selling a house yourself?

I

irish_bhoy

Guest
my parents are selling there house and they want to do it them selves,
has anybody ever done this,they are thinking of advertising on daft .ie or private seller .ie
anybody got any tips?

thanks
 
Re: selling a house your self?

In this current market, why would they try and sell at all?

Why on earth won't they use an estate agent?

They can advertise, put a sign up but how will they attract purchasers?

People will tell you that this is possible but I would never try it.

Personal opinion

mf
 
Why not? I did this about 20 years ago, overseas, and got the market value in what was a very soft market at the time. Without the fees saved, we wouldn't have broken even on the house.

The main disadvantage is you've got to weed out the time wasters yourself. And of course you need to be very careful about letting strangers into your house.

Can you advertise on myhome.ie as a private seller? If not, that would be a big disadvantage.
 
Hi Irish Bhoy,
I wish more sellers would sell themselves, so that buyers know exactly who they are dealing with and not have to put up with the rudeness of EAs, who, by the way, have no idea how to actually SELL a house, due to the fact that the last couple of years they have just stood at the door and let bidders fight over them.
In saying that though, I agree with extopia in the sense that they will have to be willing to do evening viewings, weekend viewings, and they may run into 1/2 silly people. If they price realistically however, it could be gone in a jiffy & they will have saved themselves a bundle.
Make sure they do all sites. Daft, My home, sellityourself & private seller. Make sure there is lots of pics(don't know how many houses I've looked at on-line with 1 bloody photo(EAs at work, my behind), garden, bathroom, living room, etc. Include which way the house is facing. Include if garden is private over overlooks a green. Things like that. Tell them to try their best with measurements of rooms.
Good luck
 
does anyone know if it is possible to advertise on myhome.ie yourself if you wish to sell your house privately or is it only estate agents that are allowed sell on the website.
 
private sellers can not advertise on myhome.ie
but I do know some one who bought their house about 3 month ago directly from the seller (found him through daft)

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yeah you cant advertise yourself on myhome but as far as i know you can on daft it would definetly save you a couple of thousand if you can manage to sell it yourself
 
You an advertise your home on [broken link removed] I haven't had any contacts yet from my listing tho...
 
Hi Irish Bhoy,
I wish more sellers would sell themselves, so that buyers know exactly who they are dealing with and not have to put up with the rudeness of EAs, who, by the way, have no idea how to actually SELL a house, due to the fact that the last couple of years they have just stood at the door and let bidders fight over them.
In saying that though, I agree with extopia in the sense that they will have to be willing to do evening viewings, weekend viewings, and they may run into 1/2 silly people. If they price realistically however, it could be gone in a jiffy & they will have saved themselves a bundle.
Make sure they do all sites. Daft, My home, sellityourself & private seller. Make sure there is lots of pics(don't know how many houses I've looked at on-line with 1 bloody photo(EAs at work, my behind), garden, bathroom, living room, etc. Include which way the house is facing. Include if garden is private over overlooks a green. Things like that. Tell them to try their best with measurements of rooms.
Good luck

Just a few points.
Most buyers like to distance themselves from the owners of the house so that they can feel comfortable and not feel obliged to say 'oh thats lovely'. Anytime I showed a house and the owner was home would usually lead to a brief viewing as the viewer would zoom through and talk to me outside in private.

I'm sure you met rude EA's, I've met every kind of person and they all have a capability of being rude. I also know plenty of EA's who are professional and good at their jobs. With regard to they can't sell because of the boom, well then what went on before the boom? And during the boom EA's got so much stick for making prices soar, so are you saying having a good EA didn't benifit anyone in the last 15 years?

Finally with regard to photos, some EA's are sloppy and don't spend enough attention to this detail but most are obviously aware of the need to take good photos, but as the saying goes you can't make a silk purse out a sows ear. More often than not people will not have houses in top notch for the photos and you will often have to make repeat visits to try and get some decent shots.

PS, If anyone is going it alone don't try your best with measurements either make sure they are correct or leave them out.
 
Advice, advertise on daft/local newspaper with property in it, put a for sale sign up, have a realistic price, have the house in tip top condition, set your minimum price and have a time frame in mind, as in, if it doesn't sell to take it off the market. Personally I'd always use an estate agent to save me the hassle.
 
Bronte - it may be a hassle selling yourself, but it's a hassle selling anyway - keeping the house tidy etc. & the Estate Agents don't do that for you. I would certainly sell it myself the couple of thousand you save is well worth it in my opinion.
 
