Selling your home is always going to be equal parts thrilling and terrifying – after all, it signals a fresh change, but it’s still your biggest asset. So how do you get it right from the get-go? We caught up with Ryan Teece from Ray White – One of Auckland’s top agents about kickstarting a campaign right.
Ryan Teece is one of those people that puts you at ease right away. When express caught up with the Ray White real estate agent, it was immediately obvious this would be an easy assignment.
“I’m so busy at the moment, but I honestly can’t stop smiling. This past year has been insane, but I’ve loved every second of it. It’s been the most rewarding year of my career!” He tells us.
This is why we wanted to come chat to him. So many of our readers have told us they are eager to capitalise on our red hot property market, but say it is daunting to know where to start.
“I get it,” Ryan sympathises. “It can seem scary. But it’s actually a great time to be selling because there’s a nationwide shortage of homes, which means the prices are being driven up!”
“There’s probably two main slots left to really sell this year. Before the October school holidays, or after them, but before Christmas. Obviously, with lockdown thrown in the mix, it’s more likely people will wait until after the holidays,” Ryan explains.
Ultimately, though, there’s things they need to do first.
“Often people get their house in order, and only when they think they’re totally ready to go on the market do they start talking to agents, but it’s actually best to start by interviewing agents. We take a lot of that stress off you from the beginning,” Ryan tells us.
Many of those stresses come from paperwork and formalities – like checking your property’s title to ensure there are no issues.
“Banks are lending huge money for properties at the moment, and they want to ensure that what they’re funding is going to be properly supported. Check there’s no issues with cross-leases or your LIM. Often they’re fine, but it is amazing how many people assume everything is fully compliant until it goes on the market, and then realise that it’s not,” Ryan says.
While those things are being rectified, you can start looking at the cosmetics of your home.
However, Ryan advises, “talk to your agent before you do anything! While you might see value in retiling a bathroom, we’ll be able to tell you quickly if it’s worth it. Often the money you spend isn’t money you’d get back.”
Often it’s the smaller things, as opposed to the big jobs, that an agent will advise you to focus on.
“If there’s a door that doesn’t latch properly, get that fixed. If there’s a light switch that isn’t working, sort it out. Do those annoying jobs that might not seem big, but buyers always end up putting a much higher value on the cost for them to get them fixed.”
Essentially, you want to eliminate reasons for a potential buyer to pay less for your property.
Then, “have a big de-clutter! It makes such a difference. You want people to think there’s a lot of space in your house,” Ryan explains. Follow that by removing a lot of yourself from the home. “Takedown your photos. This allows the buyer to look at the house as if it’s an empty canvas for them to put their life into, rather than them feeling like they’re wandering around someone else’s home.”
While it can seem like a daunting task, putting your home on the market, with the right team by your side, it’ll be a breeze!
“Exactly,” agrees Ryan. “I’m waiting for their call!”
Ryan can be contacted on 021 156 2672 or ryan.teece@raywhite.com
