Here are some tips on how to sell your house fast this year.
As most homepwners who need to sell a house you are propbably thinking “How can I sell my house fast for market value and make the most money?
Preparation and understanding are key to selling your house fast. Before you can focus on what to do to sell your house, it’s crucial to first understand buyers. WHY? So you can do what you need to do so they choose YOUR house.
You probably heard of for sale by owner route (FSBO) before. And it might work well for you still if: your house is in a desirable location, in a great shape, and you price it right.
Location is the #1 consideration for buyers. Whether it’s to be close to work, schools, family or some other reason, buyers will only look at houses that are located in areas where they are willing to live.
After buyers narrow down the location they wish to move to, they will then choose houses based on the overall condition. If they are looking for a fixer-upper, they will consider consider houses that could use some attention. If they are looking for a move-in-ready house, they will not look at houses that aren’t move-in-ready.
After buyers have narrowed down houses in the location they want to move, and the condition of a house they are looking for, they will then make their choices based on price. If they think a house is over-priced, that house is typically eliminated from their list of possibilities. It’s a process of elimination based on these 3 main factors.
Homebuyers start their house-hunting online, usually months before they are actually ready to buy a house. While looking online, they form opinions of the houses, and those opinions determine which ones they decide to see in person. The following 5 items play a large role in which houses they ultimately choose to look at and consider buying. Therefore, it is important to incorporate, at a minimum, the following items into your home-selling strategy…
Thorough online marketing
High quality, hi-definition photos
Video marketing
Home Staging
Posts on a large variety of social media platforms
If that sounds like too much work for you you can work with an experienced real estate agent near you . Having a great real estate agent work for you will halp you accomplish these 3 important things when selling a house: price it correctly, have a great onine listing and market to attract the most buyers to your home, advise on the repairs, cleaning, or staging if needed.
Here are more detailed points of what your realtor can do:
1. Priced to Sell
What does “priced to sell” mean? The price to sell meaning is this…it’s choosing the list price that will bring the most number of buyers to see your house. You want to attract as many buyers as possible, and the price you choose will either bring buyers through your door, or keep them away. The more buyers there are who see your house, the better your chances of receiving offers. This is a major factor in selling a house fast, the price must be right. Sometimes, a real estate agent will suggest a price too low. It’s not because you REALTOR® wants to sell your house for less that it’s worth, it’s to attract buyers who might end up competing for your house. Knowing and understanding how to price real estate is a strategy that can actually help your house sell for more.
The asking price vs selling price can be two different prices. Houses list for a certain price. That’s the price you see when searching for houses. It’s called the “list price”. The selling price in real estate can be different. The “selling price is what a house actually ends up selling for. It can be lower, higher, or the same as the list price.
Today’s home buyers start their research months before they are ready to go look at houses. By the time they are ready, they have a very clear idea of what houses are worth. The massive quantities of online information educate buyers way in advance. By the time they are ready to start looking at houses, they have a clear idea of which ones are overpriced. Worse yet, they will not even look at the ones that are overpriced!
Overpriced homes simply do not sell. They sit on the market with few showings and no offers. Eventually, the list price gets reduced until it is at the price that buyers think is right. One of the most difficult thing for homeowners to understand is that they don’t set the price, the market sets the price. A house will only sell for what a buyer thinks it is worth.
Overpriced homes also do not appraise. Regardless of the list price, the house must always appraise when a buyer is obtaining a mortgage. If your house is overpriced, you may need to reduce your price due to the low appraisal.
How to pice your house to sell fast: Compare your property to similar properties that recently sold within your area to get a better idea of it’s true value. Do not really on the automated home value estimates that are offered on Zillow and other websites. This is where a professional comes in handy. An experienced Maryland real estate agent can prepare a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) that will provide an accurate value of your home.
2. Have a Great Online Listing
What are listings? A listing is an agreement that represents the right of a real estate agent or Broker to handle the sale of real property and to receive a fee or commission for services. Since buyers look online, having a great online presence is very important. It’s imperative your house show up online for buyers to find when they are doing their online home search. What makes a good listing? The description of your home should be well-written. The pictures should be clear, accurate, and show your house (both inside and outside) at its best. This is not the time for blurry or dark photos, or photos with clutter in the rooms. If buyers don’t like what they see online, they will not make an appointment to look at your house. Your listing needs to attract as many buyers as possible.
