Do you want to sell a property safely, as quickly as possible, and for the best price? Then read on to learn more about your options and which pitfalls you should avoid.
First of all: Congratulations! You've already taken the first, important step correctly: you're doing your research. Especially with a complex topic like selling your property, costly mistakes can easily happen, and these are often irreversible.
The internet is an excellent medium for obtaining comprehensive information. However, it should be noted that only general "advice" can be provided online, as every personal (real estate) situation requires an individual approach. Therefore, the internet cannot replace a personal meeting with qualified and individual advice, which is of course free of charge and completely without obligation for you.
On this page, we aim to provide you with a comprehensive overview of what you generally need to consider, and we cordially invite you to contact us with any questions or other inquiries. Before we give you this overview, however, we would like to help you avoid falling for common phrases used by many real estate agents.
We don't want to suggest that every real estate agent who uses one of these phrases isn't occasionally true. However, the sheer number and repetitive nature of these phrases should encourage you to think critically. If these phrases were always true, the long marketing periods, often exceeding a year, for properties acquired with such "bait" would be inexplicable.
“We have many interested parties for your property…”
This is a very common phrase because it suggests that a successful sale of the house is imminent. The real estate agent has probably never even seen the house, knows nothing about its layout or what features to consider, and yet claims to have numerous interested parties (who also don't know the house). Just because an agent has interested parties looking for something in this general price range doesn't mean they are potential buyers.
“ This is exactly the kind of house our prospective buyer from Frankfurt/Berlin/Stuttgart is looking for…”
Would you buy a house without ever seen ? The seller might try to convince you that there's already a buyer ready to pay your asking price for your exact house. Would that be a sensible way for you to buy a house without ever having seen it?
"We still have many buyers left house that was sold in your neighborhood ..."
Not only does this indicate that there are already many interested parties for your house, but these interested parties are also apparently all interested in a house in the same neighborhood! Furthermore, it suggests that the real estate agent is already familiar with the area and knows all about the local conditions. The fact that this mysterious house in the neighborhood (the term "neighborhood" is often interpreted very loosely here) might be in a completely different price range, or perhaps even sold below market value
"You don't need to pay any commission, the buyers pay us..."
The calculation seems brilliant. You simply increase the asking price by a few percent before going on the market, pay the commission from the additional money, and thus let the buyer pay while saving yourself the money. However, this calculation often doesn't work: No buyer can be found for the increased price, the price is continually reduced (sometimes far below the actual value), and you still have to pay the commission to the real estate agent. We think differently: We prefer to show and explain to you why, despite the commission, it is more than worthwhile for you to entrust us with the sale of your house, and we highly recommend a free valuation .
Getting to know each other
The first step in any marketing process is a personal meeting and an initial site visit, during which the property details are documented. This information should be recorded in writing; in our case, for example, using specially designed intake forms.
The level of detail with which the real estate agent assesses your property speaks volumes about their commitment to quality, because your property deserves meticulous attention from the very beginning. This thoroughness allows them to address potential buyers' questions precisely, whereas many agents often give evasive answers to detailed questions because they haven't examined the property sufficiently.
Professional real estate agents give every property the attention it deserves – it's a matter of respect for you and your home.
The price estimate
A price that's too high scares away buyers, while a price that's too low means throwing money away. The right price is essential if you want to sell your house for the best possible profit. Therefore, a professional valuation is recommended if you're not experienced in assessing properties based on their age, location, plot size, current conditions, and other criteria.
We are happy to provide a thorough market valuation and can therefore recommend the most suitable sales activities for your house to maximize its profitability. We stay up-to-date on market news and changes to offer you the most accurate and comprehensive market valuation possible.
This consultation is completely non-binding and free of charge for you.
This offers you several advantages: You have an initial overview from the outset of what we can do for you and can enter the market with a realistic price. Many sellers set the price too high under the motto "Let's see what happens." This often leads to multiple price reductions, and potential buyers who would have purchased the house at a realistic price now wait to see how much further the price will fall before the house is finally sold far below its value.
Often, as a seller, you don't have the necessary time to publicize your property sale. Listing it on an online portal helps, but it involves a lot of time: writing descriptions, taking photos, gathering data on energy performance certificates, and so on. And ideally, you'd have to do this for each of the numerous portals. Not to mention offline advertising like flyers and brochures, because even today, many properties are bought by local residents.
Time and effort are therefore good reasons to turn to a professional partner for marketing your property. We recommend: Ask what your real estate agent can – and will – do for you. Too many agents simply list properties on a real estate portal with generic descriptions and poor-quality photos and end their workday there. Consider the different ways you can market your property:
High-quality brochures
What would impress you more as a buyer: a single sheet of A4 paper with a black-and-white photo of the hallway, or a high-quality brochure that showcases the property in its best light? Don't underestimate the impact of advertising materials, even if they're not explicitly stated. To emphasize the property's high quality, we create premium property brochures for the sale of your property. These brochures incorporate all the information gathered during our thorough property assessment to highlight the unique aspects of your property. Each text is unique and written specifically for each property.
Individual flyers
Many people don't realize that a large proportion of home sales originate from the immediate neighborhood! That's why we recommend distributing flyers for your property in the local area. At Immobilien Kontor Saarlouis, for example, we distribute thousands of flyers every month, highlighting the key features of each property. These are distributed in the neighborhood to raise awareness of the sale. Even if no one in the immediate vicinity is interested in buying the property, the well-known "you know someone who knows someone" principle works. Almost always, someone knows someone who is looking for something in your area!
Handy business cards
Business cards aren't just for business people! Thanks to their handy format, they're readily accepted and easily reach many hands. We see how well they work for us, so we recommend you create business cards for your property! If, like us, you're in daily contact with numerous people, this is an easy way to promote your property for sale. Make sure your business cards have an appealing design to capture people's attention.
Online marketing
We know that the internet is a key medium for success today. Therefore, you should market your property not only with print media but also online. There are numerous real estate portals available, and you should utilize them all to reach as many potential buyers as possible. If you contact a real estate agent, make sure they do the same: too many agents limit themselves to a single real estate portal, generic text, and poor-quality mobile phone photos to market properties. Don't let poor service like this diminish your chances of selling your property.
As reliable real estate agents, we have high standards for online marketing: We list properties on all major real estate portals to attract more potential buyers, including immowelt, my-next-home, atHome, and immopool. We also feature properties on our own website, which consistently receives high traffic thanks to our expert articles and features. Naturally, it's easily accessible on any device, from smartphones and tablets to desktop computers.
360° tours & digital brochures
For prospective buyers, we can create 360° online tours upon request, allowing them to virtually "walk through" a property before an in-person viewing! Furthermore, all our property details can be conveniently sent as digital brochures via email or as a link.
Examples:
360° online tour (This tour includes sound.)
Digitized brochure
Real estate is our passion, not just an empty phrase: We hold ourselves to high service standards and want to assure our clients that the sale of their property is in the best hands. We gladly go the extra mile to ensure this.
Qualification of interested parties
We regularly inform you with names and addresses of who have shown interest in your property, thus protecting you from property viewing crime.
Purchase intention & brokerage
We clarify questions, initiate purchase offers and mediate between you and the interested parties with whom you might otherwise have lost contact.
Crucial step: The notary appointment
We prepare the notary appointment in terms of both timing and content, and of course, we will be present during the appointment itself. We won't leave you in the lurch at this crucial step!
Long-term contacts
Of course, we're here for you even after the sale. If you have any questions or further concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time; we're happy to listen.