Hi Irish Bhoy,
I wish more sellers would sell themselves, so that buyers know exactly who they are dealing with and not have to put up with the rudeness of EAs, who, by the way, have no idea how to actually SELL a house, due to the fact that the last couple of years they have just stood at the door and let bidders fight over them.
In saying that though, I agree with extopia in the sense that they will have to be willing to do evening viewings, weekend viewings, and they may run into 1/2 silly people. If they price realistically however, it could be gone in a jiffy & they will have saved themselves a bundle.
Make sure they do all sites. Daft, My home, sellityourself & private seller. Make sure there is lots of pics(don't know how many houses I've looked at on-line with 1 bloody photo(EAs at work, my behind), garden, bathroom, living room, etc. Include which way the house is facing. Include if garden is private over overlooks a green. Things like that. Tell them to try their best with measurements of rooms.
Good luck

A few points:
It is not just a case of letting people in the door and them saying "yes" or "no" - the house has to be advertised, viewings have to be conducted and the seller must be prepared for a wide variety of qusetions on the house and area. Bids have to be managed and once the deal is agreed then it is important to keep things moving along with the Solicitors. OP - be prepared for the house sale to fall through and have to start all over again; lots of would be purchasers are finding it difficult to get the financing at the moment or to sell their own houses. In the above quote is says something about it being gone in a jiffy if it is priced realistically - this simply isn't the case at the moment. Through my work I know of a large number of properties priced very reasonably and they are still not attracting interest. Note to the above poster - EAs are acting on the instructions of the vendor. Many vendors specifically ask that no interiors be shown.
My advice to the OP would be to consider selling it yourself but do your research first and be prepared for it to be a slow process.
 
I've sold myself this year.

See some feedback I've given on another thread

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=114132

Actually, if you're a bit savvy, I think you're actually better off selling yourself, even if the EAs weren't charging fees at all!

A lot (not all mind you) EAs are beyond incompetent: Not returning calls to prospective buyers (has happened to me as a prospective buyer), standing outside at the front door talking on their mobile phone during viewings, and hardly any sales pitch etc.

When I sold, I kept a list of everyone who called AFTER it went sale agreed, asking them did they want me to let them know if it came back on the market, - basic stuff really.
I did the same with an EA as a prospective buyer on a house that was Sale Agreed, - did he take my details? - nope. Did the house go back on the market? yep

When you sell yourself you follow things up properly and quickly and you're not waiting on an agent to get back to you. You also don't have an agent who is selling your house, offering them other competing houses in the area.
 
A few points:
It is not just a case of letting people in the door and them saying "yes" or "no" - the house has to be advertised,
... daft.ie, newspaper
viewings have to be conducted and the seller must be prepared for a wide variety of qusetions on the house and area.
Bids have to be managed
...basic negotion skills, - utimately culminating in yes or no on the price.
...just make sure you never give an answer straight away. Always take it offline...

and once the deal is agreed then it is important to keep things moving along with the Solicitors.
An EA will do very little or nothing in this regard for you, - once the house is sale agreed with or without an EA, - you will need to chase up your solicitor.


OP - be prepared for the house sale to fall through and have to start all over again; lots of would be purchasers are finding it difficult to get the financing at the moment or to sell their own houses.

Absolutely, you may encounter this problem with or without an EA.


In the above quote is says something about it being gone in a jiffy if it is priced realistically - this simply isn't the case at the moment. Through my work I know of a large number of properties priced very reasonably and they are still not attracting interest. Note to the above poster - EAs are acting on the instructions of the vendor. Many vendors specifically ask that no interiors be shown.
My advice to the OP would be to consider selling it yourself but do your research first and be prepared for it to be a slow process.

Most of the problems in the current market will present themselves regardless of whether you use an EA or not. I maintain that ll but the very best EAs offer a very limited value proposition.

This is especially the case nowadays, in the age of the internet.
"Disintermediaton" is a major part of the internet revolution because it brings transparency (eg. on asking prices) and lowers barriers.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/disintermediation.html
 
Re: selling a house your self?

In this current market, why would they try and sell at all?

Why on earth won't they use an estate agent?

They can advertise, put a sign up but how will they attract purchasers?

People will tell you that this is possible but I would never try it.

Personal opinion

mf


Complete FUD ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt )

They can advertise, put a sign up but how will they attract purchasers

.....eh........by advertising and putting up a sign? - same thing an EA does

People will tell you that this is possible but I would never try it.
....FUD, there's nothing difficult about it
 
"Personal opinion "

You failed to include this part of the original post.

I make no secret of what I do for a living - I'm a domestic solicitor running a general practice - I've done it for 25 years and have a lot of experience.

mf
 
Interesting thread.

If I were selling my house, I dont think that there is any question about the house or area that a potential buyer could ask that I wouldnt be able to answer myself better than any estate agent. Am I missing something here?

