The Spanish property crash is firmly upon us all. Prices are still dropping, the volume of buyers is low and the future could hardly be worse. If you are trying to sell your property then you need every possible ‘edge’ to have any chance of success.

So, is there anything that you can do to make yourself more effective – and thereby sell more quickly?

In fact, as a seller there are far more tools at your disposal than you could possibly imagine. If you know what you are doing, then you can both save money and close your sale well ahead of your competition. However, you need to know every ‘trick in the trade’ and do far more than just rely upon Lady Luck and calling in the estate agents:

1. Be active constantly - not passive. The stakes are high and you must treat selling your property in a falling market the same way you would a vitally important job of work. Selling a property requires detailed knowledge, preparation, determination and constant, daily attention.

2. Prepare your property for sale. Maximise what you have and concentrate upon ensuring that the critical first impression of a ‘buyer’ will be always favourable. This is not just about completing minor repair jobs, it is also about the delicate psychology of making your home look tempting and this revolves around light and space, ‘feel’ and ambience.

3. Make sure that your house legalities are in order before you try to sell. Spanish housing is notorious for its problems and few things can sabotage a sale more than illegalities – which may be unknown to you due to sloppy initial conveyancing. Get a good lawyer to double check your property and prepare an authoritative ‘sales pack’ of the critical sale documents.

4. Expend time, effort and money to prepare concise, accurate written details of your property and ensure that you take excellent quality (digital) photographs that show your home to its very best possible affect. If necessary, employ a professional photographer. Make sure your superby produced overall presentation details and photographs are provided to all your agents.

5. Put a Se Vende sign prominently on your property and place your sale price on the sign. Your sale price is not a secret and you may attract a buyer who never thought he could afford a property like yours in your particular area

6. Never restrict your marketing options nor the chances of selling your property without having to pay an agent’s sales commission. So, avoid signing any sole agency agreement - unless there are very exceptional and compelling reasons.

7. Use as many estate agents as possible over as wide an area as you can - but always control the market sale price of your home. Few things are more damaging to your credibility or that of your property than conflicting sale prices.

8. Incentivise your estate agents. Never attempt to negotiate a sales commission down – in fact, offer to increase an existing agreed commission (however painful!) to encourage your agents to prioritise your sale over and above all others.

9. Leaflet, blog, advertise, network. Get active: post blogs and join internet forums, tell friends and acquaintances (here and abroad) that you are selling and get a good quality presentation sheet put up in every bar and social place around. Offer sales commission to anyone (professional or otherwise) who introduces a buyer, whether they are shopkeepers, bar owners or just good friends

10. Understand how to deal with buyers, how to make them feel relaxed and able to return for a second visit without feeling pressured. Never over-sell, appear desperate or box yourself into a fixed position from which you cannot extract yourself. Remain calm with everyone associated with the sale, know how to ‘close’ the sale and always keep the momentum of a sale moving forward.

There is much more that you can do – but follow the above and you will already be on the right lines. Selling a property is not ‘rocket science’ but to do so now requires real skill and know-how. Appreciate and apply the ‘secrets’ of the industry and you will sell – and remove yourself from the awful limbo of being trapped in a property that you will start to resent.


24 February 2009
Nick Snelling / Expatica

Photo credits: Mooganic


Nick Snelling is the author of How to Sell your Spanish Property in a Crisis.
The book is available from Amazon and some bookstores. For further information or articles see: www.nicholassnelling.com