traditionally spring is also a great time, as it brings the new growth on the trees and the weather is warm but not hot enough to deter buyers,” Harvey explains.

“In my books, the ultimate time to sell via auction is eight weeks before Christmas and Easter. This is because the usual 42 days settlement period is ideal to secure the deal and allow for enough time for your buyer to move in and unpack before they go on holidays.”

If your property is a little more generic, Harvey says it can also be a good tactic to list your property in winter, when there is less competition between vendors.

“So in some ways, when your property is more generic, you can be better off selling from May to August,” explains Harvey.

4. ‘Bid them low and watch them go’
Harvey says a popular tactic by many real estate agents selling via private treaty, is to do what he calls ‘Bid them low and watch them go’.

“In a good market, such as the first home buyer market at the moment, when the agent lists the property as ‘offers over’, they create lots of interest as the price seems quite low, and lots of buyers come in and view the property,” says Harvey.

“The vendor thinks that the agent has listed the property too low, but if they’re clever they’ll convince the vendor to list it low, and you just watch the bees come around the honey pot – the competition from buyers will be strong and often push the price up.”

3. Know your buyers
Patrick Bright, real estate author and buyer’s agent for EPS Property Search says that a lot of buyers remain sceptical when it comes to the auction process and many will prefer to stick to property that is being sold with an asking price. These sorts of trends can give you an idea as to how to sell your property,” Bright explains.

“Buyers simply don’t want the financial outlay before auction day on expenses such as building and pest inspections and the legal fees associated with having the contract read on a property that may end up being priced way out of their league. Particularly if they don’t take the time or don’t have the time to do their research to understand the property’s current value.”

Rich Harvey, managing director of propertybuyer ™ says first home buyers and buyers that don’t enter the market too often are scared off by auctions because they create a very emotional and confrontational environment, where buyers feel exposed.

“People’s hearts start beating and the competition can turn buyers off,” Harvey explains.

“On the other hand the benefit of auctions is that they allow for price flexibility, and buyers and sellers both like this. It doesn’t peg price expectations and it allows the real estate agent to do what I call ‘test the market’, to say well the property could be worth $900,000 but it could be worth $1.5 million.”

2. Consider selling via private treaty
A private treaty sale is more effective for vendors who are trying to sell in a market where there is an abundance of similar stock on the market and local sales activity has slowed considerably. This can be a great strategy for those attempting to sell in the highly concentrated mortgage belt areas, or in fact those trying to sell a high end property in a non-responsive market.

Yardney says there are currently more properties on the market than willing buyers, due to economic uncertainty, and suggests private treaty as an effective solution for selling your home in an active buyers market.

“If you live in an area where lots of locals are seeking to market their property at the same time, this could be a good option at the moment,” Yardney explains.

1. Leverage the property’s character
Pamela Yardney, director of Metropole Property Investment Strategists’ says vendors should leverage the character in their property to take advantage of the emotionally charged environment of auctions.

“The auction process generally aims to provide a quicker result, making it a more alluring option for many sellers. However, the wrong type of property can fail to move at auction and potentially languish on the market for an extended period of time,” Yardney says.

“Auctions are most effective for properties that are unique or special in some way, such as a rare architect designed or period style home. Properties that are generally highly sought after, in a good inner city or bayside location and/or where it might be difficult to put an exact figure on their worth (due to a lack of comparable stock), also often do well at auction.”

61. Close on a positive note

For example, if I am talking with a real estate agent and putting my offer forward, I will end the conversation with a reassuring close. For example, ‘OK, great. Please keep me posted so I can organise a time to come over and sign the contract’, or ‘OK, great. Can you please give me your details so I can put the deposit into your account?’ This shows you are serious, committed and you’re the easy option.

60. Commit

I’ve seen many people go through the thrill of the negotiations just to go cold at the end. If you cannot commit, it is a sign of disrespect, and you will lose credibility. If the other party you are dealing with shows no sign or level of commitment, then perhaps you are being too generous. At the end of the day, any deal comes down to both sides being in agreement on fair and reasonable terms.

59. Be flexible and realistic

If you’re going into negotiation more aggressively than you need to according to your goal, don’t suddenly get greedy and renege/stall. You also don’t want to take a first counteroffer; present another, present another opportunity to the other party closer to their response. Remember that timing is of the essence, and more important than screwing the last $5 off someone. If you get too greedy you can end up losing the deal.

58. Have confidence in your preplanning and ask for what you want and be assertive with your expectations

If you don’t ask for a certain price, term, or inclusion, you’re not even trying. If you have a solid rapport and you deliver your case with confidence, portraying what you’re requesting is not out of line or unreasonable, you have a far greater chance of achieving your desired result.

57. Prepare any arguments before you walk through the door for negotiations

Having information at hand is key for being proactive and gives you more confidence for calling the shots. Be clear on what you’re hoping to achieve and write down your ideal outcome(s). Know what to ask for and when to ask for it. Timing is crucial, as it can cost you the race.