Selling a property? Avoid these mistakes! Part 2.

When selling a property, we can unwittingly make a whole host of mistakes that make the process of completing the transaction harder and longer. So before we decide to sell our house, flat or plot, it is worth knowing which pitfalls to avoid, so as to encourage rather than discourage potential buyers. Today we continue the topic begun in the previous article and present further mistakes made by property owners when selling.

Legal obstacles

There is little chance that anyone will buy a flat or house without first looking into the land and mortgage register (księga wieczysta), or without checking the formal status of the property. If, as owners, we make it difficult for a potential buyer to access the most important documents, we can be practically certain that they will not decide to buy. Such behaviour immediately arouses suspicion and effectively scares off those interested.

If we want to avoid this kind of situation, before putting the flat up for sale we should make sure that everything is legally in order. We can get help with sorting out the intricate formalities from a professional estate agency. There, an agent will tell us which documents we must have and what information the buyer may expect from us.

Neglected interiors

When showing a property, first impressions count the most. Many owners, as if completely unaware of this, show potential buyers neglected interiors that clearly need renovating. What puts people off the most? Above all, all kinds of small faults, such as a light that does not work, a loose door handle, skirting boards coming away from the wall or stains on the walls. Even though buyers often plan to renovate the flat they buy anyway, shortcomings of this kind still lead them to start questioning the value of the whole property.

To avoid this, before a viewing it is worth looking at the flat through the eyes of a prospective buyer and fixing any faults. This is often a small cost, and the effect can exceed our wildest expectations.

Too many personal items

Another mistake often made by flat owners is showing a property full of personal knick-knacks. It is not so bad if these are holiday photos or original decorations, but in many flats you can see various kinds of religious or political symbols, which may make us come across unfavourably to the people viewing. Political or religious beliefs are a very sensitive and divisive subject. It is therefore worth making our property as neutral as possible in this respect, because we never know what views a potential buyer may hold and what may put them off completing the transaction with us.

These are not all the mistakes that property owners make when selling their homes. In the next article we will present the final set of pitfalls worth avoiding in order to sell your property quickly and effectively.