Sell Your House in Louth, Ireland. A Guide

To sell your house in Louth (or anywhere!) is often thought of as being a very stressful experience but should that be the case? Could it simply be down to not having a clear roadmap for success to use as a guide?

At Michael Estate Agents Dundalk we feel that it is the latter. As Louths longest-serving, family-run estate agent and auctioneers our experience confirms that the better prepared you are, the easier the process will be. This is on both a practical and emotional level.

Yes, there can be times where unforeseen events can affect a sale or purchase. However, by being prepared, the stresses of these rare events can be softened and calm logic can steer success.

Here are the 11 Stress-Reducing Steps that We Suggest will help you to Sell Your House in Louth

1. Get a House Valuation from a Local Property Expert

Finding out the Market Value for Your House will set the foundation for everything else that needs to happen. It is a crucial first step. Checking online is a good start using https://www.propertypriceregister.ie/ then reserving a more up-to-date Complimentary House Valuation with a local estate agent. This also gives you a chance to ask queries about the sales process.

Top Tip: Competent professional agents will be able to tailor-make plans for your home sale and should have multiple examples of their marketing work available for you to see.

2. How to Choose an Estate Agent

You should start at Google. Search for estate agents in your area and see which ones are high on Page 1 of the search results. A simple search for ‘Estate Agents in Louth’ for example will show you the top agents in the county or locality. Google has a very complex search algorithm and to get to these top spots means the agency knows what they are doing. In turn, they will be able to do the same for your house sale.

Having professional accreditations is also extremely important of course. Check that the agents you speak with are associated with nationally recognised bodies that govern best practices

Top Tip: If an agent suggests a house valuation that seems way too high, then this is a red flag. Also, ask each agent for evidence/data on how they are forming their valuation opinion.

3.Preparing Your Home To Sell in Louth

If you are preparing your home for sale, be aware that most potential buyers prefer a welcoming neutral environment. Your goal at this point is to make it easier for potential buyers by helping them imagine what their lives could be like in your home. First impressions count so make certain your house has curb appeal.

• Invest time in decluttering or removing any excess furniture.
• Spruce up outdoor areas in addition to the interior space.
• If you have a garden then make sure it is neat and tidy.
• The entrance to your home should also be welcoming.

It can be a good idea to ask a friend to give their sincere comments on just how your house could appear from a buyer’s point of view.
You do not have to invest a great deal of cash to prepare your home for a sale, yet do try to offer the perception of space as well as light throughout your residence as much as possible.

Top Tip: Remember the goal is to help potential buyers imagine their life in your house. For example, a house that is free of clutter will help a buyer imagine where their furniture could be placed.

4. Marketing Your House Correctly in a Digital Age

Over 90% of homebuyers in Ireland look for their future home online. There has been a lot of change in how property is found by potential buyers, especially in the last 2 years. So chances are, that it has changed since you have bought the property you now want to sell in 2021/2022

Read More about changes in Real Estate Marketing Trends Here

Ask the agent how they have adapted their style of marketing in this time. If they are relying on just their website and some regular property portals such as Daft.ie or Myhome.ie then it is not enough in this day and age. Ask the agent how they will make your property in Louth stand out from the sea of competing homes.

Top Tip: Video Marketing is fast surpassing the standard digital photography that you will be used to. ‘Experiential Marketing‘ is very important when selling your house so that buyers get a better feel for your home at the first point of contact: which is online, on a smart device, or laptop. Make certain your estate agent will create high-quality video marketing content for your property.

5. Choose a Solicitor (Early)

The lawful rules around selling your residential property are called ‘conveyancing’ and it is a very good idea to select which conveyancing solicitor that you will use, early in the process. Be aware that most solicitors’ fees are based on a portion of the asking rate of the residence. Also, note that they are separate from fees arranged with your Estate Agent

Top Tip: Again, search online if you don’t already have a solicitor. See their reviews from the top spots of Google and verify that they have local expertise.

6. Get your BER Cert in Order

It is a legal requirement to have a Buildings Energy Rating (BER) certification for your house in Ireland when you put it up for sale.
The BER is designed to make the energy performance of a property transparent to prospective customers. This process will include a BER assessor completing an appraisal of your home. The assessor then sends the results to Sustainable Power Ireland (SEI) who then provides certification.