3. Make Curb Appeal Count
The exterior of your house is the first things potential buyers see. Many of today’s buyers actually drive past homes before they decide to make an appointment to see it. If they don’t like what they see, there is a good chance they will not make an appointment. The buyers who do make an appointment form an impression the moment they park their car. Has the grass been mowed? Has any landscaping been maintained? Have weeds been eliminated? Is the mailbox in good condition, or in need of painting or replacement? Is the front door and hardware appealing? In general, is the exterior inviting and making the buyer excited to see the inside? This is your first real chance to entice buyers, curb appeal matters! It is definitely worth sprucing up the exterior to bring buyers inside.
4. Make Sure Your House is Clean
When buyers walk through the door, clean and odor-free is also very important. Dirty houses leave bad impressions. Clean houses sell. Carpet should be vacuumed and free of stains. Other floors should be swept and mopped. Furnishings should be free of dust and debris. Windows should be clean and clear of spots. Don’t have time to clean? An option is to consider hiring someone to do it for you. Yes, maintaining clean 24 hours a day while your house is for sale is a chore, but one that is well worth it.
5. Make Your House Accessible
Today’s buyers work a variety of schedules: weekdays, nights, weekends, and even holidays. They want to look at homes at their convenience, during days and times that work with their schedules. Making your house accessible 7 days a week, from morning until evening, is the best way to accommodate all home buyers. Plan in advance where you might go when showings are scheduled. Buyers will always be accompanied by their agent, and they want to freely view your home without you being there. You will sell your house faster when it is easy for buyer’s agents to schedule showings.
6. Stage Your House
Buyers want to envision themselves living in your house. Staging helps with that vision. Many professional stagers offer free or low cost consultations. Don’t want to consult a professional? Stage with your own furniture and decor, with the help of your real estate agent. Store or discard furnishings that take up too much space. Give buyers a better idea of how big every room is and how it can be used by staging and creating space. Make the buyer feel at home while touring your house.
7. Remove All Personal Decor
Remove personal photos and collectibles. Buyers feel uncomfortable in your house if it is too personalized to you. Buyers want to imagine themselves living there. Personal decor makes them feel like they are “just visiting”. Removing all personal decor allows buyers to have an easier time imagining themselves living there.
8. Declutter
Decluttering is so important. It is so easy to accumulate things over the years. Clutter makes a house appear unorganized. Clutter takes up space. Clutter does not make a house show well. Ultimately, clutter makes a house look smaller than it is. Since you will need to pack up to move anyway, get a head start by removing all clutter. Store what you need in a storage unit, and discard the rest.
9. Fix What Needs To Be Fixed
If any repairs are needed, do it before listing your house for sale. The more repairs that are needed, the less likely a buyer will want your house. Many buyers simply don’t want to deal with the cost or work involved in doing repair work. Today’s buyers want to move in and live their lives.
Additionally, most buyers have a home inspection completed as a condition of buying a house. The home inspector will find anything that needs to be repaired or replaced. Then, you may be required to have a licensed contractor or other licensed professional complete the work.
Finally, a buyer may not be approved for a mortgage if anything major needs to be repaired. Different types of mortgage loans have different requirements. Some loans will not be approved if certain things do not function properly.
10. Choose the Right Real Estate Agent
Choosing the right real estate agent is the most important decision you can make. A great Realtor® makes all the difference in selling your home fast. The right agent will know how to market your house to the right buyers and to the right areas. A great real estate agent will use creative marketing strategies. Anyone can put a sign in a yard and make some flyers. A superb agent will work with you to make sure your needs are met, while providing helpful advice to get potential buyers in your door and get your house sold faster.
Sell house fast to a cash buyer
But there are situations when selling a house to a cash buyer will benefit you the most, such as: if you are going through a probate or already inherited property that needs work but you don't want to fix it up and pay holding costs, moving out of state due to job relocation and don't have time to wait for a traditional sale, maybe facig foreclosure or lost a job and can't afford your mortgage, maybe had a fire or water damage and don't want to deal with fixing the issue, maybe you just downsizing or retiring and want a simple sale without many strangers going to your house, maybe you don't want to pay the realtor's commission and fees. Whatever your situation might be having an investor who buys houses in any condition and situation might be a great solution to help you sell your house fast and easy.
If the quick, easy cash sale of your home is the route you want - simply fill this form today for a no-obligation cash offer for your house.
