Here are the first things you should check off your list to help you get the largest return from your investment and to ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible.

Choose a quality agent. Asking family and friends who have bought or sold a property about their experience is a great way to ensure the agent you’ve enlisted will provide quality service. A website and promotional material will always highlight the agent in the best possible way, but word of mouth and past client reviews will show their true colours!

Make sure the agent specialises in your area and is someone you feel comfortable around as they don’t just negotiate prices on your behalf, they also act as a mediator and represent you as a vendor.

Prepare the paperwork. Getting together all the documents required is a tedious yet necessary part of the process. Before a property can be marketed for sale, your agent requires a copy of the Contract from your legal representative. From a disclosure document to a home loan pre-approval, ensure all the paperwork is prepared in time to ensure it all runs smoothly.

Don’t take things personally – tough I know! Try to remember this is a business transaction; don’t feel insulted if you receive feedback on the property that doesn’t match how you feel about your home. To ensure you come out with the best deal, remove all emotion and think of your house as a commodity.

Your property won’t sell itself. Thinking that your home will sell itself can be a costly mistake. Despite how much you like the way you have it set up, furniture, flooring and painting changes can make a big difference to the property’s wider appeal, and marketing it widely can increase the competition and, therefore, the price.

Engage in a thorough marketing campaign and invest in presenting your property in its best light. Trusting your agent’s strategy can help secure the best financial result.

Organise your own finance. If you are making a decision to sell, speak to your finance broker to ensure that your plans after selling – whether buying a similar property, upgrading or building – are actually feasible. You need to be certain your plans for post-settlement are realistic. There is nothing worse than selling your home and then not being able to achieve what you had set out to do.

Surround yourself with a good team. When all of the people in your network, including your broker, conveyancer and agent, communicate effectively, you should be blissfully unaware of any minor issues that pop up during the course of the sale! If you deal with the right professionals your home selling process will flow with minimal stress.

Olympia Andronicos is a credit representative (507463) of BLSSA Pty Ltd ACN 117 651 760 (Australian Credit Licence 391237). Choice Finance Specialists 0418 690 628.