24/02/2021 | Sell my property

Why should your property be valued by a real estate agent?

When you want to sell real estate, the first question is its value on the market. It is difficult to precisely determine it for owners, who often tend to overestimate their property and more rarely, to underestimate it. Using a good online estimator allows the homeowner to get a rough idea of the value of their home or apartment. However, only an experienced real estate agent understands the many parameters that go into determining the right price for a property.

The market value of a property that one wishes to put up for sale on the specific market of a region or a city, is based on several criteria and varies over time according to local supply and demand. Via an online estimator, by entering information such as address, living space, year of construction and condition of the property in question, you can quickly and freely get an idea of the value of your property. Depending on the tool you are using and the number of criteria taken into account, the margin of error is plus or minus 3 to 15% compared to the market price which is also the one at which you can expect a quick sale. Indeed, a property whose value is overestimated is at risk to not find any taker. It may even depreciate, or worse, finally be sold below its value. It is the same phenomenon for an underestimated property which – apart from the fact that you will lose money upfront when you sell it – can also make potential buyers sceptical about what is hidden behind such an « interesting » price.

About fifty criteria for a right estimate

Many objective criteria are taken into account to assess the right selling price of a property and prevent it from spending months on the market. Here are the main ones:

The location of the property: city, countryside, suburbs, neighbourhood, proximity to shops and schools, sunshine, view, potential nuisance, etc.

The municipality and its facilities: infrastructure, public transport, access to roads and highways, leisure, culture, development prospects, amount of taxes, etc.

The building: individual house (with garden / garage) or ownership by floor, number of floors and floor on which the apartment is located, balcony, terrace, finishes, equipment, etc.

Areas: land (and price per m² in the area), garden, living area (and price per m² built, also called volume and calculated in m³), number of rooms, bathrooms, laundry room, basement, cellar, garret (or galetas in Swiss), closed garage, etc.

Condition of the building: year of construction (and / or last renovation), maintenance, modern or old, to current standards, renovations to be planned, etc.

Energy: heating, hot water, insulation, energy source and energy performance, etc.

What are the obligatory home inspections when selling a property?

Why you should seek a professional

Only an experienced real estate professional will be able to appreciate all these parameters and evaluate them in order to give you the right price at which your property will be sold within a reasonable time frame. In other words, to be very concrete, it will give you the price (or price range) at which you will find an acquirer willing to pay what you ask for. The expertise of a real estate agent is based on his/her technical knowledge and on his/her knowledge of his/her sector and the market, two data that can vary quite quickly. Its support will save you time and money by avoiding a lot of hassle. Experience shows that a property that is initially overvalued does not sell and that reducing the price regularly is not the right strategy either, since it often leads to weariness in selling it below its value. Moreover, a real estate agent visits many properties and meets many buyers. He/She knows what pleases and what pleases less. And he/she is likely to give you practical advice to enhance your property if necessary, in order to position it well on the market.

Value your property with Lookmove

For a first approach to the market in your sector, Lookmove offers a free estimation tool used by many real estate professionals in Switzerland. It is based on numerous quantitative and qualitative criteria. Within a few minutes, thanks to our estimator, you will freely obtain an approximate evaluation of your property based on objective criteria. This estimate will benefit from being supplemented by professional expertise. Indeed, real estate prices are high in Switzerland and an in-depth estimate carried out by a professional can increase the price at which you hope to sell your property by several thousand CHF. A few thousand CHF are not trivial, they can impact the time of sale and the amount of your profit. Lookmove works in partnership with independent, serious and qualified Swiss real estate agents who will accurately estimate your property and give you the right price. To do this, all you need to do is complete the online estimate form and, in one click, request the services of a real estate expert in your sector. The latter will respond to you within 48 hours to offer you a visit in order to assess your property.