Selling your home but have no idea where to start? Below is a step-by-step advice for first-time sellers…

Step 1: Pick your price
You can’t sell without a price. A realtor can provide an assessment for you that will provide a realistic selling value on your home. Find an agent who knows your area well and can tell you what properties in your area have sold for – not just what they’re marketed at. At RE/MAX, we have no hot air – well, except for our balloon. Our agents will tell you what you need to know and not just what you want to hear. 

Step 2: Select a sales champ
After receiving several valuations, you need to decide with whom to partner in selling your home. Choose somebody who you know is the best at what they do, who is trustworthy, and who cares about your needs. Statistically, RE/MAX agents sell more real estate than any other agency in South Africa. The other two characteristics can only really be discerned through face-to-face interactions. Try meeting face-to-face with some agents before deciding on one.

Step 3: Craft a sales strategy   
The needs of each seller are unique, so don’t allow yourself to get pigeonholed into a cookie cutter marketing plan. Find an agent who allows you to talk about how you want your home marketed. It should be your call whether marketing will include social media posts, multiple listing portals, global websites and the lot – all of which, by the way, are made available to you when you choose to list with RE/MAX.

Step 4: Sign the sweetest deal
If you’ve chosen the correct agent, it’s likely that you will receive more than just one offer on your property. A good agent will then negotiate the best deal on your behalf and, after signing your preferred offer, will help you navigate through the rest of the paperwork with minimal fuss.

Step 5: Make a knowledgeable friend
Even after your home is sold, you never know when you’re going to need real estate advice. Good estate agents can offer a wealth of useful information, from referring a reliable plumber to suggesting a great spot to invest in a holiday home. At RE/MAX, we stay in touch with you long after the sale of your home, because we believe in creating clients for life. In fact, that’s exactly why we have this blog – at any point you need property-related advice, just Ask RE/MAX.