Newly built villa with rental licence, private pool and spectacular views in Alcanada
Selling your home can be daunting, especially given the barrage of tips and advice out there on how best to do it, what you need to know, who to turn to etc. If you're selling your home abroad, then the difficulties, or fear of, may escalate; the language, red tape, local tariffs, taxes and laws would overwhelm the best of us.
Selling your home should be easy, considering the demand, and if your property is in the north of the island, it is even more attractive. There are a few factors that could be hindering a sale. Are you asking for the right price?
Why are you finding it so difficult to find a buyer?
It's time to consider the 3 essential steps that will get your property sold, for the right price to the right buyer, in no time.
1. Getting started
Staging your property, and by this I mean the whole property, interiors and exteriors as well, is crucial to a sale.
The buyer, or potential buyer, who views your home for the first time will spend a very brief amount of time on the property and the impression they get from this first viewing will decide whether they want a second viewing, to look at the specs, to make an offer, or not.
To do this, again, do it thoroughly. Every single part of your home; garden, terraces, roof, floors, windows, rooms, need to look their absolute best. A staging company may float about and rearrange the furniture a bit, but that won't be enough.
DECLUTTER YOUR HOME FROM EXCESS FURNITURE
First of all de clutter the whole property. You are moving right? So this is a great opportunity to get rid of everything you don't need. Drop off excess stuff at charities, sell it or give it away. But whatever you do with it, get it out of the house. This is something you may want to start doing way in advance; 6 months or even a year before you even put your house on the market. It gives you ample time, and avoids stress, which you don't need.
REPAIR ANYTHING BROKEN AND PAINT THE WALLS
Once you have kept only your most essential, useful and beautiful furniture, etc., start the repairs.
This is not the time for procrastination, you know all the small niggling things you have left for later and now is the time to get them fixed. Broken and faulty items give a bad impression. They make it look like you haven't looked after the house properly and will throw doubt into how well maintained the property is in general.
Another easy way to make your home look great is to give it a fresh coat of paint. You don't need to put in a new bathroom or undertake any major reforms but painting all the walls will make it shine and look clean, fresh and ready for a new owner to move in.
CLEAN EVERY INCH OF YOUR PROPERTY
Clean every square inch, every corner and edge of the property to immaculate perfection. I cannot stress this enough. Be especially diligent with bathrooms and kitchens as they get the most critical eye. If this seems to much, hire a cleaner or a whole team. Hire a cleaning company and invest in a few days of work, until your home is sparkling clean.
HIRE A LANDSCAPE GARDENER
The same goes for the exterior spaces. Make sure your garden and swimming pool, outdoor terraces and lawns look their very best. Remember that this may be the first thing the buyers see when they arrive and it will leave the most lasting impression. Consider your front porch and front door.
Make it feel welcoming
Besides, the best exterior photo of your property is usually the one used to advertise it. It's the shot potential buyers will see first and the main reason they will be enticed into viewing it in the first place. This is particularly true of villas in Mallorca, where the pool and house shot is often the main ad. Make sure that the first impression of your home is the best one you can give.
If you don't live in the property, then try to make it look like you do. Here staging works quite well, infusing your home with homeliness, and will make it look better in photos too.
Take it slowly and do this well, it will make a big difference!
2. Are you asking for the right price?
This is very important, VERY!
If you are asking too much for your home, then you can clean and repair as much as you like, and it will just sit there on the property listings page.
In a buoyant market like in Mallorca you often see properties advertised at way above what they're actually worth. But are they selling? Look closely and you will see a glut of homes that are going for a lot more than the standard but which, are also not getting sold.
You need a sound pricing strategy.
List your home at as close to its actual value as you can. It may seem counter-intuitive, but if you advertise your property in keeping with current market prices, you will attract more buyers, create competition and drive the price up.
3. A picture is worth a 1000 words
I cannot stress this enough and neither should you.
This is your presentation card. The first thing potential buyers will see. Whether it's a catalogue, an online listing or an ad in a shop window, the photo speaks and good photos speak volumes, while bad ones, well, no one will be looking again.
There are thousands of fine homes out there being badly photographed and not getting the visibility they deserve. How many times have you seen a multimillion dollar property with magnificent views, in a stunning location, and advertised with awful blurry, phone photos? It shouldn't happen. Make sure it doesn't happen with your home.
In Mallorca, real estate photography is mostly pro nowadays and the top real estate agencies know and understand this. Ask your real estate agent to see other properties on the books and look to see if they invest in good photos.
If your agent won't put a few hundred euros into providing a professional property photographer, then either go elsewhere, or if you really want to work with them anyway, invest in photos yourself.
Remember: You get one chance to make an impression!
Bad photos will make your house look shoddy and inspire potential buyers to haggle while great photos will make them think it's worth the price, and make them fight for it.
And lastly...
He or she knows the area and the property market, and has your interests at heart. This means you are in good hands.
You will still have to do the de cluttering, but your agent will guide and help you get your home sold at the best price.
Our Office in Puerto Pollensa
+34 971 86 57 67You can find us in Paseo Saralegui 48
07470, Puerto Pollensa
Our Office in Puerto Alcudia
+34 871 114 800You can find us in Carrer dels Mariners 8
07400, Puerto Alcúdia