Welcome
Thank you for inviting me into your home.
For many of us, home is much more than bricks and mortar. It’s where life happens, memories are made, and important chapters begin and end. Being welcomed through your front door is a privilege that I never take for granted.
Sometimes, though, we’re meeting somewhere a little different. It may be a home, an investment property, a vacant house, land, a development opportunity, commercial premises, or a property you’re caring for on behalf of a loved one, where the responsibility is yours even though it isn’t your own residence. Whatever brings us together, I genuinely appreciate the opportunity to help and the trust you’ve placed in me.
Before we talk about property, I’d like to understand what has brought us together.
Every property has its own history. More importantly, every person has their own story.
Selling a property is rarely just about real estate. More often, it’s about a change in life. Whether you’re upsizing, downsizing, helping a family member, managing an estate, considering your options or simply curious about today’s market, understanding your situation helps me provide advice that’s relevant to you.
My role isn’t simply to provide an opinion of value.
It’s to help you understand your options, answer your questions honestly, explain the reasons behind my recommendations, and give you the information you need to make decisions with confidence.
Whether you’re simply exploring your options or already planning your next move, I hope you’ll find the information here helpful before we meet.
I look forward to sitting down together and hearing your story.
Warm regards,
Eriks Draiska
Our Conversation
Every appraisal is a little different because every person’s circumstances are different.
Rather than working through a fixed presentation, I prefer to have a conversation.
We’ll talk about what has prompted you to consider your property, what you’re hoping to achieve, and any questions or concerns you may have.
From there, we’ll look at the property together, discuss today’s market, review recent comparable sales, and explore the different options available to you.
By the end of our meeting, my aim is that you’ll have a clear understanding of where your property sits in today’s market, the choices available to you, and the next steps should you decide to move forward.
There is absolutely no obligation or expectation. Whether you decide to sell next month, next year or simply wanted a better understanding of your property’s value, I’m pleased to have been able to help.
Making the Most of Our Time Together
You don’t need to prepare anything before we meet.
However, there are a few things that can help us make the best use of our time together.
If you have them available, 🏠 house, building plans, site plans, renovation details, council approvals or other information about the property can provide useful context. If you can’t locate some of these documents, that’s perfectly alright. We can still have a valuable conversation, and if anything else is needed, we can always come back to it later.
The more I understand what’s important to you, the more relevant my advice is likely to be
If you’ve been thinking about questions you’d like answered, I encourage you to write them down beforehand. It’s surprisingly easy to forget something once we’re talking, and I’d much rather leave knowing we’ve covered everything that matters to you.
If more than one person is involved in the decision, it can also be helpful for everyone to be part of our discussion where possible. That way, everyone hears the same information, has the opportunity to ask questions, and can move forward with a shared understanding.
There Is No One Right Way to Sell
Every seller has a different destination, and every journey begins with a timeframe.
Some people have already purchased another property and need to move quickly.
Some are building a new home and have more flexibility.
Others are managing a deceased estate, assisting a family member, acting under a Power of Attorney, selling an investment property, or simply exploring their options without a fixed date in mind.
There is no right or wrong answer.
One of the first things we’ll discuss is your preferred timeframe, because it helps shape many of the recommendations that follow. From pricing and marketing through to buyer strategy and negotiations, understanding your goals helps us develop an approach that’s appropriate for you.
Whether you’re hoping for a faster sale, a little more time, or you’re simply not sure yet, that’s perfectly alright. We’ll talk it through together and recommend the most suitable path for your circumstances.
Seeing Your Property Through Buyers’ Eyes
One of the most valuable parts of our discussion is learning to see your property through the eyes of the people most likely to appreciate what it has to offer.
Different buyers value different things.
A growing family may notice something completely different from an investor. A developer may recognise opportunities that others overlook. Someone searching for a quieter lifestyle may appreciate features that another buyer hardly notices.
Occasionally, a buyer’s own circumstances may mean they place greater value on a property than someone else. It could be because they want to live closer to family, secure a place within a particular school zone, reduce their commute, expand an adjoining property, or because your home simply offers something they’ve been searching for.
Part of our discussion will be identifying those likely buyers and considering what is most important to them.
Looking at your property from their perspective often provides valuable insights and helps us recognise the features they’re most likely to appreciate, the questions they may ask, and how your property compares with others they may be considering.
Sometimes it identifies small improvements that could make a meaningful difference.
Sometimes it confirms we’re already on the right track.
Either way, understanding the buyer’s perspective helps us make better decisions together.
Understanding Property Value
One of the questions I’m most often asked is:
“What is my property worth?”
It’s a perfectly reasonable question, but the answer isn’t as simple as many people expect.
A property’s value isn’t determined by an online estimate, a neighbour’s recent sale, or even my opinion alone.
Instead, we look at a combination of factors, including recent comparable sales, current competition, buyer demand, the property’s presentation, location, features and the broader market.
Just as importantly, we consider how buyers are likely to compare your property with the other homes available to them today.
My role is to bring all of that information together, explain what it means, and provide a recommendation supported by evidence rather than guesswork.
How to Move Forward
If you decide to sell, the next step is bringing together everything we’ve discussed.
Your circumstances, preferred timeframe, the buyers most likely to recognise the full value of what your property offers, current market conditions and the available selling options all help shape the recommendations I’ll make.
The elements include pricing, the method of sale and the marketing that best supports your goals.
Pricing
In South Australia there are three common pricing approaches:
- No Price (such as Contact Agent or Expressions of Interest)
- A Fixed Price
- A Price Range of up to 10%
Each approach has advantages depending on the property, current market conditions and the type of buyers we’re hoping to attract.
Methods of Sale
There are also several recognised methods of sale available in South Australia. Depending on your property and circumstances, we’ll discuss the available options and recommend the approach that best supports your goals.
Marketing
During our meeting, I’ll also leave you with a copy of our Marketing Guide. It outlines many of the strategies we commonly use when presenting properties to the market.
Depending on your property, some approaches may be more appropriate than others, and there are often additional ideas we’ll discuss that aren’t included in the guide.
Rather than assuming one approach suits every property, we’ll discuss the options together and recommend the combination of pricing, method of sale and marketing that best supports your circumstances.
This helps ensure the buyers most likely to recognise the full value of what your property has to offer will have the best opportunity to do so.
When We Meet…
I hope this information has answered some of your questions and given you a better idea of what to expect when we meet.
More importantly, I trust it has reassured you that our conversation will be about understanding your circumstances, exploring your options and helping you make informed decisions, at a pace that’s right for you.
If, before we meet, another question comes to mind, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
I’d much rather answer it beforehand than have you wondering.
I look forward to meeting you.
Got questions, comments or feedback? Email [email protected]
A Thought Before You Go
Every home has a story.
Every conversation begins with listening.
