You’re thinking of selling your house. You've heard of selling your home by private treaty where your preferred agent lists your property and markets it to achieve a sale. That's the most common method of sale used by agents.
Then there's a house auction. A process where a property is marketed with a date on which the property will be auctioned; a live event either on site or in auction rooms, where prospective, registered buyers go toe to toe to reach a reserve price set by the owner, finalizing in a sale to the new owners.
Auctions can be very energetic and robust. You could consider putting your property to auction, but what does it cost?
To date such costs have been very secretive. But in this article, we break the real estate industry's code of silence and spell out the costs you could be up for if you were to auction a house.
This may not seem to be a cost, but pick the wrong agent and their inexperience will cost you dearly. Inexperienced real estate agents do not know how to engage with potential buyers during the auction marketing period.
They rely on wishful thinking that interested parties will show up on auction day and bid on the property. That rarely happens.
Experienced agents keep interested parties informed with email updates, phone calls and news updates. They make sure the prospective purchaser is fully informed about the auction process and what they need to do prior to give themselves their best shot at securing the property.
Agents with auction experience also know how to get the best price for the seller on auction day. They are strong negotiators and can skilfully extract the best bid from a buyer, making it the best decision they'll make in the long run.
Every property should be marketed if you want to sell it for a good price. Marketing is not exclusive for when you auction a house. It's just as applicable in a private treaty sale.
Auction campaigns typically run for 30 days. With this finite period to attract prospective purchasers, it's critical to have a marketing campaign to expose your home to the market.
Marketing campaigns (for auctions BUT can also apply for private treaty) typically involve:
Property searches, title inquiries and identity checks give protection to all parties but fees do apply.
It's not untypical for costs to range from $8000 - $15000 to clean the property, replacing carpets, ceilings and painting walls.
While these cost of getting a build and pest report done will be borne by the existing owner, it can give comfort and security to a prospective purchaser arming them with valuable information about the property they wish to bid for.
At the very least a staging consultant will help you declutter your home so it spotlights the spaciousness to the viewing purchaser.
Costs range from $440 - $770. The average is around $550 but larger auction specialists can be at the higher end of the spectrum.
Interview the agency's recommended auctioneer to gauge they have the experience to sell your prime asset on the day and confirm the hire will suit your needs.
Agent’s commissions in most States have been deregulated. That means any rate is on the table.
But beware of the low charging agent. They are either:
No matter if one or all of the above apply, your big cost is usually a lower selling price. Don't give away your home; use a professional agent to maximise your sale price.
A real estate agency only earns commission IF the property is sold and settles. Imagine if the agent achieves an extra $100,000 above your expectations on auction day. Would you be happy to exchange that for an additional $3000 commission? You bet you would.
Opportunities to improve their skills through training, courses, industry updates, affiliations with professional bodies, newsletters or magazine subscriptions, is available to all real estate agents.
But not every agent takes their career seriously. Go with the professional business which invests in professional development; they'll get you the best result.
Leasing costs, staff wages, insurance costs, government regulations charges are just a few that can have an agency owner shelving out tens of not hundreds of thousands of dollars per month just to open the doors. Yes, these are necessary expenses to be in business, but they are a cost. Buyers demand smart, attractive offices of negotiating their home at the Coffee Club.
A well 'oiled' database of buyers that's regularly kept updated on the real estate market is a goldmine for sellers.
Not only is there a huge cost in acquiring such a database with years of labour to grow and maintain that list can run into the tens of thousands.
Housing the database and running effective email campaigns to buyers is a software charge usually borne by the agency. However, with growing regulations around contacting people, the value of an agency having a solid database is growing. Perhaps an agent should charge a seller to expose their property to such a database of buyers?
So what does it cost to auction a house in Toowoomba? It varies.
The cost to auction a house is varied depending on location, type of property, marketing budget and the choice of choosing the right agent and agency.
Done right though, an auction gives a seller a planned marketing programme finalising hopefully in a sale.
Auction campaigns which usually run for 30 days, have a much higher sale rate even if the hammer is not knocked down on auction day. Negotiations following the auction day generally result in a sale occurring.
If you are considering to auction a house, perhaps you should not think of the costs associated but look at such a programme as an investment to give your home a better chance of being sold quickly and at a higher price.
Speak to Western Edge for the right auction advice.