Selling a house this summer? Keep these points in mind

Sunday, 2 February 2025

Belinda Moffat is the chief executive of the Real Estate Authority. She answers your house buying and selling questions.

QUESTION: Hi Belinda, we’re keen to put our house on the market over summer.

Could you explain how the advertising/marketing side of selling through a real estate agency works, and what else we can do to make the property as attractive as possible for buyers? Thanks for your help!

BELINDA: Generally speaking, summer is a popular time to market your home for sale. Prospective buyers may have a little more time to go to open homes and do their research.

Plus warmth and light often brings out the best in a property, and, it is said, that good weather can put people in a good mood, which may help motivate buyers.

In New Zealand we often see a seasonal uplift in the number of properties for sale over summer providing more choice for buyers. It therefore makes sense for you to think carefully about how to help your home stand out from the crowd, to attract buyers and look its very best.

Marketing and advertising

There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to marketing a property. What works best is going to depend on the specifics of your home, your location and what’s happening in the local market. However, advice and support in this area are among the services licensed real estate professionals (licensees) can provide.

When you are choosing which real estate agency to work with, it’s a good idea to approach several agencies and ask what strategy they believe will work best to sell your home.

This will include how they would plan to market your property, how effective they expect this to be and how much this will cost. Before you agree to a marketing plan it’s important to understand which aspects of the proposed marketing plan are covered by the commission you will pay when the property is sold, and which would be additional costs that you are required to pay upfront.

Under the Code of Conduct that REA oversees, the licensee you choose to sell your property is required to explain to you and set out in writing how the property will be marketed and advertised, including any additional marketing and advertising costs you will incur.

This should be provided before you sign an agency agreement (or listing agreement) with that licensee. You may wish to ask for details of the extent of reach of marketing channels used, whether these are online or in print or other media. There are a range of techniques that licensees can use to promote your property.

An agreed marketing plan will typically be formalised as part of the full agency agreement you sign with your chosen real estate professional when listing your home.

The agency agreement authorises the agency to act on your behalf and includes important detail about the agency arrangement and sale. Your licensee is required to recommend you seek legal advice on the agency agreement and allow you reasonable opportunity to obtain that advice before you sign.

At REA we strongly recommend that you seek legal advice on the agency agreement before you sign to ensure you understand all the details. For example, in terms of marketing, an agency agreement might say that you as the seller are required to pay certain advertising costs in advance, or that the agency will cover all marketing costs unless the property doesn’t sell by the end date of the agreement, at which point the seller becomes liable for some of those costs.

It’s important that you take time to read the detail and understand what you will be required to pay, even if a sale is not achieved.

Remember, you are within your rights to negotiate any aspect of the agency agreement before you sign, or to decline to sign the agency agreement if you’re not happy with it, even if you’d previously indicated your interest in listing with that agency.

Licensees are also required under the Code of Conduct we oversee to provide you with REA’s New Zealand Residential Property Agency Agreement Guide before you sign an agency agreement with them. This guide is specifically designed to help you, the consumer, understand what an agency agreement does and what should be in it.

You can download a copy from our consumer website Settled.govt.nz. I strongly encourage you to read this guide now, as you commence your sale journey.

Finally, once your sale process is underway, remember to refer to the itemised marketing plan so you can ensure all the agreed marketing activity takes place.

Preparing your property for sale

There are a number of key steps to preparing your home for sale, and some specifics you might want to focus on when you’re putting it on the market during summer.

Before any professional photography is taken, and before open homes/viewings, it’s important to declutter your home as much as possible.

Decluttering can help your home look larger and more appealing. Start by removing everything you haven’t used or won’t need for a while. Remember that people will often check cupboards and other storage spaces during viewings, so make sure those are looking tidy and well organised too.

After decluttering, a deep clean is key. If you’re short on time you can hire cleaners, including to professionally clean your carpets, which can make a big difference to how your home looks and feels to prospective buyers.

Staging your home is also an option to consider. This can be useful if your furniture is looking a little tired or dated. Staging can make your home look well styled and appealing, and it also de-personalises the property (by removing personal photos and ‘lived-in’ items), which can help prospective buyers picture themselves as owners. Bear in mind what staging will cost, noting that you may need to hire a storage unit for anything you’re removing from the home.

For summertime viewings, it’s a good idea to showcase outdoor areas and the home’s exterior, as well as light and airflow inside.

First impressions are important, so the exterior and garden should be tidy and inviting. Make sure lawns are well-mowed and any outdoor living areas are looking their best.

Clear gutters and wash exterior walls to remove dust and grime. Something as simple as a fresh coat of paint on the front door, a new doormat and a pot plant can make an instant improvement to your home’s street appeal. It may even be a good time to invest in a shiny new letterbox and fix that front gate.

Inside, ensure your home is cool and comfortable for prospective buyers, whether that means turning on the air conditioning before open homes, opening some key windows and doors, or using fans to circulate air through the home.

Natural light is important at this time of year, so be sure that your windows are thoroughly clean and consider removing heavy drapes. It’s a good idea to think carefully about what time of day the sunlight adds the most appeal for your home and consider that when scheduling open homes. For example, does the sun rise attractively through the master bedroom window, or does the late afternoon sun make the patio the perfect place to sit back and relax?

Finally, while we’ve focused on marketing and presenting your home for sale, there is a lot more to understand about the selling process, including methods of sale and dealing with offers.

Your real estate licensee is there to help guide and advise you through the process, and I would strongly encourage you to use REA’s consumer website settled.govt.nz to research and learn about other aspects of selling a home and working with an agent.

All the best for a sunny and successful summer sale!

The Real Estate Authority (REA) is an independent government agency that regulates the conduct of real estate professionals in New Zealand. For information about what to expect when working with a real estate professional, visit rea.govt.nz. Have a question for Belinda? Email homed@stuff.co.nz.