9 tips to help you sell your apartment for a higher price

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Thanks to preferential mortgages, low interest rates on deposits and an unstable exchange rate, even in a pandemic, real estate sales are going up. Sellers feel more confident, and buyers have more opportunities to purchase truly comfortable options. Together with the service, we will tell you how to present an apartment in the most favorable light and sell it at a price you will not regret.

1. Assess the market situation

Analytical portals and major media often publish materials about the real estate market. For example, according to the Avito Real Estate service, in 2020 the demand for apartments increased by 23%, for secondary housing - by 35%. Prices also increased: by 19% and 8%, respectively, in annual terms.

After analyzing such studies and forecasts of specialists, you will clearly understand what is happening with prices, supply and demand. And, accordingly, you will be able to make an informed decision: sell the apartment now or wait for a better moment.

2. Determine the objective cost of housing

Explore other offers

Look at real estate sites for competing apartments in your area with a similar layout, area, condition. Analyze which objects are removed from publication a few minutes after they appear on the portal, and which ones hang for months and practically do not gain views.

Think about how your apartment can compare favorably with similar offers. For example, proximity to the metro, good repair, clean entrance, quiet neighbors, beautiful views of the park and ample parking in the courtyard will justify a relatively high price.

Find the undeniable benefits of your home

Think about the advantages of the apartment itself. For example, if you recently replaced wiring or pipes, installed additional sockets, smart home systems or security sensors, installed built-in wardrobes or made repairs on the balcony, feel free to raise the price. The new owners will not have to do all this, which means they will not have to bear the additional costs after the purchase.

Seek professional judgment

If you are not sure that you can designate a price that is fair for the market and comfortable for yourself, contact a specialist. Call an appraiser: he will study the object with an open mind, determine all the advantages and disadvantages, name a specific figure and tell in detail what he was guided by in determining the cost.

An objective assessment of the apartment will help. This is the largest * database of real estate ads in Russia: every second apartment in the country is sold through the service **. Thanks to filters, you can easily find properties similar to yours and can set a fair price.

To make the apartment sell faster, raise your ad in the search. It is inexpensive, but the number of views will increase immediately. High traffic to the service will help you attract potential buyers and conclude the most profitable deal.

By the way, you can find the future owner of your home on your own. On Avito Real Estate, a section "" has appeared, where users indicate their wishes for housing.

* According to the research carried out by LLC "Foreitor" for LLC "KEH eKommerts" in July 2020.

** According to a study conducted by Aquarelle Research LLC for KEKH eKommerts LLC in September 2020.

3. Eliminate obvious problems

A flooded ceiling, a hole in the floor, and even a leaking tap - all this worsens the impression of an apartment during viewing. Potential buyers can ask for a discount, and they are right.

Major repairs should not be carried out before the sale: new tenants, most likely, expect to redo everything to their taste and according to their needs. But it makes sense to put the apartment in order. For example, you can change the toilet bowl and the bathroom - albeit for cheap ones, but new ones, without cracks, chips and traces of rust.

When making a repair estimate, you should focus on 5-10% of the cost of an apartment, and the more expensive the object is initially, the lower the percentage should be. If the potential cost of repairs exceeds the resulting amount, it will be more profitable to give a discount to buyers.

If you are selling an apartment in Moscow Khrushchev, which is included in the first stage of the renovation program, there is definitely no need to make repairs in it. Such real estate is bought in order to then receive square meters in new buildings.

All objects have their own characteristics and different liquidity. If you have no experience in conducting transactions or working with real estate and you do not know what needs to be done with your apartment in order to sell it quickly and profitably, then contact a professional who will help you avoid many common mistakes. It happens that a person invests more than 100 thousand rubles in cosmetic repairs, and then tries to increase the price by the same amount. But this approach rarely works.

If the apartment has a typical layout and does not differ too much from other offers in the same area, then cleanliness, order and furniture, which is included in the price, can play a role in the sale. However, spending significant amounts of money on repairs usually does not make sense.

