WITH US, YOU CAN CONSIDER IT SOLD.
One of the fastest-growing real estate brands in South Africa, Harcourts sell more than 7 000 properties each year. Talk to us today to get a great price for your property.
As one of the fastest growing real estate brands in South Africa, in a recent year, our global team sold more than R266 billion in property. With Harcourts, you can rest assured your agent will get you the best possible price for your property.
Your friendly and dedicated Harcourts agent will work with you to present your property in the very best way possible to sell your home for the maximum the market will pay. Our extensive market knowledge and real estate experience will ensure your home gets the attention it deserves.
Why choose Harcourts?
- Impeccable sales record
- Qualified, knowledgeable professionals
- We sell a home every 10 minutes - it could be yours!
- 94% of our clients recommend us
- Trusted brand recognised in 10 countries
- Cherished for solid community values
- We have an extensive database of buyers
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A practical guide to selling
your home
Selling your home can be stressful.
But it doesn’t have to be.
Harcourts wants you to get the best price for your home. This guide will prepare you to meet the property market with confidence. Find out what to expect in a successful sales process.
Let’s get started.
Download Selling Guide
Choosing an experienced estate agent
Take your time to select a knowledgeable area specialist who’s responsive to your needs, concerns and individual goals.
You need an agent who:
- Takes interest in your personal circumstances
- works hard to understand your local area
- has extensive knowledge of the current market conditions
- can tailor marketing strategies to suit your home and budget
- understands what makes your home unique and saleable
- encourages you to feel in control and supported
At Harcourts, Our Promise to you is what makes us stand apart from the rest. We believe our clients are for life, not just for the moment.
Preparing your home for sale
Preparing your home for sale helps you achieve the highest price for your property. A few simple techniques will ensure your home is seen in the best possible light by the most buyers.
Here are our top tips for attracting more buyers and higher offers.
De-clutterClean and tidy your home before it’s listed for sale and prior to each viewing from a potential Buyer. It’s important to remove clutter and excess items to give your home a spacious feel. Help the buyer picture themselves at home by removing too many of your personal items (for example, photographs, memorabilia). It’s a good idea to package these up safely. This helps the Buyer imagine their family in this beautiful new home.
Undertake simple repairs and maintenance to improve the visual appeal of your home. Touching up paint chips, cleaning rain gutters and trimming gardens neatly gives Buyers confidence in your home. Well-maintained and neatly presented homes attract more interest from quality Buyers.
You can refresh your home’s look cost-effectively with new cushions, towels or window dressings in stylish tones. For a more substantial effect, consider updating the colour scheme, or engaging an interior designer or staging service to maximise your home’s appeal.
Quality photographs and video capture your home looking its best. Online marketing is a critical and powerful tool for attracting the right buyers in the right price range. Well-lit, well-framed, professional imagery highlights your home’s features and benefits, enticing online buyers to choose you.
Pricing your home for sale
It can be difficult to determine the value of your own home. It’s important to research and understand the current market before deciding on a listing price, or price range.
Your Harcourts sales agent will provide you with a well-informed, professional overview of recent home sales, current listings and comparable properties in your suburb or region. We base our sales advice on the latest market facts and figures and our extensive experience in local real estate.
Choosing the best method to sell your home
There are several common sales methods to choose from when selling your home. Your Harcourts sales agent will explain the different options and help you select the best approach for your property in the current market. These include:
Traditional sales methodListing your home for sale at a set price and inviting offers from buyers.
An auction is a public sale inviting Buyers to place their highest bid for your property. You set a reserve (minimum purchase price), and the property will sell when offers reach this price, or higher.
There are also different ways to list your property with a real estate agent, and your Harcourts agent can explain the pros and cons to you. These include:
This is the preferred and most effective way to sell your property at the highest price in the shortest period of time. You sign a contract with a professional real estate agent giving them an ‘exclusive right to sell’ your home for a set period of time. They focus their marketing attentions on your home and work to get you the best possible price. If your home sells during that time, they get paid a commission.
An open mandate means that your property is listed with more than one real estate agent from a variety of agencies, each of whom will be marketing and trying to sell your home.
Accepting an offer
So, your marketing strategy has been a success and you now have interested buyers.
At Harcourts, we give each prospective buyer a draft Sale Agreement and present all Buyers’ offers to you formally in writing. Both you and the Buyer will have the opportunity to add terms and conditions when negotiating the sale of your property.
Common conditions of sale include being subject to:
- Bond approval
- Building and pest inspections
- Existing tenant lease period
- Condition regarding the sale of another property
- Conveyancer’s approval of the agreement
- Specialist inspections
If you choose to accept the offer, all parties will sign the sale agreement and the Buyer will pay their deposit. For peace of mind, this deposit is held securely in the chosen legal conveyancers trust account.
Completing the sale
Transfer is an important date noted in the Sale Agreement. This is the day that ownership of your property passes from you to the Buyer. This is subject to all conditions being met, followed by lodgement and registration of the property – usually 45 – 90 days after the sale agreement was fully signed by both parties. Typically, transfer is arranged by your conveyancing attorney, the Buyer’s legal representative, your agent and your financial institutions.
Congratulations! Your property is now sold.
Watch our video guides
Introduction
Your First Steps
Effective Property Marketing
Your Property Sales Success
