If you are going to sell your property, you want to sell it for as much as possible.
This is something anyone selling real estate would think.
However, real estate does not necessarily sell for a high price just because you set a high asking price.
If you list it at a price that is significantly off from the market value, time will pass without any inquiries, and you may end up having to lower the price repeatedly.
What is important is
not to sell it for an extremely high price above market value, but to ensure you do not sell it for less than what it should have sold for.
.
I have been involved in real estate sales in Sapporo for many years (since 1990).
Based on that experience, I will explain the points that sellers should know in order to sell their property under the most favorable conditions possible.
First, know the market value of your property
The first thing you should do to sell your property for a high price.
That is,
to know roughly how much your property can sell for.
If you do not know the market value, even if a real estate company tells you,
It will probably be around 30 million yen,
you will not be able to judge whether that is high or low.
For a condominium, look at the same building or nearby condominiums.
For a detached house, look at properties in the same area with similar land area, building area, and age.
For land, look at properties in the same area with similar price per tsubo and road access conditions.
You will compare these types of properties.
Looking at real estate portal sites like SUUMO, HOME’S, and At Home is also a good reference.
However, there is one thing to be careful about here.
The prices listed on portal sites are the “asking prices,” not the “actual selling prices.”
For example, a property listed for 35 million yen might actually sell for 32 million yen.
Therefore, it is important not to judge the market price based solely on the asking price.
On the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Real Estate Information Library,” you can check actual real estate transaction prices, some closing prices, and official land prices.
The real estate company with the highest appraisal price is not necessarily the company that will sell it for the most.
When selling real estate, you will first request an appraisal from a real estate company.
Recently, it has become easy to request appraisals from multiple real estate companies at once using bulk appraisal sites.
*Recently, there have been many reports of disadvantages to bulk appraisal sites, so I will write about that on another occasion.
That said, comparing appraisals from multiple companies is extremely effective.
However, there is something I want you to be careful about here.
For example,
Company A: 28 million yen
Company B: 30 million yen
Company C: 35 million yen
Suppose these were the appraisal results.
In this case,
“Company C seems like it will sell it for the highest price”
you might think.
However, the appraisal price is not the price at which that real estate company will buy it.
It is merely,
“There is a possibility that it can be sold for around this much.”
This is the real estate company’s estimate.
Therefore, do not decide on a real estate company based solely on the appraisal price, but
always confirm the basis for the appraisal,
such as “why this appraisal price was reached.”
Is it a company that can properly explain surrounding sales examples, competing properties currently on the market, location, building age, and interior condition?
This is extremely important.
Setting the asking price is very important
In real estate sales,
“appraisal price”
and
“asking price”
are different things.
For example, just because the appraisal price was 30 million yen does not mean you must list it for 30 million yen.
Sometimes, sales are started slightly higher, anticipating some price negotiation.
However,
“I want to sell it for a high price, so let’s try listing it at 40 million yen for now”
setting a price that is significantly off the market rate like this can have the opposite effect.
Prospective buyers are also comparing many properties on the internet.
If one property is listed at 40 million yen while others in the same area, with the same size and building age, are being sold for around 30 million yen,
It will be judged as
“this property is expensive.”
Real estate is,
not sold at the price the seller wants, but at the price the buyer is willing to pay.
That is why it is important to consider the balance between a “price that aims a bit high” and a “price that can realistically sell” while consulting with a real estate company.
There is no need to do “large-scale renovations” before selling
I used to recommend improving the appearance of a property.
Of course, this is still very important today.
However,
this does not mean that you should do expensive renovations to sell it for a high price.
For example, just because you spent 2 million yen on renovations does not mean the selling price will increase by more than 2 million yen.
In fact, some buyers say,
“I want to renovate it the way I like.”
So, before selling, first,
Tidy up the interior.
Clean the water areas.
Reduce unnecessary belongings.
Turn on the lights to make it bright.
Tidy up the garden and the property grounds.
If there are any broken facilities, consult with your real estate company.
Starting with these things is enough.
Especially for internet advertisements, the impression made by the photos is extremely important.
Even for the same property, the impression is completely different between photos of a dark, cluttered room and a bright, organized one.
Prepare not only the “good information” about the property but also “accurate information”.
Just because you want to sell it for as much as possible, you must not hide any defects.
Rather,
repair history, renovation history, equipment replacement history, and, for condominiums, management status and repair plans,
it is important to properly organize the information that prospective buyers want to know.
In the case of pre-owned homes, there is also a method called a “building condition inspection.”