Top Tip: A BER certificate is valid for up to 10 years, unless the owner makes changes that will impact on the dwelling’s energy performance – a new house extension or a new heating system for example.

https://www.seai.ie/home-energy/

Contact your Estate Agent or Solicitor and check early if you have any queries. Need a BER Cert? See Here

7. Property Viewings

As previously stated, ensure to prepare your residential property for ready before physical viewings take place. A competent estate agent will have great tips for you in this regard as well. Agents are in and out of many different houses in Louth and are attuned to a wide spectrum of buyer expectations. They will gather insights from each viewing and may make suggestions based on these insights. Feedback is important and impartial and can be used to make changes that result in a successful sale for you. Try to step back from the emotional attachment that you have for your property when feedback happens. Critique can be used to your benefit!

Top Tip: With regards to viewing times, pre-arranging a schedule with your estate agent can mean smoother booking times for all parties.

See How the Team in Michael Lavelle Estate Agents can Provide Virtual Viewings of your Home: Any Time, Any Place, Anywhere

8. Receiving Offers and Negotiation

Know your bottom line when it comes to price. Discuss this with your agent beforehand so that they can eliminate unreasonable offers. How you handle offers will be on a case-by-case basis. Factors such:

• How much money do you need to have leftover after the sale is complete (and if taxes need to be catered to)
• Your timeline to sell. Whether you need to sell quickly or not can have an influencing factor on accepting or refusing an offer.

There can be many more factors influencing the best offer when it comes you sell your house in Louth. Your estate agent can help you weigh up the pros and cons. They will have a handle on the current state of the market and the buyers’ potential to close a sale in a timely fashion. When purchasers start making offers you can either accept one or persevere and await a more suitable deal. By talking things through with your estate agent in advance they can filter out non-runners early in the process.

Top Tip: It is at these moments that your estate agent’s experience and negotiating skills become truly evident, use their professional guidance as part of your evaluation of each offer. They will have seen many deal shapes over the years and can help you construct a suitable one to sell your house in Louth

9. Agreeing to An Offer for Your House Sale in Louth

When you consent to accept a buyer’s offer, the purchaser will usually make a down payment as a sign of intent. This deposit is refundable if they make a decision to pull out of the sale prior to the contract finalising.

It is normal at this point for the buyer to set up an architectural survey of the property if they are going to do so. If the purchaser is using a mortgage to purchase, then their lending institution will certainly require a Mortgage Valuation. Your estate agent will be coordinating access between you and the people from the buying side.

Top Tip: It can be easy to think that nothing can go wrong at this stage and feel that the sale is a dead cert. There are still things that need to click into place. Try to remain emotionally calm, until the contracts are exchanged at least.

10. Exchanging Contracts

Your solicitor will ask you to sign original contracts when you have accepted an offer. First, they are authorised by the buyer, then sent over to your solicitor to be counter-signed by you. The purchaser pays the balance of the 10% deposit after that.

Top Tip: It sounds obvious but do read the contract and don’t just blindly sign any agreement placed in front of you simply because you have employed a solicitor. Human error can occur in any walk of life!

11. Concluding a Sale

The sale is officially finished when all the lawful documents between the purchaser and you have actually been authorised as well as full ownership has actually been legitimately moved to the customer. A suitable conclusion date will certainly be agreed upon and arranged by your solicitor. The rest of the money from the sale will be transferred to your solicitor’s account and then dispersed to you.

Congratulations – at this point, you have officially sold your house. There are some utilities that might need attending to, however, your estate agent will be able to help you tidy these types of things up as part of their after service. A reputable one will at least!

Time to Sell Your House in Louth?

If you feel that it is time to sell your house or property in Dundalk, Louth, or Northeast, then the team in Michael Lavelle Estate Agents Dundalk is ready to introduce a buyer to you.

Start here and claim a Free House Valuation and Complete Experiential Marketing Strategy for Success by one of Co. Louth’s leading Estate Agents or Get in Touch Today using the following Contact Form: