Selling your home when moving to another town

If you are selling your home because you are moving to another town, there are two figures that measure very different things. Time on the market (liggetid) is the period from when the home goes on the market until there is an agreement with a buyer. Selling time (salgstid) covers the whole process, from preparation, valuation and photography until the purchase agreement is signed and any conditions have been resolved.

The difference is worth keeping an eye on, because the time on the market can look short while the selling time keeps running. Even a house that sells quickly can take several weeks or months before the deal is fully completed. It is the selling time you should plan your move around, not the day the sign went up.

The first weeks on the market are usually the most decisive. If the house is priced above market level, interest often drops off quickly, and you then spend the rest of the process bringing the price down instead of negotiating with a buyer.

The season and location also play a part. Most homes are sold in spring and early summer, and the fewest during the summer holidays and around Christmas and New Year, but demand depends on the local market, and houses east of Storebælt (the Great Belt) and in larger urban areas often sell faster than homes in areas with fewer buyers.

When you sell your home because you are moving, it is your own moving date that should drive the strategy, not the week the statistics point to.

Selling your house before you move: your own moving date drives the sales strategy

When you need to sell your house before you move, the market’s calendar should not decide when the home goes on the market. Whether the reason is work, family, divorce or buying a new home, your own timing carries at least as much weight as the statistically strongest week. Your finances, planning and next home all need to fit together before you decide.

If you have already bought a new home, the timetable gets tight, and that affects the sales strategy. Consider whether the home should be priced more keenly to attract buyers quickly, and whether it should be marketed with extra visibility from day one.

The sale and the purchase are rarely at the same stage. The new home may be ready for handover straight away, while the old one still has to be prepared for sale, get an energy label or be cleared out. So plan the sale and the purchase as one project with a single shared timeline, so you know when each task needs to be done.

If you are selling your home because of a job change, there is an option many people overlook. Some employers offer relocation packages with help selling your home, such as covering the estate agent’s fee. Ask HR early so you know the terms before you make your own plan.

What does it cost to sell your home when you move?

On top of the estate agent’s fee, you should budget for reports and documents. An energy label is required by law when you sell. A condition report, an electrical installation report and an offer to pay half of the buyer’s change-of-ownership insurance are voluntary. However, if you want to free yourself from liability for hidden defects, they must be handed to the buyer before an offer is made.

The estate agent’s fee is usually the single biggest cost when you sell a home. The fee typically covers viewings, negotiation and advice, a listing on the property portal Boligsiden and on the agent’s website, as well as the case documents and drafting of the contract. Ask exactly what is included and what is invoiced separately.

Paying off your existing loan is not in the overview, but it can catch you out. It can trigger both fees and a loss on the bond price, and the amount depends on your loan and when you pay it off. Ask your bank for the exact costs before you put your home on the market, so you know the full amount in advance.

Fee models, two homes at once and buyers with no home of their own to sell

Estate agents use different fee models, and it is a good idea to know them before you choose an agent.

With a fixed fee, you pay a predictable price, regardless of the sale price. With a percentage fee, you pay a percentage of the sale price. A tiered fee is a base fee combined with a bonus above an agreed minimum price. With ‘no sale, no fee’, you only pay a fee if the home is actually sold.

If you have already bought or rented a home in the new city, you are left with two homes at once, for example a house in one city and an owner-occupied flat in another. You then have the costs of two homes for as long as it lasts: loans, property tax, insurance and utilities. So work out how many months your finances can carry both homes. If you have the leeway, you can sell at your own pace instead of letting the market set the speed.

A sale can also go faster if the buyer does not have a home of their own to sell first, for example a first-time buyer or a cash buyer. There are then fewer links in the chain that could drag the sale out or make it fall through.

Other ways to sell: without an estate agent, a home swap or a cash offer

If the estate agent’s fee feels like too big a share of your budget, there are other options. What they all have in common is that the work and the risk shift to you, albeit in different ways.

• Selling your home without an estate agent saves you the fee, but you handle the valuation, marketing, viewings, negotiation and the legal side yourself. Get at least three quotes from estate agents before you decide, and ask what is included.

• Some companies offer a home swap instead of a traditional sale and purchase. Here you should expect costs for tinglysning (registration of title), a lawyer, a condition report and change-of-ownership insurance, among other things.

• If you are on a tight schedule, a company that buys homes directly can give you a firm cash offer after a quick valuation and an inspection, sometimes with the option of a very quick handover. Always check whether the offer is firm and what is included.

Whichever option you choose, you need to know how much of the work and the risk falls to you.

Get a free, no-obligation valuation from Brikk

Brikk sells your home for a fixed price from 22.500 kr., with no commitment. There are two packages to choose from:

• ‘You run the viewings’ at 22.500 kr., where you show the home to buyers yourself

• ‘Your local Brikk agent runs the viewings’ at 34.500 kr. is the most popular choice, and here the agent takes care of the whole process

The only difference between the packages is who shows the home. Everything else is the same and already included in the fixed price: a photographer, a floor plan, advertising on the major property portals, a sales brochure and a dedicated agent from the valuation to the handover of the keys.

First, you get a free, no-obligation valuation. A local valuation specialist visits you at home and assesses the property’s possibilities, sale price and potential, so you have concrete figures to plan your move around. You book a date and time online, and the agent or specialist comes to your home at a time that suits you best.

Brikk has sold more than 4.000 homes across Denmark, worth over 6 billion kr. for its customers. Brikk has a rating of 4,6 out of 5 stars, based on more than 900 reviews.

Book a free, no-obligation valuation with Brikk so you can plan your sale and move based on real figures instead of guesswork.