Property Investing

Ten years ago, there were two main ways to arrange an investment property sale.  You could either hire an estate agent to handle the sale for you, or you could try and go it alone by putting up your own ‘for sale’ board, taking your own advertisements and trying to sell it yourself.

These days, there are a considerable numbers of ways to sell a property and in recent years sellers have come up with more and more elaborate and imaginative ways to sell.

For me, the internet has revolutionised house sales.  For an investment property sale there are now a myriad of options available to you, from a traditional agent to an auction, raffle, open house or even a specific website for your property.  Property investment opportunities are commonplace in the 21st century and so by making your sale stand out you will have a better chance of maximising your return.

I recently read a great story about a couple from Stratford-upon-Avon who have decided to sell their £3.2million eco-friendly property in a raffle.  With the property failing to sell in the two years since construction, the couple set up a raffle and are hoping to sell 150,000 tickets at £25 each.  This will raise £3.75million and with £100,000 going to charity and £100,000 of other prizes available, they will make a tidy return.  Other homeowners have tried similar strategies.

An ‘open house’ is another way to consider selling an investment property.  An idea from the USA, an ‘open house’ invites potential buyers to come to the property on one or two specific days and browse at their leisure.  I know that estate agents are also increasingly using this tactic.

Auctions are another popular way to look for property investment opportunities.  Television programmes such as Homes Under The Hammer have brought the idea of a property auction to a much wider audience and these auctions can help maximise the returns for a seller.  I have seen properties sell for significantly over the brochure ‘guide price’ when there are two keen bidders going head to head in the auction room.

It is also possible now to sell property using online auction sites such as eBay.  There is a specific property section on the popular auction site where you can advertise discount investment property to millions of potential buyers.

For anyone looking to invest in property, a world of opportunities is available at the click of a mouse.  Whilst you may still find the investment you are looking for through a traditional estate agent, it is increasingly likely that other methods of catching your attention, such as raffles, open houses or auctions, will succeed.