A seaside home, a listing that makes it disappear

The problem

A seaside home appears on a local Facebook listings group: bedroom, living room with kitchen, bathroom, a small garden, a veranda and two parking spaces. On paper it is the kind of home many people look for in Olbia. But the listing is just two lines of text, a satellite map of the area and a Street View photo of the road.

Why it happens

There are no photos of the home, and first impressions are made there. Square metres, floor, condition and running costs are missing: anyone interested has to write to find out, and many never do. There is no floor plan. The energy class is missing, although by law it must be stated in sale listings. There is no phone number, viewings are «only after 4 pm» and a «time-wasters need not apply» puts off serious buyers too. On top of that, the exact address is available to anyone, and «price negotiable» announces a discount before anyone has even seen the home.

How it is solved

1. Documents first: planning and cadastral compliance, floor plan, energy certificate. Anything missing is fixed beforehand, not during the negotiation.
2. A valuation based on real sale prices in the area, to start at the right price with no need to write «negotiable».
3. Professional photos, video and, when useful, drone footage: for a seaside home the garden, veranda and distance from the sea must be shown, not described.
4. A complete listing and a contact who is always reachable; viewings concentrated, for example in an Open House, with verified buyers and without publishing the address.

What you can do

A good property does not sell itself. If the first weeks go by without enquiries, the cause is almost always how the home is presented, not the home itself.

Case studies are typical examples, told without names and with details changed so that no one can be identified. The information is general: for your own case, check the details with a technical expert or a notary.