A flat in Katowice will (not) sell itself

If you want to sell a flat in Katowice quickly, it is not enough to post your listing on a classifieds portal. You also have to attract buyers' interest and then, most importantly, not put them off but encourage them to buy. How?

Read this short guide to find out what you should do to sell your flat quickly.

Present the property on a classifieds portal

We are all visual creatures. People take in an image first, and only then other forms of communication. That is why it is so important that the photos you present in the listing are of high quality.

What should you take care of before the photo shoot? First of all, proper lighting and removing unnecessary items from the rooms. This will emphasise how spacious the flat is. In addition, it is also worth photographing the rooms from different angles. This will not only make the listing more attractive, but also help it stand out from the others.

Remember that professionally taken photos are essential if anyone is to take an interest in your listing.

Study the realities of the market

To sell a flat quickly, you need to study the realities of the market thoroughly, which will help you set the right price for the flat. The price reflects not only the material value of the property, but also an analysis of how much a client is able to pay for a flat. When setting the price it is also important that you know whom you are aiming your listing at.

It may seem that if we lower the price, we will attract more buyers and thereby sell the flat faster. Nothing could be further from the truth. Often such a strategy has the opposite effect to the one intended. Listings of this type arouse not only distrust but also suspicion among buyers.

Setting the price of the property too high is not a good strategy either. It results in a complete lack of interest in buying the flat.

Make a good impression

First of all, you should repair all the defects in the home, such as dripping taps, burnt-out bulbs, creaking doors, nail holes, or rooms with faded walls.

Most people who advertise their property assume that the buyer will "fix it themselves" and "clean it themselves" once they buy. This is a mistaken belief. When viewing a dirty flat, no one will imagine what it will look like clean. Dirt and faults of any kind create a very negative impression and effectively discourage the buyer from buying the property.

It is also important to remove from the flat all unnecessary items such as cosmetics, boxes, souvenirs or packaging. The best impression is made by flats that look neutral, like a hotel. This allows the buyer to assess and imagine how they could furnish the rooms and use the space in the flat. We all like to feel independent and free to choose. In a place that is furnished and overly personalised, the buyer may feel like an intruder.

It is also worth creating a pleasant scent in the flat. It may be the smell of fresh bread, coffee, cinnamon or vanilla. There are plenty of scents that can be bought in shops, and they will make the flat more attractive in an original way.

Show some creativity – home staging

Home staging is one of the more effective property sales techniques, which has been used in the USA for several decades. The method involves arranging the flat so that it is as attractive as possible to buyers.

The basics of home staging, as already described in the previous part of this article, are cleaning the property and choosing a scent, or even music. The next step is to make the flat look bigger, above all by brightening it, and to arrange the furniture so that the flat feels as spacious as possible.

It seems that anyone can do home staging, but, contrary to appearances, interior styling is not an easy art. Besides good taste, a home stager should also have a certain objectivity, and a great deal of knowledge about marketing techniques and about optical tricks for shaping space. In Poland there are many companies that offer professional interior arrangement and makeovers. Courses are also available for those interested, where participants gain qualifications in professional property styling. Home staging may seem unnecessary, but according to research, it increases the chances of a sale by as much as 40%!

Once the flat has been professionally prepared, it is worth going one step further than the competition. A professional presentation with photos of the property and a short video will make our listing stand out from the others. Both can be posted on Facebook or YouTube, and the links, with short descriptions, included with the flat's listing.

Do not rush the buyer

The buyer needs time to look around the rooms. No one likes being hurried. The client should be able to assess the flat calmly and freely, without any interference from the owner.

A problem may arise when you still live with your family in the place you want to sell. In that case, try to arrange the viewing for a time when everyone is out. Household hubbub may make the buyer feel awkward and prevent them from concentrating properly on the flat.

Remember, the more comfortable your client feels while viewing the flat, the more attractive the property will seem to them.

Organise an open house

If you still live in the property you intend to sell, a good solution is to organise a so-called "open house". These are special days when all buyers can come and view the flat. This is a comfortable situation, because you can prepare thoroughly for this type of event. The flat is cleaned and arranged in a suitable way, which only strengthens your image.

From a marketing point of view, it is also important that as many people as possible view the flat during this time. This gives buyers the impression that others are interested in the property. This in turn translates into more effective sales.

Details of the open house should be given in the flat's listing. All you need to give is the date, the time and how the viewing will run.

Remember that the advice presented will prove useless if you do not get into the role of the buyer. Put yourself in their shoes and look at your flat once more through the eyes not of an owner who wants to sell it, but of a person who wants to buy it. Maybe there is still something that should be taken care of to make it more attractive? What are the greatest assets of this property, and what are its flaws? And most importantly, what could you do to make the buyer feel more comfortable in your flat?