Readying your home for sale isn’t something you should aim to do in a weekend. It usually requires small repairs – inside and out, paintwork, decluttering, nding the right estate agent and assembling the necessary documentation.

All this takes about three times longer than you think so take plenty of time to prepare and the following pointers should help along the way.

There is no doubt that selling your home is stressful, with lots of possible outcomes before your home is sold. You can lessen the stress and be prepared with our 11 steps guide to selling your house. Click here to download the full guide.

1. Property Valuation

To find out the market value for your property, you can book a free valuation with an estate agent. Checking the Irish prop- erty price register online is a good starting point.

Sign up to property portals and receive digital alerts about houses for sale in your area. This can give an idea of what the competition in your area looks like, the prices being sought and which estate agents are most active in your area. Also, don’t be afraid to attend open viewings of similar properties in your area to get a real sense of the market.

2. Choose An Agent

Invite agents who are most active in your area for their thoughts and recommendations. This service should be free if you’re thinking of selling. Ask each what you need to do to maximise the appeal and value of the property. The mean average of the valuations given by a selection of agents is probably the most realistic asking price.

Don’t be swayed by estate agents offering you the world in terms of property valuations. If an agent says they can get you a price that sounds incredibly high, then it’s probably too good to be true.

Before you decide on an agent, ask for a complete break- down on fees and then negotiate on the rates charged. It may be possible to incentivise the selling agent with a higher fee if they achieve over a certain value for you.

3. Marketing Your Property

Traditional estate agents will charge marketing fees on top of their commission, and they are likely to charge additional fees for newspaper advertising. Everyone likes to see their property in the paper. Still, you should be sure that it makes sense for your property before incurring the additional expense. Over 90% of prospective buyers in Ireland look for property online.

Photography is critical when selling your property, so make sure your estate agent provides you with high-quality photos.

Would-be buyers will probably rst view your home online – before they ever cross its threshold. They will have already noted its pros and cons. The history of the house may also be online if it sold in the last ten years. Choose a digital-savvy agent for the best chance at selling your home.

4. Choose A Solicitor

The legal formalities around selling your property are called ‘conveyancing’, and it’s essential to choose your solicitor early in the process.

Be aware that many solicitors charge a percentage of the asking price of the home.

5. Energy Rating Cert (Ber)

It is a legal requirement to have a Buildings Energy Rating (BER) certificate for your property when you put it up for sale. The BER is designed to make the energy performance of a property transparent to potential buyers. This process will involve a BER assessor completing an appraisal of the property. The assessor then submits the results to the Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) who then issues a certificate.

6. Viewings

As previously mentioned, make sure to prepare your property for viewings so that it’s presented in the best light. With regards to viewing times, be as flexible and accommodating as possible for your potential buyers.

Serious buyers will snoop during open viewings, so make sure every nook and cranny has been looked over. On the viewing day, open windows to air the house. Don’t burn strongly scented candles as it may put some viewers off. Fresh-cut owers in the hall or kitchen are a nice touch.

Have the re burning in the main reception rooms. In darker months, make sure all table lamps and accent lighting is on during a viewing. Step back and let the agent do their job. Don’t hang around. You will be in the way, and you don’t need to overhear viewer critiques of your own home.

7. Receive Offers & Negotiate

Know your bottom line and don’t ever go below it if you can help it. How you handle this will depend on how close to the asking price the offer is, your timeline to sell and your appetite for a longer negotiation. When buyers start making offers, you can either accept one or stand rm and wait for higher bids.

8. Sale Completion

The sale is formally completed when all the legal documents between buyer and seller have been signed, and full ownership has been legally transferred to the buyer.

A suitable completion date will be agreed and arranged by your solicitor, and the remainder of the money from the sale will be transferred into your solicitor’s account.

For more information on Buying, Selling, and Remortgaging click here to download our FREE e-book.