How to decide to sell your home

The first step in any selling journey is a carefully considered decision to put a property on the market.

While every situation and seller is different, there are some common reasons why Australians look to sell and what they weigh up in making the final call.

There’s myriad of reasons why people choose to sell, ranging from getting a new job in a different city and having to move, to just wanting a change of scenery, to needing more space because of a growing family or even a relationship breakdown.

Nelson Alexander Ivanhoe partner and auctioneer James Labiris says the main motivators among his clients are up or downsizing, a change in lifestyle or desire to be close to family.

But before pulling the trigger and going to market, he says owners need to weigh up a number of factors to work out if it’s a wise move or not.

“Buyers need to consider the current market conditions, their motivation to sell and how their type of property is currently selling in the market,” he says. Only after serious consideration shoulder owners move ahead.

The Salemme family’s journey

For Adam and Lisa Salemme, the owners of a renovated two-bed brick home in the Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg, a growing family prompted the decision to sell.

“As a couple with two girls under three in a two-bedroom house last year, we quickly realised we needed a bigger space, even though we loved our house. Kids accumulate a lot of stuff!,” Salemme says.

It wasn’t just extra living room, but bedrooms and outdoor space the Salemme family desperately needed.

“We had been thinking about selling for three or four months before our second daughter arrived, but when she did, it really solidified that that was what we needed to do. We thought we could stretch it out a bit more, but it was just too hectic and it forced our hand,” he says.

Not wanting to face the stress of selling, then buying, then moving in quick succession with kids underfoot, the two teachers and parents decided to put renters in their home and buy a new, larger property.

“We were able to buy a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home very close, only a few minutes away, in the middle of last year and the difference to our lives has been amazing. We absolutely love the area, so we’re very happy where we are.

“We knew by buying first, we could wait until the time was right to put Bronte Street, which we worked hard to renovate about six years ago, on the market,” Salemme says.

Now, the property is on the market and the couple is taking guidance from Labiris, who has devised a selling strategy which includes going to auction.

“This is the first house we’ve ever sold, so before we signed on with an agent, we made sure we understood what agents were offering, the process they’d go through, what the property might be worth, how they would market.

“We wanted to do our homework and ensure everything we wanted to know was on the table before we signed something exclusively. That was very important to us.”

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