We are committed to helping you achieve
the best possible price while ensuring
the sale process remains a pleasant experience.
Sell for More Manual
FAQ and helpful hints while your property is on the market.
- In this manual
– A few general points
– Communication
– Photoshoot preparations
– Marketing materials - Open homes
– Buyer feedback
– Weekly progress reports
– Your letter to buyers - Auction listing
– Pre-Auction
– The Auction
– After the Auction - Tender listing
– Pre-Tender
– The Tender
– After the Tender - Power connection
- Deposit
- Pre-settlement inspection
- Settlement
- Disclosures
– Small defects
– Paints
– Rubbish - Sample Auction and Tender related forms
Two-way communication
Our goal is to sell your house for an exceptional price, exceeding your expectations.
In our experience, the best outcomes are achieved when vendors and agents work closely as a team.
The sale of your property involves many people, including administrators, photographers, floor plan drafters, auction teams, signboard companies, and others. While we strive for perfection, mistakes can happen, and we aim to address them as early as possible.
During the marketing campaign, especially in the first week, you will receive several emails from us with recommendations, questions, and requests to check and confirm certain documents or statements. Please read these emails carefully and respond promptly to help us avoid potential complications.
If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement at any stage, don’t hesitate to contact us. We value your input and are eager to hear from you.
Please begin your selling journey by thoroughly reading this manual. We hope you find it helpful. Thank you!
The ‘secret’ of selling for more
You can increase your chances of success by:
- Choosing Barfoot & Thompson – Our non-franchised company structure and large network of agents work collaboratively to sell your property.
- Listing with Andre Volkov and Team – As local experts with a proven track record of success, we specialize in achieving top prices.
- Preparing Your Property for Sale – Decluttering, cleaning, and other preparations make your home more appealing to buyers.
- Utilizing Auction or Tender Processes – These strategies create buyer competition, often leading to premium prices.
- Building Buyer Confidence – Make it easy for buyers to feel confident and comfortable purchasing your property.
- Engaging World-Class Marketing Solutions – Diakrit provides top-tier photography and interactive marketing materials to showcase your home.
- Following Recommendations in This Manual – Carefully reading and implementing our suggestions will help you navigate the selling process effectively.
Photoshoot Preparations
We will book a photoshoot time and confirm the details with you.
To ensure we get the best results from the photoshoot, we recommend the following:
- Please leave a key or remote for garage access. While we don’t typically take pictures inside garages, we will need access to take measurements for the floor plans.
- Ensure there are no cars parked in the driveway in front of the house.
- Please remove any skip bins from the property.
- Please remove any fridge magnets before the photoshoot and throughout the marketing campaign.
- To visually enhance the space, we will open all curtains to improve the flow of light in the rooms.
- Ensure all light bulbs are working. We aim to maximize the natural and artificial light in the home.
- If possible, placing a bouquet of flowers in a vase or a bowl of colorful fruit can make a big difference to the overall presentation.
Please note, if you need to reschedule the photoshoot, we ask that you do so at least 12 hours before the scheduled time. Any rescheduling made after this time might incur a $99 fee from the photographers.
Insulation
Insulation has become an important consideration for many buyers. We will ask you to confirm the availability of insulation in your home and, if possible, provide any relevant certificates. This will help provide the buyers with assurance about the property’s insulation.
Please refrain from overstating the quality or extent of the insulation to avoid any potential issues or price negotiations on settlement day. If you are unsure whether there is insulation or the standard of the insulation, just let us know. We can inform potential buyers and encourage them to do their own research, such as a building inspection, to verify the details.
Solicitor
Achieving a premium price for your property involves attracting as many interested buyers as possible, addressing their questions and concerns, and instilling confidence in them to proceed with the purchase.
Additionally, we want to ensure that you do not face any complications at settlement or after the sale, especially when it comes to buyers seeking redress.
In some cases, it may be necessary to consult your solicitor regarding legal matters related to the sale of your property. We will relay all queries to you or your solicitor, depending on your instructions, and will always ask for your approval before proceeding.
