By Bart van Linden features@algarveresident.com
Bart van Linden is a director of Exclusive Algarve Villas, a local real estate company focused on selling high end properties and investment related real estate throughout Portugal.
Well, first of all, you need to own a property – although this might sound silly, many real estate agencies are approached by ‘friends’ or ‘relatives’ of the owners who are arranging the sale.
Many of these ‘out of coffee shop operating illegal sales people’ are still active and besides their own business, they do some illegal real estate on the side.
So, to start with, you need to own a property yourself and when looking to sell, dealing with unlicensed ‘agents’ simply isn’t an option!
You can always ask your agent to show you their licence to make sure you’re dealing with the right people, who are licensed professionals.
In terms of documentation, your property, pool, garage, borehole, and so on need to be registered.
There are still many properties with unregistered features, from extensions which have never been registered, pools which don’t exist to the lovely guesthouse which used to be a garage.
Legalising and/or correcting the documentation is often not very difficult, yet it will take some time to go through all the bureaucracy that comes with it.
If you don’t want to lose a potential buyer, it is best to sort out any irregularities before placing your property on the market.
A fairly recent requirement is energy certification. Property deeds now need to be accompanied by an energy certificate. This can be obtained fairly quickly but it is handy to have this ready before putting the property on the market.
Another very important aspect when selling a property is a good standard of maintenance of both the inside and outdoors.
A well-maintained property and garden are easier to sell than an unmaintained jungle and house with paint falling off the walls.
Un-cluttering the property and making sure all rooms look tidy and clean is a great help, as is opening blinds and curtains for maximum light in the house.
Many animal loving vendors often don’t realise that there are many clients who simply don’t share the same love for pets as they do and, for example, by taking the dogs for a walk or putting them in the garden while the property is being viewed can avoid unnecessary stress.
In the current market, the property needs to be priced to sell. Unrealistic prices and high expectations will simply leave a property on the market for some time to come.
However, many vendors still lose deals by not accepting offers quickly enough and then, days or weeks later, realise that it was actually a decent offer and are then ready to accept it – nine times out of 10 the buyers will have disappeared and bought something else.
If you get a decent offer, it’s better to think about it a little longer before giving your final answer to the agent.
Real estate agents are here to help you sell your property. We’re always available to assist and advise you. It makes our job easier if we aim to achieve the same goal – and that is to sell your property.
Bart van Linden is a director of Exclusive Algarve Villas, a local real estate company focused on selling high end properties and investment related real estate throughout Portugal. He can be contacted on 282 353 019, 912 826 969 or email at info@eavillas.com
