Well in all honesty, how long is a piece of string?? There are many, many factors which influence how long it will take to sell a property in Spain.
Do you live or have a holiday home by the coast or inland?
Some areas of Spain take longer to sell, for example some areas in the north of Spain can be on the market for over a year. While more popular provinces like Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Malaga, including the Costa Del Sol saw properties on the market for an average of less than 4 to 5 months.
Here at Mediterranean Homes we are inland specialists so we focus on country property in the province of Malaga.
Each property is different, there is no set time limit for how long it will take to sell your home. How unique is your home? Is your property in a pueblo (village) or in the campo (countryside)? Is it a detached villa with a swimming pool? Does it have a large garden or lots of land? Do you have a townhouse or an apartment? Is it newly built or does it need renovating?
So many factors come into play when it comes to selling a home.
Using the right estate agent
Are you struggling to sell your home? Are you getting lots of viewings but no offers? Are you getting any viewings at all?
Choosing the right estate agent for your property is one of the most important decisions when it comes to selling your home.
Do you have professional photos of your home? Were you given advice on how best to present your home? Does your home stand out online against other similar properties or are bad photos meaning your home is being overlooked?
We have, on many occasions, helped people who have been trying to sell their homes for a long time with other agents but have not had any luck. We have been invited to conduct a valuation of their property, given our experienced advice, taken professional photos, floor plans and 3D virtual tours. We have then sold their home, in some cases within a few days of it being back on the market.
Read our blog Why should I sell my house using Mediterranean Homes? To find out what makes us stand out from other agents.
Be realistic about your price
If you put your home on the market asking too much, you may not get any viewings at all. You need to compare your home to other similar properties in your area and align your asking price. Of course your estate agent will know what other similar properties to yours have sold for and should have a very good idea what price to market your home at. If you price your property correctly you will get viewings, these viewings will provide such valuable feedback, without them you are essentially in the dark as to why your home isn’t selling and the only option will be to drop the price.
Once you have decided on an asking price, depending on your urgency to sell, you can arrange to review the price after a certain time period. For example if after three months you haven’t had an offer or have had very little or no viewings you can then reduce the price, either by a pre-agreed amount or have a discussion with your agent.
Photographs and marketing
How your home is presented online is extremely important. Your home needs to stand out and grab potential buyers' attention. It is imperative that you get a professional photographer to photograph your home as bad photos can mean your home is overlooked. Having floorplans made and a virtual tour of your home means that potential buyers understand the flow of your home and by the time they book an appointment to see it, they already really like it.
To get the best out of your photos, we can advise you on what potential buyers want to see, or don’t want to see in a property.
Declutter, declutter and then declutter again! You really want to show as neutral and blank a canvas as possible so people viewing your home can see themselves living in your home. Try to reduce the amount of personal items, put as much stuff away so worktops are clear. Add some fresh flowers or plants, ventilate the property, maybe add some nice smellies, but don’t overdo it. Open curtains and blinds to let as much light in as possible, make sure the windows are clean.
Don’t forget about the outside of your home and remove pets, if you can, their bedding, food bowls and accessories as much as possible.
Offer to completion
Once the offers start coming in, great! Though again it will depend on everyone's situation as to how quickly your home goes from offer to completion.
If they are cash buyers, want to move quickly and all paperwork is in place then it can take as little as two weeks to complete the sale.
That isn’t the average though, if the buyers need a mortgage, this can slow the process down, or if any paperwork needs completing that can delay things further.
If you have several offers you need to choose wisely, the highest offer isn’t always the best option and you may end up with your property back on the market after a few weeks or even months!
Here at Mediterranean Homes we have over 30 years of combined experience selling properties, therefore we can advise you on which offer is the best for you and we will of course try to get an offer that all parties are happy with.
Let us help you
If you are considering selling your home or are already marketing your property, either independently or with another agency, it is worth finding out how we might be able to make your property sale work better for you.
We cover Alhaurin El Grande, Alozaina, Coín, Guaro, Mijas, Monda and Tolox and anywhere else in and around the Guadalhorce Valley. If you have a house to sell, we can guarantee to sell it for you at the right price. Simply fill in our contact form or call us on (+34) 951 242 157 to make sure you get the best price for your property
