Be Ready to Answer Common Buyer Questions About Your Home

With any type of home sale, potential buyers will always have questions they want to ask. A good estate agent usually knows ahead of time the kind of questions that will be asked, usually because they have heard most of them during their career.  

But there are many frequent questions asked and it will be helpful for you to know the answer to them. So, we have prepared the answers to many common questions that we predict buyers will ask:

Question: How much is the annual property tax on the property:

Answer: Many Buyers like to know the cost of annual fees on a property, and it is good to be prepared if this question pops up. You may first need to get a valuation of your property; this can be done through any registered Estate Agent. You then need to go to the revenue commissioner’s website where you can fill out a form and it will give you an accurate cost of the annual tax owed. 

Question: What local facilities are there: 

Answer: While any home can have a great sale price, it is important to be clear on what schools or creches and other facilities are in your area. Letting potential buyers know if your home is walking distance to the main town or if there are parks and sporting facilities nearby is key to a successful viewing. Homes can sell for a considerable premium if the right facilities are on the doorstep. 

Question: Is there Management or Resident Association fees attached to the property: 

Answer: Resident Association fees are mostly inexpensive, but in some properties house management fees can be as much as a €1500 per annum, these are usually private organizations set up by the builder on hand over of the estate, it is important to be upfront with potential buyers about the full annual costs of any management fees. 

Question: What are the annual costs of utility bills? 

Answer: This question may pop up during viewings and it is acceptable to be ready with the general costs of electricity to the home and the price of other utilities.  

If an electric bill is oppressively high, it may sway a potential buyer’s decision. What one family uses won’t necessarily be what another family uses. If the utility bill isn’t a fixed one, tell the potential buyer an average of what he or she might have to pay.  

Question: Has the home got a BER certificate? 

Answer: It is now a requirement for homes to have a BER certificate advising of the energy usage of the house. The cost of these certs can vary, mostly they are between €170 and €250. If you haven’t got a BER cert you do need to get one. Your agent can help you find a BER assessor.  

Question: What condition is the roof in? 

Answer: This is a question that may pop up on older properties buyers often want to know the answer to is what the state and age of the roof is. While these types of questions are generally answered by the home survey it’s still good to know. That’s because replacing a roof can be an expensive endeavor – not to mention it can cause damage if it leaks.  

These are some of the questions we predict may come up during viewings, but you should also be prepared to answer these questions when you employ an Estate Agent.  

If you’re keen to sell and are ready to start marketing your home this Summer, get in touch and we can discuss the best strategy for finding you a buyer in time for Autumn. Phone on 045 815855, 01 912 5500 or email us on info@byrnemalone.ie or pop over to our Contact Us page and we’ll get straight
back to you. 

Here’s hoping for a successful sale.