If marketed properly your property should sell at its best price in the least time possible. To maximize the chance of a speedy, satisfactory sale you should list your property with Cumiskey Real Estate. We will list your home on this website & on Daft.ie to you access to buyers in Ireland and overseas.

How long to leave it on the market?

Deciding on the right price for your house is essential and we will advise you on this. If your house has been up for sale for more than a few months you should re-consider the price you are asking. Buyers become suspicious if a house lingers on the market for too long. You need to check comparable properties in your area and see if they are offering a similar price. If time is on your side you could ride it out another year and wait for prices to hike up again. But if you want to sell as soon as possible maybe put some money into the property? Landscape the garden, do an extensive paint job, get a new front door, buy a trendy Aga cooker - any money you put in you will get more back.

When to sell

The generally accepted optimum time for selling is spring and autumn, as the market slows down in late summer and over Christmas and New Year. If a property is sold while the market is buoyant, it's much more likely to attract the asking price. The longer days and sunlight will show off your property at its best. Also if you have a garden it will be easier to emphasize the privacy that trees in full bloom can offer. However, having said that some agents say that for the past three or four years a lot of houses sold in the first few months of the year have achieved higher prices than those selling later.

This is because selling at off peak times means you don't have to compete with other more high profile properties in your area. If you think you can deal with the Christmas rush and the added stress of dealing with solicitors, mortgage brokers and estate agents, December could be a good time to sell as the prospect of moving into a new home by the New Year is alluring to many potential buyers.

Avoid the selling pressure

It’s best to put your house up for sale before you decide to buy another one for practical reasons. It’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself and you don’t want to risk having to take less than you expected for the sake of a quick sale. If you do decide to buy before you sell, you could put in a conditional offer on selling your current home, however you cannot do this at an auction and with current high demand it might not work out for you. Banks do offer bridging loans but these can be pricey.

Sprucing up your property for viewing

You need to de-clutter, and depersonalize your home as much as you can. A buyer should be able to see how they can put their own stamp on a property and if you have 50 gnomes in the front garden this is going to impede their imagination. Home buyers are attracted to clean and spacious houses so get rid of superfluous furniture and scrub it from top to bottom.

Put a big effort into making sure the first impression of your house lasts. A well kept garden, a lick of paint and an installation of a power shower will not take up too much time but they could substantially hike up your asking price. Before a buyer steps into your house they will form an opinion. A newly-painted front door with shiny brass fittings always goes down well.

Finish off small DIY jobs, make sure there are no unsightly wires hanging around, replace dripping taps, broken tiles, fix all the lights, clear your drains. If your fitted kitchen looks weary replace it, or paint it and fit good solid worktops on to existing units. Revamp the bathroom with a big leafy plant, new taps, and a jazzy shower curtain. Anything you spend you should get back twice over. Don’t cook a curry before they call, fill the house with fresh flowers, place a huge bowl of fruit on the table and offload Ben the Springer Spaniel and the three cats on to a friend or relative. Be careful about spending lots of money on furniture and décor - it's such a personal thing and it might not suit your next house.

What will we do?

If you useCumiskey Real Estate there is no doubt that you are making life easier for yourself as we will offer several benefits for e.g. advice on valuation which is not binding to the seller, arranging appointments for visits and screening potential buyers, property description details, corresponding with various solicitors etc. This service is not to be under estimated.

Auctions

Selling by auction can be a good deal because you get unconditional, cash buyers and you have a finite timeframe for selling. Although it can be stressful it puts you in control as you set the terms.

The seller receives feedback from us about how much interest there is and what price range to expect from the auction and the seller and agent set the reserve price (minimum they will sell for) just before the auction. This figure remains confidential to the vendor, agent and the auctioneer.

Once the reserve price has been reached in the auction, the auctioneer lets people know and says the house is now on the market. Then the pressure is on as the auctioneer encourages purchasers to bid competitively.

Once the property is sold, purchaser pays a 10% deposit on the auction day and settlement is normally in about 30 days time. If the property does not reach the reserve price, negotiations continue with those people who have indicated their interest.