4. Improve the perception of the apartment

A potential buyer always wants to "try on" a new apartment for himself: mentally arrange furniture and appliances, draw a picture of how he will have breakfast here, relax, and meet guests. Naturally, other people's things interfere with this.

Therefore, it is better if a minimum of furniture and decor remains in the apartment before viewing. So it will be easier for buyers to think over the purpose of each room, to imagine a possible redevelopment and future interior.

Light will also help improve perception. Screw in more powerful bulbs and turn on all the lights before watching - this will create a sense of celebration. Of course, the more light, the brighter the flaws are visible. But poorly lit rooms always look a little off-putting.

And, of course, a general cleaning will not hurt - even if you still live in the apartment that you plan to sell. The easiest way to get your home in order is to call the cleaning service. Specialists will wash windows and chandeliers, remove dirt on skirting boards and tiles, and refresh floors and furniture facades. In a word, they will make the apartment sparkle, look newer and, accordingly, more expensive. It will be great if you also order dry cleaning of furniture and carpets, hang light curtains.

5. Take quality photos

Inviting a photographer and taking professional pictures of the interior is, of course, ideal, but a photo shoot takes money and time. If you don't want to pay and wait, you can invite friends with a good camera and then edit the pictures in the editor.

The main thing is not to overdo it. The real situation in the apartment must correspond to the photo. Therefore, it is quite acceptable to remove a couple of scratches on the floor or "glue" the wallpaper, but it is at least dishonest to remove all cracks on the walls and streaks on the ceiling.

It may turn out that your photos are not enough for potential buyers, but they cannot come and inspect the property in the near future. When placing an object on Avito Real Estate, indicate that you are ready for an online display, and your ad will have a corresponding box. When the buyer contacts you, you can arrange to show the apartment via video link at a convenient time for both. This will help the buyer make a quicker decision to purchase a home.

6. Write a detailed and honest ad

Imagine selling your home to friends or family. Describe what kind of repairs you have done and what you plan to leave in the apartment: perhaps high-quality furniture or branded household appliances.

Remove stamps - expressions that are found in almost every ad on the site. Provide as much information as possible in the ad parameters, and shorten the description text to 10-15 lines. This will make it easier to find options on the site and improve the buyer's first impression of your apartment.

Be sure to tell us about the infrastructure of the area, because people buy not just square meters, but a place where they will take their child to school or kindergarten, visit a fitness club, and walk in the park. Check if the house has been overhauled. Check if you are ready to sell on a mortgage.

You shouldn't write about noisy neighbors in your ad. But if there really are serious problems, it is better to report them before the deal is concluded, to offer solutions and a discount for such inconveniences.

Anastasia Mazanko Realtor.

The ad must be written honestly, but it is better to submit the information concisely so that the potential buyer still has questions. Then he will definitely call, and when there is already contact with a person, there are much more chances to interest him in this apartment. Based on the buyer's questions, you will understand what is important to him and will be able to present the property in a favorable light. If a large loggia is important for a person, and you describe a spacious kitchen and a bathroom, then you will not achieve your goal.

Sometimes the information from the ad works against you. For example, for some people, the stadium and the school right under the windows are an absolute plus, while for others it is a source of noise, which means a big minus. During the viewing, the buyer will be able to assess the real situation and make an informed decision.

7. Offer additional bonuses

Think about what else you can offer the buyer to make it more comfortable for him to live in a new apartment. For example, you may have a garage in the yard or a parking space, which means that the new owner will immediately resolve the issue of parking for the car. Or, next to this apartment you have another one for sale or rent: the buyer will move elderly relatives there, and it will be easier for him to take care of them.

Perhaps you have a truck and are ready to help the new owners with the move. Or provide a place to store their belongings and a summer cottage in a cozy cottage village for rent for the duration of the renovation. Finally, you may have a familiar team of craftsmen who will do the trim at a discount.

In addition, you can consult with a lawyer and offer an installment plan for a relatively small amount. Sometimes people do not have enough 20-30% of the cost of a dream apartment, but they do not want to get involved in loans. The installment plan will help both parties to conclude a good deal.

