Buyer Information Pack: What to Gather Before Selling Your Wellington Home | Vendor Diaries Entry 6

We've been around real estate for quite a bit, 17 years with over 500 house sales.

But more uniquely we've been renovators and vendors 4 different times in the last 3 years as we sold up our rental properties…what a ride!!

There's just so much you can do as a vendor to improve how much your property sells for, how quickly it sells, and to avoid unnecessary stress.

Our Vendor Diaries Series shares all the real, tested and practical insights from our recent experience as vendors to help you.

In the real estate game, the 3 P's of property – Presentation, Promotion & Price – are critical to a successful sale. If you're just joining this series, check out the first 5 articles below. Packed with pro-tips and hacks, there's gold in here for you:

1. Gardens & Outdoor: What We Spent Before Selling

2. House Exterior Prep: What Actually Moved the Needle

3. Interior Fixes Before Selling: What We Did, What We Skipped

4. Inside Touches & Styling Before You Sell

5. Marketing & Promotion: How We Sold Four of Our Own

As a vendor, gathering key information together helps for a smooth process. As we say in real estate - 'if you want people to buy your property…then make it easy for them to buy!'

In this article we cover the helpful information pulled together for each property:

Get a LIM and Check It!

Each property had a LIM Report from the local council. By the way, LIM Reports are not always totally correct, occasionally having things missing or even information included for a different property…it pays to read yours! Check the boundaries are where you think they are from the aerial map, that building permits and consents are showing for any major alterations, cross-lease flats plans (if you have one) match the property, and where there's any recorded council call-outs or correspondence, for example on drainage or the like, provide what you know.

Have a Building Report Done

At the preparation step we went through each place listing all the niggly maintenance stuff worth sorting first (this was things like: a light not working, door handle needed replacing, some doors needed easing, a power box needed fixing, letter box needed replacing etc etc). Once we felt we'd ticked these off and had the place ready, we got a building inspection report done and shared this with potential buyers, noting the report was obtained for us and encouraging them to do their own independent checks. This allowed us to identify and proactively manage any issues up-front and avoid any unwelcome surprises later.

Compile a 'Work Done' List

Each property had its own maintenance history as they do, and we'd also done various renovations to prepare them for sale. The key work done and approximate dates was compiled into a list and provided.

Check the Chattels & What is Staying

We went around each property checking what chattels were there, whether they worked properly, and what extra things we might leave behind for buyers (e.g. large garden pots, some shelving etc). If any chattels are not working, or have any fault at all, make sure you tell the agent and that they are not recorded on the chattel list or where appropriate are addressed in disclosures, as you have standard contractual warranties in sale agreements that they are in reasonable working order!

Disclosures

For each property we had a think if there were any significant issues or defects we knew about and which any prospective buyer would naturally want to know, and importantly our agent took us through a checklist of standard questions they had for preparing disclosures, for example whether we had done or permitted to be done any non-compliant work, or whether there were any weathertightness issues at the property etc. If in doubt, disclose!

Providing a good pack of information up-front helped buyers with questions and avoided surprises or going backward and forward all the time. The extra information helps to give confidence and the transparency builds trust.

I always remember in earlier client work a buyer emailing us to say that 'he'd been to about 50 properties before and the Buyer Information Pack he'd received from us was the best he had seen'. This stuck with me and goes to show that communication and transparency, and done in a professional way, has a positive and helpful impact with buyers and isn't always done well in our marketplace.

For advice or a chat about your property or any curly questions feel free to get in touch (027 518 0008 or leonie.snook@harcourts.co.nz). No fuss, no sales pitch, no juniors, just service!