A professional inspects the condition of the building, and by conveying the results to prospective buyers, you may be able to reduce their anxiety regarding pre-owned homes. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is also promoting the use of building condition inspections in existing home transactions.
However, it is not the case that conducting a building condition inspection on every property will lead to a higher sale price.
Since the decision depends on the age and condition of the property, it is a good idea to consult with a real estate company.
“How many prospective buyers the information reaches” is also important.
One of the things I think is important for selling real estate at a high price is
making property information widely known to prospective buyers
.
No matter how good a property is, it will not sell if no one knows about it.
Real estate companies conduct sales activities not only through their own websites and real estate portal sites like SUUMO, but also by utilizing networks such as the Real Estate Information Network System (REINS) for property information sharing between real estate companies, depending on the conditions.
Under exclusive brokerage contracts and exclusive agency contracts, there is a system for registration with REINS.
Furthermore, starting in January 2025, it will be mandatory for real estate agents to register transaction statuses with REINS, and a system has been strengthened that allows sellers to check the status of their own property via a ‘seller-only screen,’ showing whether it is:
‘Publicly listed’
‘Purchase offer received in writing’
‘Temporarily suspended from introduction due to seller’s circumstances’
and confirming which of these states it is in.
Once you have entrusted the sale, do not leave everything entirely to the real estate company; instead, try asking them periodically:
‘Where are you advertising?’
‘How many inquiries have you received?’
‘What was the reaction of the people who viewed the property?’
and check in with them regularly.
Do not look only at the ‘selling price’ during price negotiations.
When a prospective buyer appears,
‘Could you lower the price by 1 million yen?’
you may receive price negotiations like this.
As a seller, you naturally want to avoid discounting as much as possible.
However, sales conditions are not limited to price alone.
There are various conditions such as the handover date, remaining items, equipment, boundaries, surveying, and contract terms.
For example,
“I will offer a 500,000 yen discount in exchange for signing under these conditions.”
There are cases where this decision actually works out to be more advantageous for the seller in the end.
What is important is
not just the figure of the sale price, but how much will ultimately remain in your pocket.
This is the perspective to have.
When a prospective buyer appears, please make your decision while organizing the conditions with your real estate company.
If you want to sell for a high price, have “time to spare”
This is extremely important.
“I must sell by next month.”
When you are in a situation like this, the seller’s bargaining power weakens.
Conversely,
“I can wait a while until a buyer with good conditions appears.”
If you can do this, your options for how to sell will increase.
If your sale deadline is determined by mortgage repayments, moving, the move-in date for a new home, inheritance, or job transfers, we recommend starting preparations for the sale as early as possible.
Real estate is not necessarily going to sell tomorrow just because you put it on the market today.
Checking the market price from the stage of “I haven’t decided whether to sell yet” will ultimately lead to selling at a higher price.
There are also ways of presenting property unique to Sapporo
In Sapporo, when winter comes, the snow accumulation can make it difficult to see
the size of the lot, the garden, the exterior, and the parking space.
Therefore, when selling a detached house or land, if you have exterior or lot photos taken during the snow-free season, it is useful to provide them to the real estate company.
Even for condominiums, there are points that buyers in Hokkaido care about, such as parking, storage rooms, and heating equipment.
It is not just about nationwide common selling methods, but also
consulting with a real estate company that understands what buyers in Sapporo prioritize
is also important.
Summary | “Convincing Rationale” is More Important Than “Highest Appraisal”
What is important for selling real estate for even a little more is
not setting an extremely high price from the start.
First, know the market price.
Confirm the basis for the appraisal price.
Set an appropriate asking price.
Make the property look clean.
Prepare accurate information.
Deliver information widely to prospective buyers.
Negotiate based on the entire sales conditions, not just the price.
And, sell with time to spare.
I believe that performing these basics one by one properly is, as a result,
the way to prevent “selling for less than the price it could have originally sold for.”
I especially want you to be careful about
…
“The company that gives you the highest appraisal price is not necessarily the company that will sell it for the highest price.”
That is the reality.
Do not just look at the appraisal price,
“Why is it this price?”
“How will you sell it?”
“What kind of buyer are you anticipating?”
Please ask these questions before choosing the real estate company to entrust with your sale.
For a seller, selling real estate is not something you experience many times.
If there is anything you do not understand, it is perfectly fine to consult with a real estate company even before the listing stage.
Regarding real estate sales in Sapporo, please start by finding out the current market price.
Reference Information
This article was created based on information current as of September 2026, with reference to public information such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Real Estate Information Library, Consumer Information on Real Estate Transactions, REINS Status Management Function, and Building Condition Survey (Inspection).
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