How to sell in a buyer's market

In a buyer's market, the number of homes up for sale is much larger than the number of prospective buyers looking to purchase. This means that sellers are less likely to fetch their full asking price and are more likely to wait longer for their home to sell. It is not, however, a lost cause for sellers who find themselves in these kinds of markets - they might just need to work a little harder to make sure their home sells.

Below are a few tips on how to make sure your home sells within a buyer's market:

Give your home a unique selling edge
The first place to start is to view similar listings on property portals and get an idea of what buyers could purchase in your suburb or within your complex that are near enough to your price point. If there is nothing that sets your house apart from the others, then either you will need to lower your asking price or renovate the space to ensure that it sells.

Make your listing stand out online

Sellers have about three seconds to grab a buyer's attention before losing them to the endless sea of property listings. A striking online listing can help your home stand out among the thousands of other listings competing for buyers' attention within this market. To make a buyer want to view your home in person, spruce up the space before your agent arranges to have the listing photographs taken. Review the listing once it becomes active on the property portals to check that the most striking images appear first in the image gallery. Lastly, check that the listing description highlights the key features of your home and states all the information correctly and clearly.

Enlist the best in the business
Especially within this kind of market, a large portion of sales come from referrals and a real estate professional's own database. Buyers might not be looking to move within this economy but, based on their relationship with their estate agent, they might hear about a new property that entices them to make the move. According to data collected by our agents, roughly 50% of sales come from leads generated by property portals. The rest comes from an agent's database and networking skills. Sellers will need to partner with a reputable real estate professional with a solid track record of sales to make sure their listing reaches the correct people within this sort of market.

Final Advice
The trick to selling within this market lies within the marketing of your home. Sellers who ensure that their listing is reaching the right people in the right way are less likely to experience difficulties during this period. If you want to sell your home in a highly competitive market, then you should partner with a brand that gives your home the competitive edge. RE/MAX of Southern Africa provides sellers with that exact edge. In terms of number of homes sold and number of sales associates, we are the number one real estate brand within the region. That means that we have the largest possible network of referrals and the widest possible brand recognition across the region. Quite simply, partnering with RE/MAX agent gives you the best chance to sell your home within a buyer's market.

TEAMGavin of RE/MAX gets is SOLD!