If you’ve made the decision to move, you probably want to move right now. You are ready to pack up your belongings and settle into a new house. Only one thing stands between you and your new home: selling your current house.
You are probably asking yourself: What is the fastest way to sell my house? Fortunately, there are some things you can do to sell your home more quickly. You don’t need to invest in an entire kitchen or bathroom remodel to make your home more appealing for potential buyers.
When you sell a house quickly, you’ll save time, money, and stress. Rather than being stuck in limbo with your current home, you’ll be able to move on to the next chapter of your life.
Here are some tips to position your home for a quick sale.
1. Sell a House Quickly with the Right Strategy
Selling your home is more than just putting a “For Sale” sign in the yard. You need to have a strategy for getting your house in front of potential buyers.
You can try the FSBO route, but this involves a lot of work. You’ll need to do some research to figure out how to list the home. While this saves money, this is not the best way to sell your house quickly.
You can also use a real estate agent, who would be able to use marketing efforts and schedule showings for you. Well-connected agents can draw potential buyers to your home’s listing and this can result in a faster sale. It can be hard to know good agents from sub-par agents, however, and you’ll pay the same commission either way.
If you want to know how to get a house sold fast, the answer is to sell your home to a cash buyer. Cash buyers will often buy homes “as-is,” so you won’t need to do any repairs. You’ll be able to close more quickly and have less risk of the deal falling through at the last minute.
Selling your home to a cash buyer means that you may not need to use any of the additional tips below, but keep reading for other strategies to sell a house quickly.
2. Set the Right Price
The fastest way to sell a house is to find the right buyer, and one of the ways to attract buyers is by setting the right price. When buyers are browsing listings online, they may pass over your home altogether if they think the price is too high.
Of course, it’s a fine line between a price that is attractive to buyers and leaving money on the table. You can use a home value estimator to get an idea of the right price. You can also compare similar homes in your area that are for sale or have sold recently.
If you really want your home to sell fast, you would price it low. However, you may not be in a position to do this financially. At the same time, selling for a lower price may save you the money you would have spent paying off a mortgage while you wait for the right buyer.
3. Have Professional Photos Taken
It may be tempting to snap a few photos with your iPhone for the listing, but don’t do it. Photos are the first impression that potential buyers will have of your home. Homes with fewer photos and lower quality photos spend more time on the market than those with photos done by a professional real estate photographer.
Make sure that you allow as much light into your home as possible during the photos. You want your home to appear bright and inviting.
Buyers want to collect as much information as they can in advance of scheduling a showing. Photos that show each room from different angles will help give buyers the information they need to make an appointment to see your home.
4. Clean Absolutely Everything
No buyer wants to see a dirty home. During showings, buyers will open every closet and every drawer, so you need to keep your home in impeccable condition. This means cleaning your home before every showing.
Here is a quick list of things that you will need to clean:
- Wipe down kitchen and bathroom countertops
- Deep clean the insides of all cabinets
- Clean the front and insides of appliances
- Vacuum or wipe down floors
- Dust all shelves and corners
- Make your toilets, tubs, and showers sparkle
- Clean the insides of closets and drawers and make sure there’s no clutter
- Wash the windows inside and out
- Remove scuff marks from walls, baseboards, and doors
- Thoroughly clean the basement and garage
5. Remove Personal Items and Clutter
When buyers are looking at your home, they want to imagine it as their home. You can help this by removing all personal items.
Pack away any photos and awards that are on shelves or your walls. Tuck away toothbrushes, glasses, and other items that you might have out on counters. Remove collections and taste-specific artwork from view.
If you have pets, you’ll also want to make sure your furry friend is kept away from potential buyers as much as possible. Not all people like animals, and being greeted by your pet during a showing can be off-putting or distracting.
If you have a lot of furniture or other clutter, consider putting some items in storage. A more open home will allow buyers to envision their own furniture and belongings in your space.
6. Repaint in Neutral Colors
Repainting your walls may sound like a waste of time and money. After all, won’t buyers simply repaint the walls in the colors of their choosing once they move in?
The problem is that buyers often can’t see past your color choices, particularly if the rooms are bright. Repainting in neutral colors will ensure that the buyer is focused on the room itself and not the color of the walls.
Depending on how many rooms you need to paint, you can either do this yourself or hire a painter. The good news is that paint is relatively inexpensive.
7. Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal
While buyers will be primarily focused on the inside of your house, you want the exterior of your home to be appealing as well. After all, if there is a For Sale sign in your yard, you may attract buyers who aren’t even aware of your online listing.
Curb appeal is an outward sign that you take good care of your home. Buyers will be looking at small details that you may not even notice since you are looking at your home every day.
Ensure that your walkways, hardscapes, and other surfaces are clean. You can use a power washer to remove dirt and grime. Consider replacing any pavers that are broken or uneven.
Make sure that your shrubbery is trimmed and your lawn is kept neat. You could hire a landscaper to do a one-time clean up when you first list your home to get everything looking its best.
You can make small changes to enhance your curb appeal. Flower boxes, new house numbers, and a friendly welcome mat can be very appealing for buyers as they walk up to your house for the first time.
8. Be Flexible With Showings
You never know when a buyer will want to schedule a showing, but you want to be as accommodating as possible. This may mean leaving your house quickly on little notice or having showings that are at less-than-convenient times.
It can be tempting to refuse a showing or suggest another time but try to avoid this as much as possible. You want buyers to have the opportunity to see your home at a time that is convenient for them. You can set some ground rules with a listing agent if there are times when you absolutely cannot do a showing, but try to keep these to a minimum.
Since you may not always have a lot of notice, it is likely that you will need to keep your home in near-pristine condition at all times. You don’t want to be forced to rush through cleaning to prepare for buyers that are arriving in under an hour.
How to Get Your House Sold Fast
The more of these tips you use, the better your chance to sell a house quickly. Every buyer is looking for something different. You want to give potential buyers as many opportunities to fall in love with your home as possible.
If you want a stress-free home sale, you can use an online instant real estate buyer (also known as an iBuyer) and get a cash offer for your home at the click of a button. You can save time and sell your house as-is with no need to spend money making improvements.
