Think about choosing a specialist for something important you wouldn’t pick the nearest surgeon without checking their track record. The same logic applies to selling your property. The agent you choose must be both competent and genuinely care about your outcome.
Competence: Proven sales in your area, strong negotiation skills, and high?quality marketing resources.
Caring: An agent who gives honest advice even when it’s not the easiest option for them. They should prioritise your result over their commission.
Interview multiple agents: Meet two or three, ask about strategy, recent comparable sales, and how they will promote your home.
Hire someone who gives you the right recommendation for you — not what’s best for the agency.
Presentation drives perception and price. The first impression starts from the street and continues inside.
Tidy landscaping, clean decking, freshly painted exterior walls and trim.
Ensure the driveway and entrance look inviting — buyers often decide in seconds whether to walk through the door.
Fix the obvious issues
Repairing small defects removes buyer doubt. If a buyer spots cracks, leaks, or unfinished jobs they’ll mentally discount the price to cover perceived future costs. Fix what’s practical before listing.
Staging makes rooms feel aspirational — the goal is for the house to “jump out of a magazine.”
Use professional photography and strong online marketing. Poor images or DIY photos reduce buyer interest.
Quality promotion includes well written listings, targeted advertising and clear signage.
Listing without a price or price guide removes clarity and scares away many buyers. Research shows a large portion of buyers skip listings that don’t show a price, meaning you miss out on competition that drives the best results.
Put a clear price guide on the listing to engage the widest buyer pool.
Price fairly to attract strong interest; an accurately positioned price will generate competition and better outcomes.
Selling methods in New Zealand what to choose
The three most common approaches are deadline sale, auction, and off?market campaigns. Each has pros and cons depending on your situation and the buyer pool you want to reach.
A deadline sale is a campaign with a set advertising period (typically two to two and a half weeks). Offers are invited and the seller chooses the best one.
Why it works: Creates urgency and competition while still allowing conditional offers (subject to sale, finance, building reports).
Who it suits: Sellers who want competition but also want flexibility to accept conditional buyers — first home buyers and purchasers who need time to sell their own home.
Tip: Keep the marketing window short — attention moves fast online. Two to two and a half weeks usually gets the best response.
Auction can be powerful in the right circumstances, but it isn’t a one?size?fits?all solution. Auctions often attract strong buyers who can act immediately, but they can also exclude a large segment of motivated buyers who cannot attend or prefer conditional purchases.
Good when: You need a firm sale date, or there is expected strong cash competition with buyers ready to act immediately.
Caution: Many auctions are listed without a price guide which can put off up to 70%+ of potential buyers. That reduces competition and can hurt the final price.
An off?market or targeted campaign finds the right buyer before going public. This can achieve excellent outcomes when you have a local specialist with a strong buyer database.
Examples of successful off?market sales: a suburban home sold to an out?of?town buyer for around $1.8 million. Another property secured an off?market sale for $1.34 million before hitting the open market.
Who it suits: Sellers who are open to selling if the “right” price comes along, or who value privacy and a quicker, less public process.
- Decide what matters most: maximum price, speed, certainty, or flexibility.
- Consider your likely buyer pool: are they first home buyers, investors, or buyers who must sell another property first?
- Get advice from an agent who understands your neighbourhood and has a proven database of buyers.
Real estate is a long?term game. If you can hold your property, that usually produces the best long?term capital growth. If you are buying an investment, think carefully about cashflow.
Cashflow guideline: Many investment properties make more sense when priced under about $700,000. Above that figure it becomes harder for rent to cover mortgage and expenses.
Hold where possible: Wealth is most reliably built by buying well and holding for growth.
- Interview two to three agents. Ask for local comps, marketing examples and a clear strategy.
- Fix obvious issues and boost curb appeal.
- Stage key living spaces and use professional photography.
- Decide on a selling method and agree a clear price guide or strategy.
- Ensure your agent has a proven marketing plan and buyer database for your area.
Maximising your property value comes down to preparation, pricing and the person you choose to represent you. Hire someone who is competent and who genuinely cares about your outcome. Prepare the home so it looks irresistible in photos and in person. Choose the selling method that gives you access to the broadest pool of qualified buyers for your situation.
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