With current market conditions in WA favourable for buyers looking for a good deal, selling your home can take longer than if the market favoured sellers.

While you may be in a rush to sell your home, you must take the time to properly do the groundwork to ensure you get a sale price you're comfortable with while also being realistic about market conditions and meeting buyer expectations.

We spoke to our Director and Licensee of Duet Property Michelle Kerr for advice on how to achieve a successful sale in a buyer's market. Find out her tips and advice to help you sell your home faster during what can be an emotional and stressful period. 

What are the first steps you should take once you've decided you want to sell your property?

Invite a couple of real estate agents from the area to chat about where the home sits in the current market and what can be done to improve the chances of selling.

Ideally, you should research the area to identify the agents that are area experts as they will have the most accurate advice as they have been inside the homes that have sold and will be able to make accurate comparisons. They will also be on top of what your areas buyers value or push back on. It's always difficult to look objectively at your own home so that an independent viewpoint can save time, money, and heartache.

Often clients spend money on things that don't need to be done and no money on the things that buyers are going to value. In a perfect world, it's good to do this well in advance as home preparations always take far longer than we expect.

What can you do during the selling process that can maximise your chances of achieving a sale? 

The sales process can sometimes take longer than expected and selling your home is always a time of high anxiety and worry.

I always ask my clients to treat the process as a project in which we are working as a team to achieve the highest sales price. If you work together and communicate regularly, you and your agent can make adjustments to quickly fine-tune the strategy and achieve a sale in the shortest possible time.

What should you look for when choosing the right real estate agent to sell your home? 

My advice is to: 

Go local: Make sure you research (online) the best agents in your area. There is no substitute for local knowledge and expertise. Most buyers are buying a lifestyle and local knowledge always wins out. The chances are that the top agents in your area are already working with the family that will buy your home. 

Choose results: You are about to give someone the keys to your biggest asset, so make sure they have the runs on the board. There is a wealth of online information available to research who is doing the business and who isn't. Make sure you interview the selected agents about their results. Realestate.com.au and REIWA.com.au both have agent research pages that quickly allow you to see who is doing the business in your area, how long it takes them to sell a home and more importantly are they actually selling – or do they just have a lot for sale, as there is a big difference!

What do buyers look for when selecting a home?

First and foremost, buyers look for homes that are priced correctly. There is no doubt we are dealing with the most researched and informed buyers that we have ever known and getting buyers to come to a home open is more complicated than ever.

Buyers are getting very good at pricing homes and will deselect badly priced homes very quickly. The hard thing for home sellers is, they are deselecting from looking on their phones without actually ever visiting the property. So, pricing has never been so important.

Ten years ago, buyers would look at a home and even if it were overpriced, they would still come and have a look and maybe also make a silly offer. In today's age information, buyers can make that decision from their lounge room.

Another thing research is showing us that a lack of price, for example, 'OFFERS,' annoys buyers and can get rid of up to 80% of your time-poor buyers, who just want you to make it easy for them.

All of the other standard things go without saying, such as making sure you have a clean house, declutter, etc., but ultimately the most powerful thing you can do is price your home correctly.

Do you have any other advice for sellers?

Make your home easily accessible - if you want to get the property sold, be flexible, and work with your agent.

This means being prepared for home opens on the weekend and allowing midweek inspections. Buyers work a range of different hours, so the flexibility of viewing is key – one missed viewing is one missed opportunity. In my area of Nedlands, a lot of my clients are medical, so being able to view during the week is a necessity.

Be receptive to feedback from your real estate agent. Your agent is your conduit to the marketplace, and their honest feedback is necessary if you are going to get the house sold. Buyers' feedback is extremely important for getting your home sold. After all, you already own it – so market opinion is essential to getting the price right.

Many sellers feel that agents are continually angling to reduce the price. However, the vast majority of agents are dedicated to their clients and are focussed on achieving a successful sale.