Finding your Unique Selling Point for Your City Apartment

Jumping into the real estate game early 2010 might be a brave move if you're buying, but if you're selling, you may be in for a long year. Unless, of course, you can find your unique selling point. What's that? Read on to find out more.

If you've decided to put your property on the market recently, it may not be a great time to get the best price as the market appears to be saturated with the market really being a buyers market at the moment. Some cities around the world are saturated with apartments for sale, and this can be a mix of brand new apartments, ready to be showcased with the cut of a ribbon, or second-hand apartments with character and style, which maybe just need a bit of restoration work. Either way, for a quick sale in the current climate, you need to be offering something different - something that stands out from the crowds of other apartments and noise within a busy city.

Typical big sellers are those apartments which are difficult to come by - take for example attic apartments with large terraces or big, sunny balconies in warm countries like Spain and Portugal. These are obviously always going to be big sellers due to the scarcity of them - you can only have one or maybe two attic apartments in a building, compared to the rest of the block below. Take into consideration the location of that building, such as a prime downtown location, and you have got a great advantage over your competitors - even within the same building - and will likely not have to lower your price in the current game to establish a decent benefit on a likely quick sale.

If you're looking for a quick sale with a historical property, for example, ensure the installations are all current and comply with the legislation. There's nothing more of a put off for a potential buyer than to think about having to overhaul the whole electrics of an apartment. Another great selling point is an elevator. The historical old town can be a draw, but trudging up a narrow six flight of stairs can soon take the shine off the character and charm in an instant.

If your apartment is of a decent size, and you have made any modifications to the original structure, this can also help. Think of 3 or 4 bedroom apartments, which have used bedroom space and transformed the kitchen into a huge cooking space, for example - these kind of things make an apartment stand out, and offer a unique selling point, or USP. Your USP could have nothing to do with the interior of your property, either, for example.

A huge selling point in crammed urban spaces is natural light, not only for the obvious benefits of saving on electricity bills for example, but also for the beneficial properties that sunlight has on the body and the person as a whole. It's quite common for a pretty dilapidated apartment to be able to fetch way over the price of a neighbouring apartment - even brand new works - just because its constructed geographical location makes maximum benefit of the sunrise and daylight hours often until sunset. Find your USP for your property to stay one step ahead of the rest!

David writes for Barcelona Estate Agency Modus Vivendi. With over five years of experience, they offer sound Barcelona Real Estate Guidelines to give you peace of mind.