It is quite possible to sell your house yourself, without using an estate agent. You will save the commission fee (about 3% of the selling price of the house). However, selling a house is not easy. You have to spend time and be well informed. This is why 70% of individuals who want to sell their property privately finally turn to an estate agent when they are unable to sell their house. To give you the best chance of selling your house quickly, we give you the tips and steps for selling a property.
Sell a house
Preparing your house for sale
A potential buyer gets an idea of your house within the first 30 seconds. So, the decision to make an offer or not is already made when arriving in the neighbourhood and seeing the house front. This is the reason why it is important to give the best first impression to your potential buyers to succeed in selling your house. The exterior of your house must therefore be impeccable. No rubbish in the garden, no dirty facade or broken gate. Clean and repair if necessary.
Everyone has different tastes: everyone’s tastes are different, and that’s fine in everyday life. However, to sell your house fast, we advise you not to show too much of your personal taste in your decoration. It is indeed difficult for a potential buyer to project himself when a house is overloaded with memories that do not belong to him or colours that are not at all to his taste. Therefore, create a neutral decoration for future visits: limit photos and knick-knacks and if necessary, repaint the walls in neutral tones (white, beige, grey).
Finally, each room should have a function. For example, forget about the guest room, which also serves as an office, gym, laundry room and dressing room. First of all, the room risks being overcrowded and therefore looking small. Secondly, not giving a room a function does not help the potential buyer to plan ahead. It is therefore preferable, in order to sell a house, to advertise the second room as an office for example.
How to sell a house?
To sell a house privately, you must follow some essential steps for the sale:
Estimating your house
To do this, you can estimate the price of your house online for free. You can also search for comparable properties on the market and compare the selling prices offered. This will give you a fairly accurate price range for your property.
Photographing your house for sale
This involves photographing your house in its best light to encourage viewing. Take photos of the exterior on a sunny day: one photo of the front of the house and one photo of the exterior such as a terrace are sufficient. Then take two or three photos of the interior of your home, including the living area and the best selling feature. If your kitchen is functional and large or one of the bedrooms is bright, these are the rooms to highlight in your listing. Take photos in a corner of the room to give a sense of grandeur on a sunny day.
🏡 4 or 5 quality photos of your home should be enough to trigger visits.
Displaying your ad
There are many real estate platforms where you can post a property sale ad. Don’t forget to talk to people around you about the desire to sell your house, on social networks, at work and to your relatives. Post your ad and ask your friends and family to share it to increase its visibility.
Showing your house
The way you show your house can help the potential buyer to make up his mind. The potential buyer will see the front of your property before entering the house. Once inside the house, invite the potential buyer into the living room and kitchen. Then show them the night area: the bedrooms and bathrooms. Then show them the outside: the terrace and the garden. Save a possible “selling point” such as a convertible attic or a cellar for last. Finally, return to the living area to answer questions.
Closing the sale of your home
To conclude the sale, you must accept an offer to sell once you have seriously considered it. The sale is then concluded at the notary’s office.