If you are selling by auction or tender, we will also forward the auction or tender documents, LIM report, and title to your solicitor for their review and approval.
Share the listing on social media
We encourage you to share your listing on your Facebook page so that your friends and family can see it and share it further. This can be a powerful way to attract potential buyers. The more people who see our advertising, the greater the chances of selling your property at a premium price.
If you’re a member of any local community pages, such as Glenfield, Birkdale, Beach Haven, or other neighborhood groups, we recommend sharing your listing there as well. This can help increase visibility within your local community.
Referrals are welcome
If you have family, friends, or neighbours who are considering selling their property, we would greatly appreciate any referrals. Your trust in us means a lot, and we’re always here to help those you care about.
Marketing text and materials
We will draft the wording for your internet advertisements and prepare your flyers, then email them to you for review, improvements, and edits.
This step is important as both you and we can be held liable for any misleading advertising, so it’s crucial to ensure the accuracy of all claims.
Please note that both internet and traditional marketing platforms have limitations on headline and text length. We aim to keep the content concise, within 200-250 words, to capture the reader’s attention and ensure it fits the chosen marketing medium seamlessly.
A few general points:
You Are Special to Us
If you’re unsure or have any questions, don’t hesitate to call, text, or email me anytime.
Engagement with the Barfoot & Thompson Network
Once your house is on the market, our extensive Barfoot & Thompson network will activate. Other agents from our company may bring buyers to view your property. You don’t need to notify us about this, as they will follow your viewing instructions. If you’d like to change these instructions at any time, just let us know.
First Week Activity
The first week is typically the busiest for buyer activity, which tends to decrease afterward. While we aim to direct buyers through open homes, some may prefer to visit at other times.
Handling Offers from Other Agents
If another Barfoot & Thompson agent contacts you with an offer, please confirm they’ve informed me first. This ensures we can coordinate effectively, avoid confusion, and potentially create a competitive multi-offer situation.
Unscheduled Visitors
In the rare event that random people wander onto your property, kindly direct them to the signboard and ask them to contact me or attend an open home. Please do not allow them into your house.
Open homes
- Scheduling
Open homes are typically held on both Saturdays and Sundays at the same times unless otherwise agreed upon with you. - Duration
Each open home runs for 30 minutes. However, it’s a good idea to allow an additional 15 minutes before and after for early or late arrivals or for visitors who take more time to view the property. - Conditional Offers
If your property is under a conditional offer, we recommend continuing open homes to secure backup offers until the sale is unconditional, just in case the initial offer falls through. - Security Precautions
Please remove valuables from view before open homes. While theft has never occurred, it’s best to take precautions. Additionally, remove keys from hooks or doors as a further security measure. - Lighting
I personally ensure all lights are turned on for each open home to showcase your property at its best, and I’ll turn them off afterward. For private viewings conducted by other agents, you can assist by turning the lights on beforehand to maintain the property’s appeal. - Appliance Noise
Avoid running dishwashers, washing machines, or dryers during open homes to maintain a quiet and inviting atmosphere. - Visitor Numbers & Feedback After Sunday’s open home, we will text or email you the visitor numbers. Throughout the week, we’ll follow up with attendees and provide you with a comprehensive report by Thursday or Friday. Please be patient as some visitors can be challenging to reach on the phone promptly.
- Hosting Open
Homes I personally handle open homes whenever possible. However, if I’m unavailable, I may assign one of my experienced and reliable associates to host in my place. - Changes to Schedule
Occasionally, open home times may need to be adjusted. If this happens, we will consult with you early in the week to finalize any changes.
Buyer feedback from open homes and Weekly Progress Reports
We typically avoid asking buyers for feedback during open homes to prevent any negative comments from being overheard by other visitors. Instead, we focus on emphasizing the property’s positive features.
After each open home, we begin by sending visitors a “Thank you for visiting [your address]” email, which includes all the relevant documents. We then follow up with a phone call to:
- Gather feedback.
