In a constantly evolving real estate market, to avoid bitter surprises, it is essential to understand all the possibilities of the tools available to sell a property, from the most traditional to those related to new technologies.
To understand the correct steps to take, we spoke with Matteo Degli Agli, founder of MDA Group Real Estate, a real estate agency based in Lugano, active since 2015.
Matteo Degli Agli, what advice do you have, and what is your vision for promoting a property?
"First of all, promoting a property is not a simple task. Those who think that simply posting a couple of photos on an online portal is enough are mistaken.
Instead, there are steps to be taken, agreed upon with the agent with whom you decide to manage the sale, based on the type of property to be promoted. Fundamentally, to have an effective promotion, the agent must first provide precise information about the price, because you can discuss marketing all day, but if the price is wrong, the house will be unsellable.
The estimation of the property's value is not random. It is the result of a careful analysis of data, comparisons at the micro and macro-marketing level, and comparisons with the latest real transactions for that segment in that specific area.
Once the correct value is determined, we move on to producing documentation. Here it is important that the agency invests so that those who want to promote a property have tools like promotional videos, photographs, drone footage, 3D virtual representations, home staging, and more.
What can be used will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but it is important that the person who relies on an agency understands its potential."
So it's important for the real estate agency to work with an investment perspective to meet the client's needs?
"Of course, it is. Agencies like ours invest a lot in this regard, especially in the digital part.
These are significant costs, but they allow every detail of the property to be known even before a personal visit. The agent also does this type of work better if they become passionate about creating this kind of content.
I say this from personal experience; it is gratifying when the effectiveness of the work done using the latest technologies is recognized from the outside, even from a technical point of view."
So, what are the main characteristics that need to be considered to enhance a property?
"First of all, clarity about the location: the buyer must recognize the area and the location of the property.
For privacy reasons, the seller may decide to omit the street number or name, leaving only the area. However, anyone interested in a potential purchase should be able to understand the area it is in, which can already say a lot about the value of the property.
In terms of communication, it is necessary that the buyer knows all the main information from the first contact with the agency. For example, if they want to buy a house in Lugano, it will be important for them to know how many parking spaces will be available.
Then there are more general but never trivial pieces of information, such as the number of rooms, bathroom features (or bathrooms, if there is more than one).
If the property is high-end or luxury, it is also useful to indicate the kitchen and bathroom brands.
As mentioned before, technology is very useful because with a well-done virtual tour, the client can see everything in advance, before the physical visit, and even take measurements and evaluate every aspect of the house with technical specifications or links, for example, to the official websites of furniture brands. They can then evaluate if that property is of interest to them or not. Precise floor plans can also be created to the millimeter... In short, the possibilities are truly endless."
How do you see the current situation in Ticino, an area where the real estate market is very important?
"In recent years, in Ticino, the number of agencies that are taking advantage of these new possibilities to make the buying and selling of properties more and more effective has been increasing. Each one, in addition to the technological factor we discussed earlier, is also trying to consolidate the relationship with the person who comes to sell or buy a house in more traditional ways.
In this sense, I can give the example of our agency, which provides customers with a printed guide to "train" them on the steps to take when buying a property, indicating what to do to achieve an excellent result in the short to medium term.
In any case, it must be said that in the vast majority of cases, those who rely on an agency have a clear understanding of the steps to take, but these tools serve to dispel any doubts."
Matteo Degli Agli and the entire MDA Group Real Estate team will be happy to help you find the best properties currently on the market. Contact them to request an appointment.
