Selling properties in summertime can be one of the best seasons for a real estate agent. We’ve interviewed our Concierge Service team to find out first-hand, what buyers are telling them this summer, to give our agents an edge.
Best approach to sell more this summer
Selling a property in summertime can have both advantages and disadvantages, especially as 2022 is an unusual year for real estate with a fluctuating housing market. Homebuyers are trying to anticipate the effects of the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic, climate events and political unrest. In a typical summer, tourists will vacation in a country with the idea of buying property there.
Why summer is great time to sell real estate
With longer days, warm weather and vacations, homebuyers are in a good mood and tend to spend time exploring new neighbourhoods or viewing properties. Homes that are on the market in the summertime do get more showings for these reasons. Here are some other reasons that summer is a great time to sell real estate:
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Families are highly motivated to buy a home in the summer months so that they can be comfortably established in their new home before the start of the school year in the fall.
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Houses show well, with green lawns, flowers blooming and breezes blowing through the windows. The property never looks better than it does in summer.
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With more properties on the market, buyers have a great selection of homes to choose from, and often can both sell their current home and buy another over the summer.
There is so much to love about summer – including hot real estate market sales.
What buyers are saying to our Concierge Service Team
Our Concierge team spends a lot of time talking to home buyers every day, so we thought it would be useful to ask them what buyers have been saying so far this summer, to give us some insight on selling more properties this summer.
What is the Concierge Service?
When real estate buyers request the Concierge Service, we promptly contact them by telephone and help them with their search. We answer any questions they may have about the search process and explain the filters they can use. After the telephone conversation, the Concierge team sends a request to one (or several) agents who have listings that may fit the property description desired by the buyer.
The team also contacts buyers that have submitted an inquiry via the listing contact form, but in this case, we wait seven days to make sure the agent has had time to connect with them. Only after this time, do we contact the buyers to verify whether they received an answer from the real estate agent, or if they are still searching for their dream home.
The Concierge team consists of about 20 team members, with over 8 languages spoken among them, like German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and more. No matter where you are from, or where you are buying, we can make the buying process easier for you.
This is a free service for both the buyer and the agent. For more information, read Concierge Service to help real estate buyers.
Interview with Properstar Concierge Service
We spoke with Isabel Mota, Team Leader Concierge Service and Patricia Wintrebert, Head of Marketing Operations and they had some very helpful insights about what buyers are saying to them this summer.
Concierge Service connects homebuyers to agents.
How does the Concierge Service add value to a buyer’s property search?
In terms of added value, buyers will save time in their search when they speak with us. We assist them by researching properties with them, and applying filters according to their desired location and amenities. We also help them, or teach them, to use the website features so that their search experience is easier to do and brings better results for what they are looking for. Some examples are; how to define search filters, to save their searches, to draw on the map, and how they will find latest listings on MyHome. We have the experience that they may lack when searching for a property and we can do it faster.
We also help agents to find buyers for their listings. The Concierge pre-qualifies buyers and sends the lead to the right agent. We would like to emphasise that all Concierge leads have been contacted by telephone and we have confirmed their buying intention for a specific region.
It’s important to respond to the leads that Concierge sends you, as they are qualified, potential buyers who are waiting to hear from you.
What are the main differences between local and foreign buyers?
Local and foreign buyers are quite different! Local buyers want an immediate answer to their inquiry and cannot stand to wait more than a day after their request has been sent. Foreign buyers, however, are more patient while waiting for an answer, and they are quite grateful to have someone contact them within a few days. Often foreign buyers don’t know specific details about the country, but they have clear requirements about the locale and the characteristics of the house. For example, they know they would like to be near a city and a beach, and the house should have 3 bedrooms.
What kind of amenities are buyers looking for in 2022?
The pandemic caused a trend that is equally prevalent among both local and foreign buyers. We saw a big increase in demand for outdoor space, either large balconies or terraces, or any space that allows people to enjoy nature. We recommend that real estate agents display pictures of these spaces in their listings, including some of the yard or garden. Agents, please also check that the corresponding amenities fields in your CRM are populated correctly, so that these listings appear on search results when buyers select filters. Foreign buyers frequently request properties near the coast and are looking for homes with a swimming pool or a sea view, but this is similar every year.
In Spain, many buyers want a 3-bedroom house with a swimming pool, 10 km from the beach.
Is summer the best time to sell and with the highest demand?
This year there has been a change. In the past, potential buyers contacting us in May, June and July wanted to come to visit the country in August, but this year many of them plan to come in September. In France, for example, houses have reached extremely high prices and interest rates are rising, so many homebuyers are waiting to see if late August will bring better opportunities. So, June and July typically do have high demand, but this year we see that the demand has shifted back a few months, making August and September a very busy time for our team - as well as for agents who are receiving an increase in demand.
Summer buying is not over yet. With some buyer uncertainty, many are delaying until August and September this year.
Do buyers ask you about other aspects of homebuying?
Yes, we receive a lot of requests for additional services like help with local taxes, documentation, construction, and cleaning services. Buyers would love to have someone helping them with all these things and they ask about them when speaking with our team. Foreign buyers, in particular, are looking for lawyers, someone to pick them up from the airport, a translator, cleaning services for the property, construction services, and everything that might make their life easier in a foreign country when buying a new home.
What advice would you share with real estate agents to avoid losing sales opportunities?
We really advise 3 things:
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Be sure to properly populate all the fields used in filters when inserting properties on your CRM, so the buyer can find all the key features of the property and find it easier, like; number of rooms, number of bedrooms, sizes or areas of rooms, and the amenities of the property.
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Offer contact information or recommendations for additional services that help buyers in their buying process; like cleaning, notary, construction, etc.
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Always reply to leads coming from Concierge, as these buyers are already pre-qualified and ready to connect with you and start their buying project.
Fill up the amenities fields on your CRM as this will help buyers in their searches and improve their buying experience.
Which buyers are inquiring about real estate properties in summer 2022?
Our frontline team talk to homebuyers, and they tell us that the summer demand is just peaking. Let’s look at the demand in July 2022 and see who is looking where, so you can sell more properties this summer.
North America
The top three nationalities looking for property in the United States this summer are the French, Germans and Italians who have interest in Florida, California and New York.
In Canada, the top three foreign buyers looking for property are from France, the United Kingdom and Mexico and are searching for property located in Québec, Ontario and British Columbia. These locations have beautiful scenery, bustling cities and are close to coastlines.
Spain
The Concierge team members know their way around Mediterranean Spain, and offer support for Spanish, French, German and British buyers who are especially looking to buy their home there this summer. Property prices here can vary widely, so our team works with homebuyers to find a property that meets their needs.
France
Home prices and interest rates have risen here earlier this year and our Concierge team mentioned that many foreign buyers they spoke with are eagerly waiting for the increases to cool before purchasing in France. There is high interest from Germans, Spanish and the United Kingdom for areas like Grand-Est, Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhone-Alps: which are some of the most beautiful regions of the country.
Portugal
Buyers from France, Germany and United Kingdom are interested in areas in Portugal such as Algarve, Lisbon, and Porto. These areas are in high demand with great finds at quite good prices. Either buying an apartment in the city centre to renovate and rent out – or a new house in choice locations all represent good value for buyers.
Concierge cares
We enjoyed speaking with our Concierge Service team members during this interview and could really see their passion and expertise in action when they spoke about their experience with both local and foreign buyers. The Concierge Service is a real asset for a real estate agent and a source of support and information for the buyer who is looking to buy a new home this summer.
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