- Highlight the benefits of owning the property.
- Assess how far along buyers are in their purchasing journey (e.g., just starting to look or ready to buy).
- Offer assistance with the buying process, such as arranging finance, building inspections, preparing for the auction, or answering general questions.
We will share all collected feedback with you, usually on Thursday or Friday of the following week. Please note that reaching some buyers can take time.
It’s often challenging to gauge the exact number of bidders for an auction or tender offers until the very last moment—typically just before the auction begins or the tender deadline approaches. Many buyers prefer to keep their options open until the final moments.
Sample Progress Report
| Name | Comments |
| Buyer 1 | Comments and feedback |
| Buyer 2 | Comments and feedback |
| Buyer 3 | Comments and feedback |
Registrations with other agents (auctions only)
Agents registered potential interest from … buyers on our internal system.
Talking to potential buyers
Should you interact with potential buyers, and if so, how?
In general, it’s best to be absent during viewings. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re speaking with a potential buyer, the ideal approach is to say as little as possible and avoid discussing features or aspects of your property.
There’s always a chance that something you love about your home might be seen as a disadvantage by the buyer. While it’s ultimately your choice, leaving the selling to the agents can often be the safest option.
If you encounter a potential buyer looking at your signboard, please refrain from offering to let them enter and view the property. Instead, kindly suggest they contact me directly for further information or to arrange a viewing.
This ensures all interested buyers are handled through the proper channels, allowing me to provide them with the most accurate details and guide them through the process.
To help showcase your property in the best light, we offer you an exciting opportunity to contribute by writing a “Letter to the Buyer.” In this letter, you can share all the positive moments and unique features of your property from your perspective. Your input is invaluable, and we appreciate your help in creating a memorable impression for potential buyers!
Your letter to the buyers
No one knows the unique features and benefits of living in your home and neighbourhood better than you. Buyers would love to hear directly from you about what makes your property special.
If you’re willing, we encourage you to write a letter to prospective buyers, sharing the highlights of your home and the surrounding area. This personal touch has proven to be highly effective in creating a connection with potential buyers.
Your letter can take the form of an emotional story, a few informative bullet points, or a combination of both—whatever feels most natural to you.
Imagine sitting across from someone who is genuinely interested in your home but is looking for reassurance that they’ll enjoy living there. This is your opportunity to provide that assurance and help them picture themselves in the space you’ve loved.
And think of how you’d feel when buying a property—wouldn’t you appreciate receiving such a heartfelt letter from the vendors?
Thank you for considering this meaningful way to contribute to the sale of your home!
Auction Listings
- Pre-Auction Offers – If we receive a pre-auction offer for your property, either I or the auctioneer will reach out to you.
- Visit an Auction – If you’ve never attended a real estate auction before, we recommend visiting one. Barfoot & Thompson North Shore Auctions are held every Thursday at 10am and 1pm. The venues are either Bruce Mason Centre or QBE Stadium, Albany.
- Auction Location & Live Streaming – You can watch auctions live on https://www.barfoot.co.nz/auctions-live/sessions
Please remember, if your property doesn’t sell before or at the auction, there’s no need to panic. The auction is only the first step in the process. We will continue marketing your property and holding open homes until we achieve the sale price you’re aiming for, and the sale is confirmed as unconditional.
Pre-Auction Offer
A pre-auction offer is an offer made for the property before the scheduled auction date. If the offer is at an acceptable level, the auction will be brought forward and held on the third working day after the offer is first communicated to you.
The accepted offer becomes the reserve price and the opening bid at the early auction. The auctioneer will then ask for offers over and above that from any other buyers in attendance.
Accepting a pre-auction offer typically signals to the market that the property is a strong, popular option, and that the vendors are realistic with their price expectations. This “social proof” often generates more interest from other buyers, increasing the likelihood of further bidding at the auction and potentially driving up the price.
Please note that all pre-auction offers are unconditional, and we must have the deposit in hand when we present the offer to you.
