Start with the paperwork
Before opening the shutters and polishing the floors, open the document drawer. A serious buyer of a prime property asks for many documents, and surprises that surface late weaken the negotiation more than a high price does. The ideal file includes:
- the title deed and up-to-date land-registry searches;
- the cadastral floor plan and building permits, checked against the real state of the property;
- the energy performance certificate and the systems' certifications;
- the condominium rules, ordinary and extraordinary charges, minutes of the last owners' meetings;
- any mortgages, easements or restrictions, with a plan to clear them.
If a discrepancy emerges, put it right before the home goes on sale. What can be regularised, and how, depends on the municipality and on any restriction: it is wise to discuss it with a technician and the notary.
The eye of the new arrival
Whoever walks into a home decides within moments, with nose and eye more than with reason. So you begin by taking things away: personal objects, family photographs, surplus furniture, the clutter that habit no longer lets you see. Small things are repaired (the loose handle, the dripping tap, the blown bulb), the walls are repainted white where needed, the rooms are aired. A cared-for home says that everything else is cared for too.
Home staging: a few good choices
It is not about disguising the house but about making it legible. Warm neutral textiles, fresh flowers, a laid table, books arranged with care, every room with a clear function: the bedroom that looks like a study and the study that looks like a storeroom confuse the visitor. Light, too, is a design material: warm lamps switched on before every viewing do more than many alterations.
Photographs
They are the first real entrance to the home, and almost everyone sees them before visiting. It is better to rely on a professional photographer, choose a day of natural light, keep the curtains open and all the lights on, and photograph the outdoor spaces in the most generous season. Clear floor plans and, when useful, a short video complete the picture.
The price
It is decided before the photographs and the listing. A reasoned valuation rests on real sales, not on what was spent on the house or on what one would like to obtain. An overambitious price wastes the first weeks, the most important ones; a price consistent with the market attracts serious buyers. Nobody can guarantee timing or outcome, but consistency helps.
Viewings
They take place by appointment, with people we have met and whose real interest we know. The owner is usually not present: leaving space lets visitors speak more freely. In villas and prime residences privacy is part of the service: access is agreed and guarded with care.
The negotiation
Offers are read in full: price, conditions, timing, deposit, any conditions precedent. The buyer and their reliability are assessed, not just the figure. The notary checks every detail before the signing, and the tax rules that concern the seller should be clarified with the accountant.
