Canterbury Remains Affordable
Relaxed Family Lifestyle
The past 12 – 18 months saw one of the strongest Real Estate sales markets in the history of our lifetime. As much as the sales agents would like to take credit for this, it’s been driven by huge demand coinciding with low stock levels. If agents are being honest, over this time having the keys to the house and a heartbeat got you 2/3 of the way to completing a hugely successful sale. It was the buyers that dictated the sale prices and general market conditions.
So, the market has changed and it’s not all bad. Yes, there are fewer buyers, and days on the market have certainly increased, but Canterbury seems to be positioned well in the overall scheme of things. Even with the recent increases over the past 12 – 18 months, Canterbury remains affordable when compared to other parts of New Zealand. With the borders close to fully opening, it’s predicted more New Zealanders abroad will return home, with Canterbury an attractive prospect for an affordable, more relaxed family lifestyle.
In our experience, there are several variables that our clients appreciate in their real estate transaction, but above all else knowing they have got the BEST PRICE is by far the most important thing to them.
Great service, good communication, a stress-free experience, good value, and a sale in a reasonable time frame are all valued, but knowing they have maximised the value of their asset at the time of sale is paramount!
We think that’s fair enough – it’s only human to want the best price and if that wasn’t important every sale would be a private transaction. With that in mind, here are our thoughts on how that can be achieved.
Your choice of Agent is arguably the biggest decision you’ll make and will potentially have the biggest impact on your sale price. Choose an agent you feel comfortable with and trust. It’s similar to when buyers find the right property for them, it’s a feeling, you just know is right. How will you make your decision? Value for money? Is the cheapest fee going to achieve the best result? Likewise, is the highest appraisal for your property necessarily guaranteeing you the best result?
Determining your likely buyers is an important place to start. We work with our clients to consider the type of property for sale, likely price band, location, and property benefits as they will all define the likely buyer’s characteristics. From there, designing a marketing campaign that is going to find them, appeal to them, and make it easy for them to buy becomes easier.
From there, selecting the correct marketing method becomes crucial. This refers to Auction, Negotiable Over, Tender, Deadline Sale or Fixed Price. Different methods will suit individual properties and situations more than others. The method selected can also have a large impact on the number of buyers that will view the property and certain methods appeal more to different types of buyers as referenced above.
Designing a marketing campaign is the next element to give you the best chance of maximising the price. The better exposure your property receives through the correct marketing mix of print, online, offline, inter-office, database, signage, and social media just to name a few – the more potential buyers will see it and consequently give you a better chance of attracting an offer/bid or perhaps multiple offers/bids!
Campaign Management is often overlooked but just as important. Getting good advice, market feedback and the best strategy from your agent can be the difference between an offer and a great offer which can be tens or sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars! A lazy agent looking for a quick sale can cost their owners money every day! Finding an agent who is as focused on getting you the best price as much as you are, even if it means more work for them, is so important. Your agent should be able to guide and inform you to allow you to make really good decisions every step of the way.
There are of course other factors that can affect price, but these are some of our top tips that you can control.
We are proud to be working in our local community, please feel free to reach out to us.
Written by Justin Hartley
