Choosing Your Agent

Selling your property takes months of continuous hard work, which you most likely don’t have time for. That’s exactly the reason why you need a savvy agent. An experienced agent will ensure your property sells quickly and for the best price, all while they make the process as painless as possible for you.

Here’s why:

• Pricing is a balancing act. The biggest factor in ensuring a quick sale is the property price, and deciding that price isn’t easy. It takes experience, understanding of the local market, and what buyers are willing to pay.
  
  A good agent who prices well will add thousands to your bottom line before the process even begins, as on average a good agent will get you 12.6% more than you would get yourself.
   
• Negotiation sucks. It’s not just hard to do well, but is usually uncomfortable, and extremely stressful, especially when you are emotionally invested. You need someone who will negotiate fearlessly on your behalf, and that’s your agent.
   
• Marketing is complicated. To get the most for your property you need to attract qualified buyers. If they don’t see it then they won’t buy it, period. You need an agent who knows how to create a marketing plan that will get as many qualified buyers as possible to find your property, in as short a time as possible.
   
• You need to know the Right People. Nothing can replace having a curated Network. Having a list of Partner Agencies that have their own clients looking for the right property means that your buyer may come to you through the power of word of mouth.
   
• Viewings are inconvenient. Showing your property is not only a huge pain for you, but potential buyers will feel uncomfortable having you, the owner present. Once again you need an agent who will take the viewings for you and keep those potential buyers interested.
   
• Paperwork takes expertise. All the documents you need to sell your property are spread out through multiple government departments, in different buildings, where one missing form means starting the whole thing over again.
  
  It takes experience and expertise to ensure everything is done correctly the first time through, and the right agent will not only save you a lot of time, but also your sanity.

To sum it up the best agents are:

1. Highly skilled, real estate experts: they know the local market, have intricate knowledge of what buyers want, and will guide you through the whole sales process.
2. Market savvy: they know how to set the best price, so your property sells quickly for the most money. Plus, they know how to get people who will pay that price to take your property seriously.
3. Master negotiators: they have haggled with the best of them and have the cool, calm confidence that will guide you through the negotiation process helping you understand what to include, what to give up, and most importantly - when to walk away if reasonable terms cannot be reached.
4. Making things easy: they will handle all the hassle, and let you get on with your life without having to worry about chasing your tail worrying about paperwork, legal loopholes, and heavy lifting.

Pricing

Setting the listing price for your property is an art. If the bar is too low, you lose thousands. When the bar is too high, then finding a buyer is akin to finding an oasis in a desert.

Worst of all, properties often become an emotional asset, meaning in your mind the memories associated with it make you value the property more than a buyer will. Meaning you will fail to see things objectively, and once again this is where your agent comes in.

Finding the sweet spot when pricing your property takes a combination of expertise, analysis, and local knowledge. The best agents are adept at knowing how to set a price that maximises the money, whilst minimising the time it will take to sell.

In fact, this is where local agencies excel, as agents who know one area in particular have spent their entire careers mastering pricing in that specific market. The combination of intimate local knowledge, and an understanding of the national property market as a whole, means that they have studied countless similar properties, know how much they sold for, and they now instinctively know how to arrive at the optimal list price.

Smaller agencies will then work with you to combine that knowledge with your needs to establish a price that is right for you. It isn’t easy, but it's critical to the sales process.
The right property price means more showings, more offers, and ultimately more money in your pocket.

In short, if you want to get as much as possible in the right time frame you need the right price.

Property Preparation

Once you know your asking price, the next step is to prepare your property so it looks attractive to potential buyers.

Ideally it needs to look like an Ikea showroom, which is more important than you think.

One of the biggest problems when selling a property is getting the potential buyers to visualise the possibilities. They need to see how it fits with their plans. 
That means how your property looks today is how others will see themselves with it in the future.

Unfortunately, buyers can’t see past chipped paint, leaks, stains, an unkept garden or even clutter, in fact they tend to focus on the negatives even more!

Let’s put it this way. Think of preparation as the three R’s.

Repair, Remove, and Renew.

• Repair: chipped paint, leaky plumbing, cracked tiles, and squeaky hinges.

• Remove: all the clutter, so pack away those personal possessions, sell anything you don’t plan to take with you, and just keep the bare minimum on display to help the buyer visualise your property's full potential.

• Renew: You need to clean everything, repaint your walls in neutral colours, and make your property shine!

It sounds like a lot of work, right? Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be done overnight. If you want to do it yourself then the easiest way to handle it, is break it down into a small number of daily tasks. But if this still sounds like too much effort, then good news - you have an agent.

Your agent has a whole list of local contractors that can do all the hard work for you, do the work to a higher standard, and best of all - everything you invest in fixing means your property will sell faster at a higher price.

Yes, that’s right, essentially you get paid for all the hard work.

Once everything looks as good as new, it’s time to consider staging.

That means turning your property into a giant showroom just like the one you get in Ikea.

Yes, it means more messing around, rearranging furniture, etc., but it’s worth every single second.

Studies show that staged properties sell around 50% faster for up to 10% more than unstaged properties.

In fact, when a property is staged properly, it can double the number of offers you receive.

Now once again you can try staging your property yourself, or you leave everything to your agent, and let them find a professional to do it all for you.

Marketing

Now that you have a property at its prime, and the staging is set, it's time to get you those qualified leads through the door.

That’s right, it’s time to spread the word that your piece of prime real estate is on the market!

