selling yourself

Exceptional Sale Results without Excessive Commissions

The results are in! SA Listings has selected our last 18 recent sales to statistically prove you get the same results, if not better from a fixed fee Agent compared to a traditional commission based Agent. The results also prove that brand does not matter when selling your home. SA Listings, a relatively new player in the Adelaide real estate market has successfully sold the last 18 properties with an average of 23 days on market, achieving an average of full Vendors asking price and savings in excess of $110,000 in Agent fees to boot!

SA LISTINGS – CLIENT RESULTS AND AGENT FEE SAVINGS
Property Address	% of Asking Price	Days on Market	Agent Fee Saved*
92 Folland Ave Northgate	105.24%	4	$7,312
72 Rapid Ave Lightsview	102.19%	7	$9,400
1/91 Myrtle St Prospect	100.00%	31	$4,590
11 Allen Ave Brooklyn Park	105.00%	11	$7,310
4 Paddington Ave Northgate	108.00%	9	$7,662
109/220 Greenhill Rd Eastwood	98.33%	49	$6,980
140C North East Rd Walkerville	99.11%	34	$6,320
140B North East Rd Walkerville	98.23%	31	$6,210
14 Epsilon Crt Woodcroft	100.00%	16	$3,250
14 Rapid Ave Lightsview	100.00%	52	$1,920
8 Welsh Rd Lightsview	108.70%	5	$7,750
14 Holmeswood Crt Para Hills West	98.00%	46	$3,680
74 Rapid Ave Lightsview	100.00%	1	$7,360
10 Rozells Ave Lightsview	100.00%	7	$7,150
2 Rivergum Cls Walkey Heights	97.00%	20	$6,860
13 Welsh Rd Lightsview	97.22%	21	$9,400
19 Rapid Ave Lightsview	100.00%	26	$6,540
21 Rapid Ave Lightsview	100.00%	43	$5,000
	Average Ask Price	Average Days on Market	Total Agent Fee Savings
	100.95%	23	$114,694
*Savings based on traditional Agent Commission in SA of 2.2% inclusive of GST

The savings in Agent fees is conservative, as it does not take into account significant savings achieved by our clients in marketing fees. Several of the properties listed above had no marketing fees at all as they were successfully matched to purchasers on the SA Listings buyer database. We have in fact, been told by our clients of well known brand name Agents charging additional fees of up to $2,000 for use of pre-market listing techniques, whereby, your property is listed on their website and database for viewing only by their registered subscribers, prior to listing to the general public. This is astounding! One would expect the Agent commission to cover the cost of the Agent actually matching the registered subscribers on their database to your property. Is that not their job? At SA Listings, we database match and contact all relevant parties we believe would be interested in your property. This service is incorporated in the fixed fee package at no additional cost to you, we believe our job as your Agent is to sell the property for the very best price at an affordable cost to you – without fee gouging!

Also as a consumer be aware, there are some new Agencies providing a low fixed fee but the package does not incorporate a full agent service. Please read the fine print and ask questions of the Agency selling you the packages.

Remember, SA Listings provides a full agent service for an affordable fee with the highest service from listing to settlement, to find out more visit www.salistings.com.au

Justine Thomson

What Price to Offer?

As an Agent I am often asked the same question from each and every potential purchaser, “How much should I offer?” The answer to this question is: there is no answer! As the Agent selling the home I work for the Vendor and my role is to achieve the best possible price for them – but I’m unable to advise you, the purchaser, of what price you should offer for the property.

However, to give you some insight into ways to determine the offer price to secure the home of your dreams, SA Listings suggests you think about the following points:

Do your own research on the area and current market sale prices for similar properties. To assist you with this, a good Agent should be able to provide you with a list of recent sales of comparable properties in the area.

A good Agent should always consider current market prices for similar properties sold in the area and should price the property accordingly. Your own research, plus the agent’s comparable price list, should give you an indication of where you believe the property price sits. Remember, the price advertised will be the Vendors expectation so your offer should, as a minimum, be in this range.