8. Prepare all documents

Before selling an apartment, it is advisable to write out everyone who is registered from it, to close debts for a communal apartment and to legalize redevelopments, if you have done them.

The following package of documents is needed directly for the transaction:

• Valid home owner passports. If there is a minor among the owners, you will need his passport or birth certificate, as well as the passport of a parent or guardian.
• The consent of the guardianship and guardianship authorities if there are minors in the family. The document will be issued if, after the transaction, the living conditions of the children do not become worse.
• Marriage or divorce certificate, if different surnames are indicated in the document on the ownership of the apartment and in the passport.
• Notarized consent of the husband or wife, if the apartment purchased in marriage is registered in the name of one of the spouses.
• A notarized power of attorney, if the interests of one of the owners are represented by a trustee.
• The contract of purchase and sale of an apartment, which will be certified by a notary.

So that buyers have less doubts about the purity and transparency of the transaction, you can also prepare additional documents:

• Sales contract, inheritance or privatization certificate - these documents establish your ownership of the apartment.
• Extract from the USRN register (provided since 2016) or a certificate of ownership of housing (issued before 2016, valid now).
• The technical passport of the apartment, which will help to make sure that there are no illegal redevelopments in it.
• Certificate of registered persons (form No. 9), which is sometimes called a certificate of family composition.
• Acts of reconciliation of meters or other documents on the absence of debt for utilities.
• Certificates from drug addiction and neuropsychiatric dispensaries that you are not registered and have the right to conclude real estate transactions.
• Certificate of the removal of encumbrances - for apartments purchased with a mortgage.
• Certificate of the removal of interim measures - if the apartment was pledged or there were disputes about it, but all issues were successfully resolved in court.

Add an extract from the USRN directly to the ad on the portal. With it, buyers will be sure that everything is in order with your apartment: it is not under arrest or ban, not in a mortgage or in a long-term lease. The extract will contain anonymized data on the owners, as well as the cadastral value. The service is free for sellers.

If, after the conclusion of the sales contract, the buyer has problems with the apartment, he can challenge the conclusion of the transaction in court. Sometimes it turns out to prove that the seller did not provide all the information about the object, and if the deficiencies had been discovered earlier, the sale and purchase would not have taken place. Therefore, it is worth warning the buyer about the really important points and consulting with a lawyer or an experienced realtor if doubts arise at any stage of the transaction.

9. Consider the arguments for bargaining

Sometimes buyers try to bring down the price by 20-30% already on viewing. They realize that the seller has most likely left a bargaining space, and they try to figure out the boundaries.

Don't agree to cut the price right away. On the contrary, justify your figure, show other options in your area: not so profitable, in the worst condition, further from the metro, schools or kindergartens. Explain that you are not in too much of a hurry so that you will be waiting for a buyer who is willing to pay a fair price.

In fact, bargaining is good: it confirms that the person is interested in the deal. Be prepared to concede, but be clear about the minimum price you will agree to the deal. After all, your goal is not only to sell your apartment quickly, but also to get the maximum benefit.

Be objective while doing this. If the roof is leaking in the house, and you are selling an apartment on the top floor, it is worth lowering the price a little. You can also think about a revision if it is clear from the ads for the sale of apartments that the market has gone down.

But when buyers ask for a big discount simply because they've found a cheaper option, you don't have to lower the price of your apartment. If another object was really interesting and profitable for them, they would not bargain with you for a long time.

Anastasia Mazanko Realtor.

The buyer can find almost any reason for bargaining: for example, metal-plastic windows are not installed in the apartment, laminate flooring is diverging, tiles are not laid, the apartment is on the first or last floor. But practice shows that if the owner firmly stands his ground and wants to sell the property at least a certain price, then the buyer will have to give up - or look for other options. Therefore, it is better to immediately include in the price "room for maneuver" and make allowances for the elimination of objectively serious shortcomings.