The pandemic we are experiencing today has affected most economic sectors in different measures. Although the Portuguese real estate sector remains afloat and is tending to improve, many owners have been forced to sell their usual homes or holiday homes due to economic uncertainty or new needs arising from the coronavirus.

The sale of a property is usually a complicated task and, in the current situation in which we live in, we can make certain mistakes by haste and not consider the exceptional conditions of the context of this new normal. For this reason, Portal thought it would be appropriate to reflect on some of the typical mistakes that exist when selling a house during the pandemic:

Putting the house up for sale at a surreal price

It is essential that currently we look at the property price trends in the market. There are factors that will always influence the pricing of a house: 

- Features such as its size, distribution, qualities, need for renovations, orientation, or facilities.

- The location where the property is situated: city, area, neighbourhood.

- The services and communications of the surroundings.

The year 2021 will be a year marked by adjustments in the value of housing. For this reason, we must pay special attention to market trends so as not to scare away people interested in buying our home.

The importance of your image on the internet

It is very important to look after the image of your house on the online real estate portals where you will want to advertise, even more so nowadays with the complications associated with mobility. Besides having to learn how to take good photographs to sell your house, it is important to consider the opportunities offered by new technologies, such as the creation of 360º photographs, virtual guides, or virtual 3D decoration. 

Do you know what the trends are in housing at this time of pandemic? Outdoor areas, terraces, comfortable rooms for teleworking, among others, are the most valued spaces nowadays, so if you have any of these extras, make a point of highlighting them.

Doing it all by yourself is a big mistake

We have already mentioned that the task of selling a house is not easy. Often, we want to do it by ourselves, and we don't realise all the advantages we miss out on. Real estate professionals usually have a better knowledge of the market, as well as a portfolio of clients interested in buying houses, so we wouldn't start from scratch looking for potential buyers.

A good real estate professional brings more advantages related to the management of the documentation related to the transaction, recommendations for legal issues, knows how the negotiations of the sale of the house should be and carries out at the beginning a generally more accurate evaluation of the property.

Maintain the security measures associated with COVID-19

Having lived in this new normal for quite some time now, it is far from necessary to forget safety measures like cleaning and ventilation, which ensure everyone's safety. Besides giving a good image and making visitors feel safer, you can offer alcohol-gel and remind everyone to respect the safety distance.

Renovating your home according to new interior design trends

It could be a mistake not to consider the new trends and needs arising from the coronavirus, and to renovate your house. This way, it will be more valued, and the selling price may increase.

Define the type of buyer

The offer made for the sale of a house may interest many people. However, it is a huge advantage to study the profile of your potential buyer so that you know what to highlight from your property, especially during the pandemic.