Once you accept a pre-auction offer, the auctioneer will inform all agents in our company of the new auction time and location, giving them time to prepare their buyers. The price accepted will be kept confidential from other agents and buyers.
If you accept a pre-auction offer, expect a busy few days with viewings and building inspections leading up to the auction. But once the auction is complete, the process will be finalized.
Variations to the Terms of Sale by Auction
Some buyers may request variations to the standard terms, such as a different settlement date or deposit amount. Any such variation must be agreed upon and signed by you prior to the auction to be valid.
Phone and online bidding
Phone bidding is a common practice for buyers who are unable to attend the auction in person. In these cases, an agent will bid on their behalf while they remain on the phone. All phone bidding applications must be approved and signed off by you before the auction.
We also allow online bidding. Buyers must be pre-approved by their agents and provide a photo of their passport or driver’s license, as well as proof of address, for verification purposes.
Reserve price authority form sign off
The reserve price is the minimum price you are willing to accept at auction. During the week leading up to the auction, we will contact you to discuss the auction strategy and have you sign the reserve price authority form.
Auction day
Our auctions are typically held at our dedicated auction room in Takapuna:
Address:
8 The Promenade, Takapuna (corner of Killarney Street & The Promenade), next to the Bruce Mason Centre.
Parking:
The closest public car park is Wilson Public Parking on Killarney Street.
We recommend attending the auction in person. However, if you’re unable to, you can watch the auction live online at: https://www.barfoot.co.nz/auctions-live/sessions
If the house does not sell at the auction
Only about 30% of properties sell at auction, but rest assured, we will continue to work tirelessly to secure a price that you are happy to accept.
Marketing for your property, including regular open homes, will continue after the auction. Once we have a conditional agreement, we will keep searching for backup offers until the agreement becomes unconditional.
Immediately following the auction, we will reframe the advertising to “For Sale By Negotiation” for one day. This allows us to avoid limiting potential offers. We will also reach out to all open home visitors on the same day in an effort to generate offers for you.
The following day, we recommend changing the status to “Asking Price.” Based on buyer feedback and our experience, this approach is often more effective than “By Negotiation” in achieving a better outcome for you.
We will consult with you at every step and always act according to your instructions.
Tender listings
Pre-Tender offer
If we receive a pre-tender offer for your property, either I or my branch manager will reach out to you. A pre-tender offer has to be unconditional.
What to expect on the tender deadline day
All offers from all agents will be emailed to our branch manager after the tender deadline. Once the deadline has passed, the manager will review and summarize all offers. You will then receive an email with the offers and the summary. The summary will outline the price, conditions, deposit, and settlement date for each offer, along with the manager’s recommendation on how to proceed.
You have several options at this point:
- Accept one of the offers.
- Reject all offers.
- Ask us to negotiate with one or more buyers on your behalf.
Negotiations can focus on aspects like the price, conditions, deposit, and settlement date.
When buyers submit a tender offer, they are locked into their offer and cannot withdraw it for 5 working days, giving us time for negotiations.
However, if there are offers that are too low and you do not want to negotiate, we recommend releasing the buyers from their 5-day lock-in period.
What to expect after the tender deadline day
Tender offers are typically conditional for 10 working days, with common conditions including building inspections, LIM reports, and finance approval.
Whether you accept a conditional tender offer or not, we will continue marketing your property, holding open homes, and actively working to secure further offers – backup offers.
This will continue until the tender offer becomes unconditional, or if no tender offer is accepted, until we receive another offer that is confirmed unconditional and the deposit is paid. Only then will we declare the property as sold, and marketing and open homes will cease.
When selling by Asking price or Negotiation – Offers from other Barfoot & Thompson agents
When a property is listed with an asking price or by negotiation, all Barfoot & Thompson agents are encouraged to present offers from their buyers directly to you. However, I will still manage the offer process to ensure that the property isn’t sold twice to multiple buyers or agents.
If you are dealing with an offer from another agent, please always confirm that they have already notified me of their offer.