Have you missed out on previous properties you were interested in? If so, the reason may be is you are low-balling your offer in the hope of securing a property below current market conditions or you may be seeking a property outside your budget. I can tell you, the chances of securing a property using this approach is slim. A good Agent prices the property in accord with current market conditions and if you low-ball an offer the Agent will likely recommend the Vendor reject it. The likelihood of securing a property using this tactic is as probable as daily rain in Dubai. Do not low-ball, go in with your best offer from the start.

Consider carefully any conditions you include with the offer. An Agent may recommend a Vendor accept a lower offer if no conditions are attached, for example, a cash unconditional may be more attractive than subject to sale. So be prepared: have finance pre-approvals in place, offer an appropriate deposit and know what you are prepared to do regarding settlement timeframes. Being prepared here provides confidence to the Vendor of your ability to pay for the property and shows you are serious about the property and your offer.

Remember, each property is unique and if you have been searching for some time and this property ticks most of your boxes then don’t miss out, put your best foot forward from the start. Too many people miss out by trying to snag “that bargain” when in reality, had they put in a realistic offer initially they would have secured the property.

One final note, don’t bother asking the Agent where your offer sits compared to others. A good Agent will not disclose this as it is against South Australian legislation. The agent is unable to tell you any details of other offers, other than the fact there are other offers. If you wish, you can ask for this in writing.

If this home is THE ONE, your inner Zen, your sanctuary, the right floor plan, the right location and within budget then don’t be influenced by other offers, just focus on what you want, what you can afford and put forward your best and final offer. You may not get a second chance. If your best offer is not good enough, be prepared to walk away, another one will come along.

If after reading this blog, you are unsure on how to go about the negotiation process you can always engage a Buyers Agent to act on your behalf. SA Listings offers this service – for more information contact SA Listings at info@salistings.com.au

Justine Thomson

Selling Yourself

If you are considering selling your home in 2017 there are many paths you can take:

Sell it yourself
Engage a traditional real estate agent on commission with a full agent service
Engage a real estate agent at a fixed price with a full agent service

Selling an $800,000 home could cost as little as $2,610 if you sell yourself or up to $17,675 if you utilise a traditional commission agent.

If you are considering selling on your own, think carefully about the following:

Appraise the property correctly by using publicly available information about local sale prices and consider an independent valuation to assist
Ensure you present the home well for photography
Prepare relevant marketing material
Ensure all relevant documentation is available to a potential purchaser to enable an informed decision to be made, example: council rates, water rates, copy of title etc
Be prepared to arrange inspections by appointments and opens at various hours of the day
Be prepared to meet potential purchasers and take on board any negative feedback
Follow up with those people interested in your home and be prepared to take the emotion out of the sale negotiation
Engage a Solicitor or Conveyancer to prepare the Contract and Form 1

People often underestimate the work involved in selling a home and the level of professionalism required to negotiate the best conditions and price. Selling a property is an emotional and intense experience. It can be easy for a seller who decides to sell it on their own to run into trouble with incorrect information provided to a prospective purchaser or the inability to remove the emotion from the sale. A real estate agents market knowledge and negotiating skills can be particularly useful when it comes to listing a property for sale. Following is an indicative table of costs under each model.

Cost to sell an $800,000 Home by Private Treaty	Sell On Your Own	Sell with SA Listings	Sell with a Traditional Agent @ 2%
Base Price	$1,295.00	$7,888.00	$16,000.00
Professional Photography	Inc	Inc	$200.00
Sign Board	Inc	Inc	$150.00
Listing on realestate.com	Inc	Inc	$500.00
Brochures	Inc	Inc	$110.00
Open For Inspection	Manage Yourself	Inc	Inc
Form 1	$330.00	Inc	$330.00
Government Searches	$385.00	Inc	$385.00
Contract Preparation	$600.00	Inc	Inc
Total	$2,610.00	$7,888.00	$17,675.00

In 2017 there is choice and the flexibility to now sell your home with a full agent service at a lower cost to a traditional commission agent. So why create a headache for yourself and embark on selling alone when you can engage the service of a real estate professional at a transparent fixed fee. Whilst you think you will save thousands by selling yourself, it could in fact cost you thousands in the final negotiated price!

Justine Thomson