There is the hastle of advertising, arranging viewings, noting down interested peoples details, accepting bids etc.......this can be very time consuming, but I dont think it would be beyond the average persons capabilities - common sense stuff really.

I do agree that there is a perception among buyers that an owner selling is to be avoided. My feeling is that this perception is more to do with a fear of the legals being messed up than the viewing/bidding. I think people buying houses subconsciously link both the selling and legal aspects of a house sale and subconsciously think that if the selling is "done on the cheap" then so will the legals.

Would one way of avoiding this be to use a well known reputable solicitor and have the solicitors details displayed prominently on the brochures (with his/her agreement)? And to reassure house viewers by telling them that the sale is being handled by this solicitor, so the legals will be done to the highest possible standard?

One advantage of not using an estate agent is eliminating conflicts of interest such as the EA recommending other properties, also acting for the buyer, not passing on bids if a friend/regular customer of the EA is bidding etc.
 
Interesting thread.

If I were selling my house, I dont think that there is any question about the house or area that a potential buyer could ask that I wouldnt be able to answer myself better than any estate agent. Am I missing something here?
Don't think you are. Any buyer should take what you or an EA would say with a grain of salt, - to some extent at least.

There is the hastle of advertising, arranging viewings, noting down interested peoples details, accepting bids etc.......this can be very time consuming, but I dont think it would be beyond the average persons capabilities - common sense stuff really.
It's very little trouble really. you can base the description on other ads anadding a few phyway, - at least to use as a template. You should have it knocked up in a couple of hours. After that and adding a few photos taken on a nice day, - its just a matter of answering calls.
And if you're inundated with calls, - you'll hardly be complaining......


I do agree that there is a perception among buyers that an owner selling is to be avoided.
That wasn't my experience at all, - most people really just didn't care.
Also, when they were told they could do a viewing "any time at all" at their convenience, - they were very positive.
My feeling is that this perception is more to do with a fear of the legals being messed up than the viewing/bidding. I think people buying houses subconsciously link both the selling and legal aspects of a house sale and subconsciously think that if the selling is "done on the cheap" then so will the legals.

Would one way of avoiding this be to use a well known reputable solicitor and have the solicitors details displayed prominently on the brochures (with his/her agreement)? And to reassure house viewers by telling them that the sale is being handled by this solicitor, so the legals will be done to the highest possible standard?

One advantage of not using an estate agent is eliminating conflicts of interest such as the EA recommending other properties, also acting for the buyer, not passing on bids if a friend/regular customer of the EA is bidding etc.

Obviously, you should that a solicitor will handle all monies, including booking deposit. Really, if a prospective buyer has half a genuine interest in a house, they won't care. A number of people even expressed that they were happier to be dealing direct
 
Interesting thread.

If I were selling my house, I dont think that there is any question about the house or area that a potential buyer could ask that I wouldnt be able to answer myself better than any estate agent. Am I missing something here?
Alot of people are not comfortable with details regarding to construction and planning questions. ?IAVI EA's will have covered alot of planning regulation, construction and property law in gaining their degree. There is also the basis for how you portray the info so that the client feels comfortable that it is indeed fact and not best guess.

There is the hastle of advertising, arranging viewings, noting down interested peoples details, accepting bids etc.......this can be very time consuming, but I dont think it would be beyond the average persons capabilities - common sense stuff really.
You are right, basic time management will allow you to set aside a format to keep everything clear. You may not be accepting bids as it can often be the case that bids are coaxed out of viewers who otherwise might sit on the fence. There is also the ability to talk about what is actually happening in the market, what you have dealt with in that location recently etc that can add to the EA's selling power.

I do agree that there is a perception among buyers that an owner selling is to be avoided. My feeling is that this perception is more to do with a fear of the legals being messed up than the viewing/bidding. I think people buying houses subconsciously link both the selling and legal aspects of a house sale and subconsciously think that if the selling is "done on the cheap" then so will the legals.

The legals may be a point, but it is also a major factor that people do not feel comfortable dealing directly. With an EA you have a place to complain if unhappy, a neutral ground to deal on, and of course confidentiality. I would not and could not divulge info if your bid fell through because your mortgage wasn't approved, but that would not be the case for a sell it yourself person and as we all know Ireland is a small country.

One advantage of not using an estate agent is eliminating conflicts of interest such as the EA recommending other properties, also acting for the buyer, not passing on bids if a friend/regular customer of the EA is bidding etc.
This may seem like an advantage, but to the buyer it is a disadvantage as their choice is narrowed to one and they are what it's all about. If I walk into your home I get one aspect, an EA might tell me that he has 4 houses that suit the criteria that I outlined so now I have a greater choice.
 
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