The Questions Sellers Are Actually Asking Me This Week

​Every week I sit down with someone thinking about selling, and the same handful of questions come up. Here's what's actually on people's minds right now.

Q: My online estimate and my CV don't match. Which one's right?
Neither, really. Homes.co.nz, OneRoof and PropertyValue can each land tens of thousands apart on the same property, and your Council Value is just an algorithm-based snapshot from the last general revaluation. It doesn't know you've renovated, added heat pumps, or that your section is bigger than the one next door. All of them lag real market activity by weeks or months. The number that matters is what's actually happened at auction rooms recently, not what a spreadsheet thinks.

Q: Should I go to auction, or just put a price on it?
If there's anything about the property that could put a buyer off, a shared driveway, no garden, an older-style layout, then auction usually wins. It lets the property find its level through competition rather than being anchored (or scared off) by a number. A fixed price with a known barrier tends to sit and negotiate down; an unconditional auction day forces decisions and (ideally) buyers to compete against each other.

Q: How long should my campaign actually run?
Shorter than most people expect. A solid 3-4week auction campaign works because buyers get their LIM and builder's report upfront. There's no reason to drag it out for six weeks. Photos, then live, then two or three weekends of open homes, then auction.
Momentum matters more than exposure time.

Q: The place across the road didn't sell, does that mean mine won't either?
Not necessarily. It usually means something specific held it back (no garden, wrong price strategy, wrong method of sale). I look at exactly why a nearby listing stalled before I ever compare it to yours. Often the fix isn't the property, it's the process.

Q: What if my house isn't “perfect”?
Most aren't. A sloping section, an older-style layout, a garage that might once have been a carport. None of these are deal-breakers, they're just things to be upfront about (a LIM sorts out the consent questions fast). Renovated and tidy beats “perfect” every time; buyers respond to a place that's clearly been looked after.

Q: What if we get an offer before auction day. Do we sell then, or still go to auction?
It depends. Ideally a pre-auction offer is cash and unconditional, the same as a bidder competing on auction day itself. If that's the case, you decide: bring the auction forward so any other cash buyer gets the chance to compete too, or take the offer if it's genuinely strong.
We present every offer to you as it comes in throughout the campaign, and where a buyer starts out conditional, we work with them to get them in a position to bid on the day.
​It's about keeping your options open and getting the best result the market will actually pay.

let's talk

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If you’re asking similar questions yourself as you're thinking about selling, Paul Sumich is a Bream Bay-based real estate professional working with Ray White who publishes current market guidance for Northland property sellers. Find more at paulsumich.co.nz/blog