All indications are that it will remain a buyer’s market for a while longer, yet your new client insist on putting a premium price on their beloved family home. Overpricing is one of the biggest mistakes that sellers make, here are a few more with some expert advice on what to do.
Topics: Selling, Buying, Tips for Agents, Harcourts Real Estate
There’s no such thing as a perfect property and buyers know that as well as you do, so when selling your home, you should never give in to the temptation to conceal or be untruthful about any defects or drawbacks that you know about.
Quite apart from the fact that this would be dishonest, it could easily result in a legal dispute that not only wipes out any profit on your sale, but actually leads to a loss, says Gerhard Kotzé, managing director of the RealNet estate agency group.
Topics: Selling, Richard Gray, Real Estate Agents, Harcourts Real Estate
With fair market value a priority for today’s consumers, for homeowners wishing to sell or rent out their properties, it is critical that the home is pitched at an accurate, market-related price that will enable it to compete with other comparable properties for sale or rent in the area.
Topics: Selling, Harcourts South Africa, Property Valuation, House prices
Renting is the smart financial choice for many consumers, but a ‘difficult’ landlord can easily make it feel like the wrong choice, and cause tenants to leave as soon as they possibly can.
On the other hand, says Gerhard Kotzé, MD of the RealNet Properties, landlords who are able to establish a good working relationship with their tenants will have a much easier time when it comes to organizing any repairs necessary and retaining those tenants or showing the property to prospective new tenants.
Topics: Selling, Richard Gray, Real Estate Agents, Harcourts Real Estate
A property owner has just signed a sales contract with an interested buyer. A few weeks later, the buyer is missing and there is an unsuspecting tenant illegally living in the property or about to move in.
Rental scams are worldwide on the increase. Last year it was reported that more than 5 million people in the US had lost money due to rental scams.
Topics: Selling, fraudsters, Harcourts Real Estate, Tips for Homeowners
As the dust begins to settle after the dire Western Cape drought and the dams are nearing full, we've similarly seen the property market in regions such as Paarl, Stellenbosch and Franschhoek gain ground. It was undoubtedly a tough period the past 18 months with many investors hesitant to invest in the Western Cape market due to water restrictions, tough economic landscape and the political issues surrounding land.
Topics: Selling, Harcourts South Africa, Property Markets, Harcourts Real Estate, Harcourts Winelands
According to the latest FNB Property Barometer Survey data shows that “Downscaling because of life stage” dominates as the most prominent reason for selling a property in SA, with such sales accounting for 23% of all sales in 2Q19, the same as in 1Q19. However, what is most concerning is that “Downscaling due to financial pressure” has become increasingly prominent in the past year; the estimated proportion of such sales jumped to 19% in 2Q19 from 16% in 1Q19.
Topics: Selling, Richard Gray, financial review, Harcourts Real Estate
Downscaling, whether for financial reasons or due to life stage, is still why most people sell their homes and they will sell if ‘priced right’ as it is still very much a buyer’s market – but emigration and dual living are also trends to watch in 2019.
The first quarter of 2019 has just ended and according to FNB economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi the latest FNB Estate Agents Survey picked up on a few trends in the South African property market.
Topics: Selling, Richard Gray, Harcourts South Africa, Property Markets, South African Elections 2019
When it comes to the sale of your property, there are more options available to you when choosing a method of sale than simply listing your property for a fixed price. In fact, according to the latest Harcourts figures, the number of auctions being performed around the country is up massively from last year.
So, why are people choosing to sell their homes in this way, and what are the alternatives?
Topics: Selling, Advice, Financial Advice
Offering many property options, this large suburb close to the Winelands has a nature reserve on its doorstep
If you’re looking for value, consider the northern suburbs. Brackenfell is a short drive to the city on the N1, offers a range of property types, has good schools
close by and a number of attractions on its doorstep.
“We’ve seen steady growth in the sale price of properties in the area,” says Denis Dunn, principal at Harcourts Dunn.
Topics: Selling, Buying, Harcourts South Africa, Harcourts Dunn