What’s the best way to market my home online?

BY BONNY FOURIE bronwyn.fourie@inl.co.za

Experts answer this and other questions related to investing in property

Q: I am selling my property with the help of an agent, but am really busy and travelling a lot for work, so I do not have time to help market it. This means I would like most of the process to be done digitally and have people physically view my home only if they are serious and qualified. How best can I market my home online so that when I do eventually have to show it to interested buyers, they would already have most of the information they need, and be willing to put in an offer?

A: Most buyers tend to start their search through property-search portals before they visit brand-specific websites. It is equally important that your chosen agent has their own online presence. Not only will this assure buyers that they are dealing with a legitimate professional but it might also attract additional buyers to your listing –especially if the agent has a solid following on social media.

If your listing will appear on multiple online portals, you should fact-check each one. Experienced agents will check this too but it always worth checking that the information supplied is the same across the board. Factors such as price and contact details are particularly important in this respect. Buyers search according to certain filters, so if your listing information is misspelt or has not been included, then your property will not surface in the list of results for certain searches.

An experienced agent will know how to write a comprehensive listing description but it is important that you mention to them all the key selling features that are not visible in photographs, such as underfloor heating or heated towel rails, so they can include it in the description.

Importantly, note that even the most sought-after property can be overlooked if the listing images are of poor quality or if they do not provide insight into what the property has to offer. These days, a virtual tour would be preferable, but in lieu of this, the more quality images you provide of the property, the better. – Adrian Goslett, chief executive of Re/Max of Southern Africa

Q: We own a luxury property in South Africa that we are considering selling. It is not an urgent sale but, as we are living overseas, it just makes sense. With the market the way it is in the higher brackets, though, is it wise to list it now or should we wait? We do know that we may not get what we would have got for it a few years back but that is fine with us, as long as we get a market-related offer.

A: Luxury real estate is back in first place among the most favoured investment options for high net-worth individuals, and the reasons are not hard to find. For a start, stock markets everywhere have been hammered by the pandemic and are likely to remain volatile as its economic, social and political effects continue to play out. This makes it very difficult to keep track of returns on equity investments. And, along with gold, real estate has traditionally been seen by investors as a safer alternative in such circumstances.

Second, luxury real estate prices have fallen drastically since 2019, and astute investors are taking the opportunity to upgrade to bigger and better primary residences, or to purchase additional properties in the expectation of excellent future value growth. Indeed, we are also seeing this scenario play out in all the luxury home markets across South Africa, from the southern suburbs of Cape Town to the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where well-priced properties are definitely selling much more swiftly than they were a year ago. – Rory O’Hagan, head of the Luxury Portfolio division of the Chas Everitt International property group

Q: Now that we are back on lockdown level 1, how safe is it to open up our home to potential buyers? Obviously, we know that the virus is still with us, so what protocols are advised for us to follow when showing our home?

A: Selling a home during a pandemic is a delicate balancing act. It’s important to avoid unnecessary exposure to strangers, but equally important to allow serious buyers – and professionals like home inspectors – to view a property in person.

With infection figures decreasing and vaccines on the way, it may be tempting for estate agents to relax their guard in terms of masks, social distancing and sanitisation in order to sell a property. However, this kind of risk is both irresponsible and unnecessary. It’s a good idea for sellers to ask that buyers get prequalified before viewing a property in person and that visitors are strictly limited to two at a time.

Show houses are low risk as long as the proper safety protocols are followed. That means keeping doors and windows open to maximise ventilation during viewings, making sure all parties wear masks and sanitise their hands on entry and exit, and avoiding touching any surfaces, as far as possible. – Tony Clarke, chairman of Rebosa

Q: My husband and I are considering buying a property jointly with our daughter to help her get on to the property ladder. We are a close family and trust each other but we keep getting told to draw up legal agreements. Is this really necessary? What should the agreement contain?

A: Money matters can easily cause family rifts, so how ever well you get on, get legal advice on the route you choose towards helping your child become a first-time homeowner. A written agreement should be drawn up outlining the details of the arrangement. All terms must be agreed on in this legally binding contract to avoid any potential issues or confusion down the line.

The co-ownership agreement should cover:

• Who will live in the property.

• Who will pay or contribute towards deposits and initial payments for the property.

• How ownership will be shared (it is automatically equal if not stated otherwise).

• Who will be allowed to draw funds from the bond.

• What will happen in the event of the death or incapacitation of one of the co-owners.

• What will happen if one or more parties in the contract wishes to part ways or sell the property.

• How profits or losses on the property will be split.

• Anything else that might result in potential disputes.

The biggest downside of buying a property together is that, if your child defaults on her share of the payments, you’re still liable for the whole bond payment. If you are at all concerned about this, it may be less risky overall to give your daughter a helping hand towards raising her own deposit. – Carl Coetzee, chief executive of BetterBond