How to sell your house this summer - Telegraph.co.uk

To see our content at its best we recommend upgrading if you wish to continue using IE or using another browser such as Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome. Try giving away Olympic tickets, a car or even a year’s supply of sausages. Selling a home when buyers are on the beach is hard at any time, but 2011 is extra tough. Some 70 per cent of homes on the market since January remain unsold and each estate agent is handling an average 78 Homes for Sale. This is far higher than usual in summer, says Rightmove. So sellers have to go to extreme lengths to make their home stand out. You would think, for example, that a rare eight-bedroom penthouse with two terraces overlooking Lord’s cricket ground would sell in a strong central London market. This is a VIP area with the best views and they are the best you can buy. I’m going to give them to whoever buys my apartment,” says Hamish Harding, who runs an aviation company and spends most of his time in Dubai. I’m sacrificing the best because the housing market is sticky,” adds Harding, whose home is selling for £9. One vendor, who wants to stay anonymous, is giving away a Rolls-Royce with her Ascot home. Some sellers with multiple properties are even offering people free stays in glitzy holiday homes if they exchange over the summer. Even more unusual is the marketing tool dreamed up by Andy Lawrenson, a musician selling his cottage in Yorkshire. He has composed a song about his property and posted it on YouTube (search for Riverside Cottage1. Sellers in the second half of 2011 need to do something different to increase their chances of catching elusive buyers. Look dispassionately at the three Ps – presentation, price and promotion. Make sure your home looks its best from day one, that you offer better value than any similar local properties, then make sure your agent markets the socks off it, so it really stands out. It doesn’t mention if there is a Rolls-Royce thrown in too, however. Homes for Sale