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Agents who face the challenge of hard-to-sell properties push their limits, refine their skills, and fast-track their journey to becoming top performers, according to a Central Coast veteran.
According to LJ Hooker Terrigal director Matthew Farrugia, his turf on the Central Coast has no shortage of outdated dwellings, such as old weatherboard properties built in the ’60s and ’70s, many of which have become obsolete over the decades.
“A lot of them became quite dilapidated over time, with no maintenance or money spent,” Farrugia said.
“There are still pockets within our area of homes that are still presented really poorly, so what we have had to figure out is how to market these older homes, these ‘ugly duckling’ properties.”
“Sometimes, these properties will have an obvious flaw.”
Farrugia said the most common issues that make a property hard to sell are structural issues, which are typically quite obvious to spot.
He noted that issues such as unusual or undesirable floor plans, inconveniently located structural walls, and drainage problems can cause headaches when listing a property and drive potential buyers away.
“Ultimately, anytime there is a floor plan issue, the property becomes a hard sell.”
He added that buyers were typically happy to come in and spend money on updates they could see, such as a kitchen facelift, but were reluctant to spend on hidden repairs.
“It’s all the invisible repairs that buyers don’t want.”
“When you start to spend money on areas that are hidden that you don’t see a visual return on, that's when buyers generally start to shy away.”
Selling the ‘future dream’
Farrugia said that when selling a problematic home, agents should lean into the vision of what the property could become.
“It’s about being able to present the property in a way that you can give someone a vision.”
“If they don’t present as nicely, or are just completely out of fashion, the strategy is to give it the feel of a blank canvas.”
As part of the sale process, Farrugia said he provides potential buyers with quotes for urgent repairs, so they have all the necessary information and remain interested.
“It's the agent's responsibility to go in there and get a really good understanding of the property, and its potential upside, and what the buyer profile is.”
“If there is nothing worth saving, there is no reason to try and sell to someone who is looking to flip the house, because ultimately you are looking for someone who wants a knockdown rebuild.”
“So that is when targeted marketing becomes really important.”
He said that agents should provide buyers with an upfront indication of how much extra they would have to spend on repairs once settling on the house.
Finding the fixer-upper aficionado
Pricing is often a determining factor, and Farrugia said agents needed to strike a balance between meeting a vendor's target price and attracting interested buyers.
He said that agents should pay close attention to the level of interest the property received, taking cues from the market response.
“If you know a home has a significant amount of negatives, then you need a significant amount of interested buyers so that if they say no, we still have many that can say yes.”
When selling a property that needs significant renovations, Farrugia said it was typically considered by second or third home buyers who have been prioritising “position over presentation.”
“In most cases, they are buying this in land value because they know that it’s the position that they want to be in, or they know there is potential for strong growth.”
Listen to market feedback
If agents were struggling to sell an outdated property, Farrugia said feedback was the most essential tool they had.
He said that agents should seek to understand what had drawn the initial interest in the property, and what then turned the buyer away.
“If you are already in the market with a challenging property and struggling to sell it, start doing a diagnosis.”
“They’ve shown up, which means they have some interest, but they haven’t made a move on it. So what’s holding them back? And what can you do about it?”
Farrugia said that achieving a successful result on an unattractive listing could provide a significant boost to an agent's profile.
“Early on in my career, I took on as many of those as I could because I thought they were going to sharpen my skills.”
“As an owner with a good property, it makes you think, ‘If they are willing to go to the end of the Earth to find the best buyer for a challenging property, imagine what they could do with a nice place’,” Farrugia concluded.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mathew Williams
Born in the rural town of Griffith NSW, Mathew Williams is a graduate journalist who has always had a passion for storytelling. Having graduated from the University of Canberra with a Bachelor of Sports Media in 2023, Mathew recently made the move to Sydney from Canberra to pursue a career in journalism and has joined the Momentum Media team, writing for their real estate brands. Outside of journalism, Mathew is an avid fan of all things sports and regularly attends sporting events across Sydney. Get in touch at
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