All Topics / General Property / How do I sell a property without using a real estate agent?

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  • Profile photo of SteelarSteelar
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    @steelar
    Join Date: 2010
    Post Count: 8

    Afternoon All,

    I was wondering whether anyone had any experience selling either an IP or PPOR themselves without the use of an estate agent. By just asking around most agents have pushed up their fees to compensate for the reduced volume in the market (I have a IP in Perth city centre I am trying to sell) and I just don't like the thought of paying 10k-15k to someone else which would account for a fair chunk of capital gains due to myself.

    There are websites out there where you can privately list your property for a small fee but I don't know how successful they are relative to using an established agent.

    Are there websites that exist where buyers list specifications & types of properties they are willing to purchase?

    Any help appreciated as always.

    Cheers

    Steelar

    Profile photo of realestateedu.com.aurealestateedu.com.au
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    @realestateedu.com.au
    Join Date: 2009
    Post Count: 84

    This is easier than is sounds and I welcome you try then you can appreciate the job a good sales agent does.

    I agree that there are only 10% good sales people and good business agents in the market.

    Today you need to be intelligent to be a good agent.

    Commissions are rising because running a business office is expensive just try it and see what you have to do to make a profit.

    I believe in the future that agents will charge a set fee and not a percentage … some companies are doing this now.

    I have trained over 1000 agents … I am selling my house in Hunters Hill Sydney and although I am licensed in all states I am giving the job to McGrath HH using Tracey Dixon because she is the best … and I negotiated a set fee.

    Just my thoughts hope this helps.

    Profile photo of ducksterduckster
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    Profile photo of crjcrj
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    @crj
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    Get a valuation, put a board outside, letterbox drop the neighbourhood

    Profile photo of petronapetrona
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    @petrona
    Join Date: 2008
    Post Count: 35

    We have just sold a property in WA.  It was a unit in a strata titled complex.
    Documents required for the sale paperwork include:
    – an offer and acceptance contract (we used one we had previously signed as a template doc, which we then retyped in Word);
    – the joint conditions booklet (the yellow one) – this forms part of the contract of sale;
    – because it was a strata property, we also had to fill out a form 28 and provide a form 29.

    On top of this, we provided to the purchaser a copy of the last AGM minutes, including info about levies; the current tenant's lease, bond paperwork and property condition report.

    We advertised using my home is for sale, which gets you listings on realestate.com.au and domain.com.au.

    We sold our property after showing it to two people, and after less than a week – and yes it was priced at the high end of the market.  It was such a positive experience for us that we're doing the same now with another of our units.

    Profile photo of petronapetrona
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    @petrona
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    I should probably add I'm not getting any kickbacks for advertising MHIFS, and I'm in no way connected or associated with them – we just had a great experience selling ourselves, and they were a big part of that. <end disclaimer>

    Profile photo of ElizaDElizaD
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    @elizad
    Join Date: 2010
    Post Count: 1

    We sold two plots of land in Melbourne via ZeroAgents.com.au (a google search couldn't trace them, not sure they're still operating) at different times and whilst we were based in the UK.  You really don't need an agent to sell your property, just access to the main internet property sites – where most buyers start their search these days – and the motivation to save commission/advertising costs.  

    At the time we sold our land (3-4 years ago) we found we couldn't get access to the top internet property sites like realestate.com or domain without using a web-based agent.  We were comfortable with the idea of using ZeroAgents, who provided an intermediary service without creating a barrier between the buyer and seller.  I conducted the sales negotiations with our buyers over the telephone and via email, which felt empowering and rewarding.  I know for a fact that we could have sold one of our plots several times over and that we broke the sales record for that area.  I think there are quite a few of these internet real estate businesses up and running now and I reckon that the days of the traditional high street estate agent are numbered.  

    Last year, when we finally moved back to Melbourne from the UK we sold our family home via Housenetwork.co.uk. We weren't hopeful of a quick sale given the state of the property market in the UK at the time.  For a fixed fee, Housenetwork supplied us with a (then-compulsory) Home Information Pack (the equivalent of the Section 32), a sale board, photography service and access to the top property internet sites.

    Again, we liked the buffer provided by the internet agent and, at the same time, felt in control of the selling process:  prospective buyers had to be pre-approved not just pre-qualified and be in a position to buy; we showed prospective buyers around our home; we supplied the copy for the advert and supplementary photos for our site page, and retained editing control (useful if your house sale spans the seasons and for ensuring your advert stays "fresh"). 

    It took us 4 months to find a buyer, but the house sold for the full asking price to only the second couple to view it.   We didn't have to deal with any time-wasters and the people we sold to were first-time buyers.

    We did try shopping around for a high-street agent, armed with a list of questions designed to check out exactly what service the agent offered for his/her commission.  Most fell at the first post when asked who would show prospective buyers the property if the designated agent wasn't available.   The best answer? All members of staff would be expected to be familiar with the layout and features of all the properties on their books.  The worst?  Well……a fill-in agent would try to make sure s/he arrived at the property 10 minutes before the buyer to make sure s/he had time to take a quick look around the house. 

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