Marketing is more than just a listing and a lawn sign, especially in Istria. After all, you’re fortunate to have property in one of the most beautiful places in the world, so it makes sense that you bring in interest from all around the globe, and sell them a piece of the Istrian dream.

That’s why you work with your agent to develop a strategic action plan that promotes your property, attracts the right buyers, gets them excited about your property, and most importantly - gets them to come see it.

At Maris we work with you, the owner, at every step of the marketing process, and ensure that our strategy, and our marketing meets your standards.

Here’s how we help:

• Use professional photography to individually frame each part of the property & highlight all the best features.
• Produce a behind the scenes video that provides an online look at your property and its location, using a combination of traditional cinematography & drones to immerse potential buyers. Keep in mind that one in five buyers requests videos when searching for properties.
• Work with you to prepare a detailed ad for your property. It’s designed to specifically engage with your ideal buyer, using language & imagery tailored to get them emotionally engaged.
• Use the combination of our social media platforms & website to tell your properties story, and portray its unique part in the Istrian dream.
• Reach out to prospects who have asked us to keep an eye out for upcoming properties with a description that matches yours.

It’s always unfortunate when a property doesn’t sell because the right buyer never found out about it, and bought a different property instead. Sadly when you have the wrong agent that happens on a daily basis.

To stop that happening to you, you need to work closely with a skilled agent that creates the right plan to sell your property, and involves you in every major decision along the way.

After all, the more qualified buyers that see your property, the more likely you are to sell it for the top price. Remember, the call you are waiting for could come at any time morning or night, and you ALWAYS need to be ready to pick up the phone.

Showtime

Now you can start getting excited, as the marketing plan has worked out, and you have qualified buyers flooding in to see your property. All you need now is for someone to fall in love, and make you an offer.

But to turn those lookers into buyers you need to follow this advice:

1. Don’t be there: Buyers want to feel free to look around & talk about your property without you breathing down their necks, or having to carefully choose their words for fear of upsetting someone. Research shows it’s better for an agent to guide them around than you, the owner. So go for a walk, grab a lunch, do anything - just make sure that when the buyers are in, you are out.
2. Be flexible: Restricting your viewing to weekdays 9-5 is only going to lose you interest. Yes, showings are a pain, but you risk losing a life-changing offer. So be flexible, let your agent schedule as many viewings as possible, and be ready to leave your property at short notice. After all, those who want to “see it now” are the ones most eager to buy.
3. Make your property inviting: Keep your property neat and tidy, and never have closed doors. You want your property to feel open and inviting, as that will increase the chances of you getting the offer you want. It doesn’t take much - just make sure the property is clean, put away personal items such as pictures (the buyers want to see themselves, not you), leave the lights on, curtains open, and keep the garden in check.
4. Have helpful information available: Work with your agent to put together an information pack that includes floorplans, pictures from different times of the year, contact information, etc.

Most importantly, let your agent know the local secrets that will make your property more attractive to buyers. Yes, your agent can get info on schools, parks, the closest beach, etc., but letting them know the best coffee shops, or where you can get the best pastries gives them the fine details they can use to build upon the buyer's dream, and tip the scales in your favour.

Negotiations

Congratulations, the offers are on the table and the end is in sight, you can almost taste the sale…But as the saying goes, “Don’t count your chickens before they’ve hatched”.

It’s now time to let the negotiations begin!

Remember - negotiation is a difficult skill to master, and you will need an adept negotiator to ensure that you end up with the highest possible price, with terms & conditions weighed in your favour.

Now is when your agent pays for themselves multiple times over, as it is their role to handle this for you, and walk away with an offer that will leave you smiling for days on end.

That first offer may be above, or below the asking price, and if it’s the former - don’t be offended. It’s normal for someone to open with a lowball. After all, the buyer wants the best deal too!

The important thing is that the offer shows the buyer's interest, and that first offer is just the starting point for the real conversation.

When the offer is on the table keep the following in mind:

• Things happen fast: You need to keep the momentum going, and keep the other party interested. This is why you need a good agent, that way no one gets irritable by being kept waiting.
• Price isn’t the only thing on the table: The back and forth includes conditions, closing dates, additional assets included with the property, etc. Don’t let one thing hold you up, and remember a little compromise will ultimately work in your favour.

When both parties agree on the terms, and the buyers have put down their deposit - it’s time to finally complete the sale. Well done!

The Finishing Touches

You’ve sold your home, the paperwork has been filed, and the money is being processed. But before it hits your bank account, there are just a few things that need to be done, and fortunately you can leave it all to your agent.

• This step is very hands off on your part, as your agent will work with real estate lawyers, bankers, and everyone else required to make a property transaction work to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s.
• All you will have to do is stand back, and sign a few forms in front of a notary. Now you can plan what to do with your money.
• Finally, after any outstanding utilities have been paid off, legal fees, agency fees, etc. have been deducted - you’re done!

Give yourself a pat on the back, as your property has been sold, and the money is finally in your bank account.

As you’ve discovered, selling your property can be an exciting and rewarding journey when you do things right.

That’s where Maris comes in.

If you’d like us to help you sell your property hassle-free, and keep this long process as painless as possible, get in touch today.

We will provide you with a market evaluation, so you know what your property is worth if you decide to sell, answer any questions you might have, and outline what your own journey will look like. If you decide to work with us, this will be deducted from our costs upon completion.

Worry not, when you make the first call you are under no obligation to choose us as your agents. Let’s have a chat, and find out how together we can sell your property for the best possible price.