Selling property can be a bit like doing exams. You can put an enormous amount of effort into research and revision. You can plan to maximise preparation and minimise stress. But sometimes, despite all that work it doesn’t quite go to plan on the day.
And before this blog is picked up by every high school student as proof that studying isn’t worthwhile, I will hasten to point out that it can also go the other way. Too little time focused on preparation can make exam day so stressful that any chance of a positive outcome is eaten up by anxiety.
And so it is with selling a property. When potential vendors call me it quickly becomes evident which category they fall into.
Some have done their homework on the state of the market. They have put in several months (if not longer) of work into tidying up the garden and doing all those little ‘fix it’ jobs around the house. They have researched local agents and come to me with an idea of what they want from their marketing campaign and property value.
Others have called on a whim then decide to proceed and put their property on the market with little or no preparation.
The best option, as with many things in life, is probably somewhere in the middle.
Obsessive preparation is great but like at exam time, there is a danger it will create unrealistic expectations and deliver unnecessary disappointment. Because the reality is the best laid plan can go awry and in residential real estate there are always some things beyond the control of the vendor.
It is important to prepare but don’t panic if it doesn’t go according to plan. As your Agent, it is my job to expect and manage the unexpected.