Frequently Asked Questions

One of the most useful starting points when determining the asking price is to analyse the current competition on the market: what comparable properties are currently for sale, at what prices, and how they are positioned. It is natural for owners to see the strengths of their own property more clearly than those of competing properties, which is why an objective, rational perspective is particularly important when setting the price. As real estate professionals, we base our pricing strategy on a realistic assessment of the market and the property's competitive position.

In our experience, no. A property launched at a speculative “let’s try this price” level can take significantly longer to sell. By the time the price reaches a realistic level, the listing and its photographs may already have become familiar and uninteresting to buyers. This often results in the property eventually selling for less than could have been achieved during the first few weeks on the market, when buyer interest is typically at its highest.

There is usually an identifiable reason, but we need to see both the property and the listing to determine it. The asking price may be significantly too high, but very often the problem is the way the property has been presented. A typical mistake is that photographs focus on furnishings that are important to the owner, while buyers primarily want to see the spaces, proportions and potential of the property itself.

It needs to be repositioned. New photographs, a different visual approach, new staging where necessary, and an entirely new presentation concept can make a significant difference. It is important that the new listing does not simply look like another version of the same property that buyers have already seen on the market for a long time. In many cases, a price reduction is not even necessary.

A genuinely good real estate professional can add value even when the owner would be perfectly capable of advertising the property independently. The more important question is whether you can find the right professional. It is worth distinguishing between an experienced sales professional and an agent focused primarily on acquiring as many listings as possible. The number of listings an agent holds does not in itself demonstrate expertise.

It may be easier to start by asking how to identify the wrong one. One warning sign, for example, is when the agent expects the owner to determine the asking price rather than providing their own market analysis and professional reasoning.
Look at the agent’s professional track record, references and completed transactions. A long and successful presence in the market says a great deal: someone who has been earning a living in this profession for ten or twenty years has a track record that can be checked.

A good real estate agent is not necessarily cheap. Our commission is typically 4% including VAT, and its value should not be judged by the percentage alone, but by the final result achieved.
A professional agent’s job is not simply to find a buyer. Pricing and positioning, managing negotiations, handling offers and counteroffers, and – when market conditions allow – creating competition between several interested buyers can all have a significant impact on the final selling price.

An exclusive mandate should be given to an agent whose expertise, service and results you have already verified.
It allows pricing communication, marketing, photography, communication with buyers and the scheduling of viewings to be managed as one coherent strategy. Whenever possible, we schedule viewings close together because having several serious prospective buyers interested at the same time can create a significantly stronger negotiating position. Multiple independent agents can easily undermine this strategy.

Through the right positioning and – when market interest allows – by creating competition between buyers. The objective is not simply to receive an offer, but to create the conditions in which several serious buyers can compete and produce the best possible offer.

As a general rule, we do not recommend spending a substantial amount on renovation immediately before selling. However, certain smaller improvements – such as professional cleaning, repairing visible wall damage or resolving necessary technical issues – may be worthwhile. We assess this individually for each property.

The purpose of staging is not simply to “decorate” a property, but to show how its spaces can be used and presented to their best advantage. Today, expensive physical rearrangement or decoration is not always necessary. Digital and AI-based solutions can also demonstrate a property’s potential without substantial staging costs.

Based on our experience, with appropriate pricing and a well-designed sales strategy, the following can be considered useful indicative timeframes:

• Below HUF 300 million: approximately 3 months
• HUF 300 million to HUF 1 billion: approximately 6 months
• Above HUF 1 billion: up to one year or longer

These are, of course, not guarantees. The characteristics of the individual property and current market demand can significantly affect the time required to sell.

This is precisely where professional experience matters most. There is no universal formula. Only after viewing the property can we determine the individual pricing, positioning and sales strategy most likely to work in that particular situation.

In terms of the fundamental principles, it isn’t. Regardless of the property’s value, the task is the same: price it correctly, prepare and present it effectively, identify the right buyers, and complete the sale from the strongest possible negotiating position.

References, references, references. Look beyond what an agent promises and examine what they have actually sold, the value of the properties they have handled, and how long those properties took to sell.

We sell properties across a broad range of price categories, from smaller properties to premium and luxury real estate. We particularly enjoy assignments that present a challenge: properties that are unusual, difficult to price, or have previously been on the market unsuccessfully for a long time.

Sperlinger is built first and foremost around a sales-driven approach. Székely Gabriella has worked in sales since the age of twenty, long before entering the real estate industry. We apply this decades-long sales experience to property pricing, positioning and presentation, negotiations with buyers, and successfully closing transactions.

We do not work exclusively with luxury properties. We accept assignments ranging from apartments and family homes to unique and high-value properties. We can add particular value when an owner has already tried to sell a property but has not achieved the desired result.

We primarily operate in Budapest and Pest County. For special assignments, however, we also take on properties elsewhere in Hungary. We have previously sold properties in Debrecen, Székesfehérvár and Szentendre, as well as on both the northern and southern shores of Lake Balaton.

Ingatlan Diszpécser was our original brand. Approximately ten years later, we created Sperlinger Luxury & Selected Homes specifically for the sale of premium and luxury properties.
Over time, we found that some clients had come to believe that Sperlinger worked exclusively with luxury real estate and therefore hesitated to approach us with more conventional properties. That was never our intention. This is why the two brands now operate alongside each other: Sperlinger represents our premium positioning, while Ingatlan Diszpécser makes it clear that we also handle properties across other price categories.