Selling a home can be stressful, but if you are under a serious time crunch, it can be even more nerve-wracking. Whether you need to sell quickly for a new job, for financial reasons or because of a personal situation, there are a few tactics you can use to increase your home’s marketability, decrease your time on the market and attract strong offers. Here’s how to sell a house fast.
Clean and declutter
There are many strategies for selling a house fast, but when you’re short on time, one definite must is making your home’s interior appeal to as many buyers as possible.
- Get a storage unit and pack away any extra belongings or large furnishings that are making rooms look crowded, small or messy.
- Organize the closets. Buyers are looking for storage space, so they’re definitely going to peek in closets, storage areas and pantries. Don’t cram extra belongings into closets — leave enough open space to give the impression that the home has plenty of storage. After all, 64 percent of buyers surveyed for the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends said that ample storage was extremely or very important.
- Personal belongings, like family photos, keepsakes and religious items, distract buyers and prevent them from picturing themselves living in the home.
- Do a deep clean on every room of the house, including baseboards, kitchen cabinets, bathroom tile and carpets. Since you’re short on time, consider calling in some professionals.
Hire an agent
The upside to hiring a professional real estate agent is that they know what it takes to get a house sold quickly in your area. They’ll streamline things like contract prep work, negotiations, signing and closing. Of course, you’ll have to pay them a 3 percent commission for their services.
Alternative ways to sell your house fast
If you want to completely bypass the preparation it takes to sell your house in a hurry, consider these alternative strategies:
- Sell to an investor who plans to flip the home. You will sell quickly but may get less than market value.
- Sell to a developer. This is usually only an option if your home is a teardown and/or on a large lot.
- Sell at an auction. You can sell quickly by auctioning off your home, but you are likely to sell for a lower price than on the local market.
Handle any quick repairs
While you don’t have time for major renovations, it’s still important to take care of any easy fixes that might deter potential buyers:
- Patch up spots where paint is peeled or scratched.
- Fix loose tiles.
- Repair loose door handles.
- Tighten leaky faucets.
You may also want to invest in a few minor upgrades that will make your home show better:
- Apply a fresh coat of paint inside.
- Install new hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
- Swap out old or outdated light fixtures.
- Purchase matching (newer) appliances.
Your home’s exterior is the first in-person glimpse potential buyers will have of your home, so it’s important that it looks welcoming, well-maintained and tidy. Here are some tips to make your house sell faster with good curb appeal. And when speed is key, consider hiring a professional landscaper to make quick work of these tasks.
Hire a professional photographer
It may seem faster (and cheaper) to snap a few pictures of your house on your phone, but poor listing photos could make your home sit on the market longer. In fact, a whopping 77 percent of recent buyers said that viewing professional photos was extremely, very or somewhat important to their home-buying decision.
Before images are taken, make sure your home has plenty of light. Open the blinds, replace old lightbulbs or update fixtures, and let in as much natural light as possible. This is also a best practice for listing appointments!
Be flexible with showings
When selling your home quickly is the goal, it’s important to be as accommodating as possible with showing requests. Yes, last-minute showings can cause a scheduling scramble, but nobody can buy your home if they can’t see it for themselves! If you aren’t willing to accommodate buyers’ schedules, your home is at risk of sitting on the market for a long time.
Partial Source: zillow.com
Ana Roque is a Brazilian Licensed Realtor at Re-Connect, LLC with 16+ years of experience in the Real Estate industry.
Ana speaks 3 languages (Portuguese, English, Spanish), Wife, Stepmom, Journalist, Event Director for the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) Central MA Chapter.
Ana is a self-motivated, goal-orientated and focused on building her career with partners and develop leadership with excellence to her teamwork as a mission to create a legacy to her clients and children.