Multi-offer (when selling with Asking Price or by Negotiation only)
A multi-offer situation arises when there are multiple written offers. In this case, all interested buyers will be asked to sign a form acknowledging that they are aware they are competing with at least one other buyer. They will be encouraged to submit their best offer in writing.
The multi-offer process will be managed with assistance from the branch manager.
It’s common for these offers to be conditional. Once the price and conditions are agreed upon and the Sale & Purchase Agreement is signed by both you (the vendor) and the purchasers, we will continue marketing your property and hosting open homes to secure backup offers until the agreement becomes unconditional.
Deposit
When your property is sold, we collect the deposit on your behalf and, by law, hold it in our trust account for 10 working days. After that, we will deduct our commission, and the remaining balance of the deposit will be transferred to your solicitor’s trust account.
If you require the deposit sooner, you can ask your solicitor to email the purchaser’s solicitor requesting an early release of the deposit. If the purchaser and their solicitor agree, we can release the deposit to your solicitor before the 10 working days.
Pre-settlement inspection
The purchasers are entitled to a final inspection, which typically takes place a few days before settlement. The purpose of this inspection is to confirm that the property is in the same condition as when the agreement was signed, and that all items on the chattels list are present and in reasonable working order.
Please ensure that the electricity remains connected until at least the final inspection, so the purchasers can check the stove and other electrical items.
The pre-settlement inspection and settlement are organized by the selling agent. This could either be me or another Barfoot & Thompson salesperson if the buyer is represented by someone else.
Settlement
Settlement is when you receive the balance of your money (minus the deposit).
If you’ve agreed to provide vacant possession in the Sale and Purchase Agreement, the house must be completely empty of belongings on or before the settlement day.
Both the house and property should be left tidy, with no rubbish left behind, unless otherwise agreed upon with the purchaser.
The keys to the property will only be handed over to the purchasers once both solicitors have formally confirmed the settlement has occurred.
Small defects
To avoid issues at settlement, it’s best to disclose any property defects upfront and inform the buyer that you are selling the property “as-is” in this regard. This helps prevent last-minute demands for discounts or repairs.
Please let us know if you need to disclose any defects.
Examples include:
- Missing keys (by law, the purchaser must receive keys for all doors with locks unless otherwise agreed).
- Cracks in windows.
- Holes in walls or doors.
- Doors or windows that do not close properly.
- Sliding doors that do not slide.
- Water ingress into the garage during heavy rain.
- A ventilation system that requires a new motor.
- Items that will be left inside, under the house, or in the shed.
Please note, there should be no rubbish or paint left on the property unless the buyer is properly informed that those items will remain on the property at settlement.
Insurance
Please keep your house fully insured until it settles.
Rented property
If your property is tenanted, with your permission, we will communicate with the tenants to organize access for the photoshoot, agent-only viewings (caravan), and open homes.
If tenants move out before settlement, they typically have the power disconnected. Please ensure that it is reconnected, as it will be required for the final inspection so the buyers can check that all appliances are working.
Signboard removal
The signboard belongs to ABC Photosigns NZ Ltd, and we are effectively renting it. Once the property is sold, we will arrange for the removal of the signboard, which usually happens within 10 working days. If you would like a faster removal, please let us know, and we will accommodate your request.
Selling for more – understanding the buyer wave
Be Ready for Your First Offer
Have you heard that the first offer is often the best offer?
The best buyers typically show up in the first few weeks. They are:
- Well-researched on current market prices.
- Ready to buy.
- Under time pressure to purchase now.
After that, we often see both the number and quality of buyers drop significantly. These later buyers tend to be:
- New to the market, not yet ready to buy, and just browsing.
- Bargain hunters looking for a good deal.
Note: If the first buyers are turned away, they are unlikely to return, as they were eager to buy and may have already found another property.
Waiting longer may not result in a better price—in fact, it can often work against you.
Final words
Thank you for reading this manual. We hope you found it helpful. If anything is unclear or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
We look forward to working with you and are committed to achieving an outstanding
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Sample Forms
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