House sale - how to approach it best?

We will probably buy a plot of land in the next few days, which can presumably be built on starting in January. However, before we build, we need to sell our current house, preferably with 7 months of residential right based on rent, for example. We wanted to submit the building application in summer and autumn, if possible, so that we can start construction immediately after selling the house. Our currently favored general contractor has a guaranteed construction period of 7 months, so it could be very tight. How would you approach the project? Should we hire a real estate agent? Or rather not? When the plan was different (we initially had a plot of land that could be built on immediately in mind), I had listed the house for a week at a fairly high price and had some interested parties. But not a lot either. I then took it off the market because the other plot was sold quite quickly and we wanted to wait for "ours". So, you see, we are a bit helpless ;-). What exactly happens next? The bank that will finance the plot and house naturally wants to offer its real estate service. That's clear ;-). But we are still hesitating...

It depends on the market situation and your house on the one hand, and on your skill and knowledge in dealing with potential buyers and neutrally presenting your house on the other.

It is worth checking whether you need a real estate agent.
If your house performs well on the market and you also have some skill, you can sell it yourself.
The prerequisite is a good exposé, homestaging, and sensitivity during the presentation.
Energy certificate, consumption data, cadastral map, invoices, all of this should be ready.
Setting a price too high can result in no one warming up to the house. The longer it remains on the market with a price that is too high, the faster it becomes a file drawer.
You also don’t want to sell too low. So set a realistic price!

A starting point in the conversation would always be without a real estate agent... but you also have to back down again and allow room for negotiation since you want to retain the right of residence for some time.
Most people are fine with up to half a year, longer periods have to be talked into them nicely. But for a good house, people wait.

Your general contractor does have a construction guarantee, but only from the start of earthworks, so it could be that the weather does not allow him to start as you imagine.

We ourselves had to sell our house and lived rent-free in it for another 8 months, until we then had to move out. Subtenant at the parents’ holiday apartment near the house construction site for EL, then sublease again... the furniture had to be stored. Overall, it cost a few thousand more, which balanced out through the rent-free period.

I photograph real estate for sale, so if you have any questions regarding the exposé and photography, ... gladly :)

Best regards, Yvonne

That's nice, thanks :-) . I will get started on it sometime soon. You really were lucky with your sale. 8 months with free rent is great! Well, it's really hard to say about the house regarding the price. On one hand, houses here are in high demand and clearly scarce, on the other hand, it's only a mid-terrace house. However, bathrooms, floors, doors, and roof have been renewed, and energy efficiency is B and quite large. And direct garden access from the living room. Comparing on the market, a price with a fluctuation of about 40,000 plus or minus comes up. So, comparable houses can be found from 220,000 to 300,000. Should we take the middle of that?! But if we only build starting in January, then also only advertise shortly before, right? Or maybe better the real estate agent? However, almost every house has been sold here in the small town...

In the initial situation, you of course need a real estate agent!

1. agree on a 1 percent commission, the rest is paid by the buyer.

2. if someone should buy from credit, the property may possibly be rent-free.

3. if the agent offers, your house does not appear "burned" because it has already been listed once.

We had the same situation. We had reserved a plot of land and at the same time listed our house online without a real estate agent. There you can specify the corresponding deadline from which it can be occupied.

Selling without an agent is not a problem, it was even more pleasant for us since we could negotiate directly with the buyers. For the viewing appointment, you have to clean and tidy up anyway, the agent does not do that. We had two agents with us – the concept just didn’t suit us. We also sold at a good price that way.

Then everything was finalized with the buyer, and we went to the notary with a handover date in 10 months. But be careful: you state a construction time guarantee of 7 months. As already mentioned, this applies from the start of earthworks. However, your general contractor will still need about 3 months of planning phase for applications, surveying, etc. beforehand!

We had a construction time guarantee of 6 months, and including the planning phase, the entire time frame was really just enough. Moving in 4 days before handover!

You can also build at a relaxed pace and only sell the gin at the end or even after moving. In between, bridge the gap with interim financing for the amount released by the sale.

And stop just putting your house on the portals as a test. Anyone watching the market and noticing that it’s being listed again might think the buyer has backed out... Properties can also lose value, as someone already mentioned.