READING the national press and listening to property “experts” it’s becoming clear that the property market is beginning to toughen once again, with reports of gazundering and price drops littering the papers and internet.

So what should you do if you are selling a property at this time?

Here are a few thoughts:

Waiting for an offer to come through on your home can be a tense time.

Offers don’t always follow viewings and it can be frustrating to feel like you can’t do anything to help, particularly when the market is a bit slower and you feel stuck.

But there are things that can be done to help, and here are a few hints and dos and don’ts.

Price

The first thing many agents do is recommend changing the price.

But if your agent has given you advice about the price you should reasonably expect, based on comparable properties and the current market, changing the price may make no difference at all, other than increase the ‘rush to the bottom’.

Sometimes a general slowdown in the market is down to external issues that don’t relate to price and patience is all that is required.

Just because the initial two/three weeks marketing hasn’t produced an offer does not mean that the price is wrong, only that the right buyer hasn’t seen it yet.

Condition and Presentation

Keep the garden and outside tidy – at this time of year it’s easy to get swamped by leaves and lose all the colour, but keeping it neat and adding pots with winter colour helps that all important first impression.

Keep up with any projects you have planned for your home – it may be difficult to find the motivation when you are moving on but it shows a well loved and cared for home – always appealing to a buyer.

In the end despite working for over 30 years in the area and through several downturns in the markets, we have yet to come up with a magic solution.

However, in our long experience, patience and nerve are key and combined with an agent whose one concern is to do the very best for you, as their client, should ultimately win through.