Let’s say you’ve recently inherited a home or need to move in a hurry. The average home remains listed on the market for a little over two months.
And for as long as your home is on the market, that time won’t be spent sitting around.
Preparing your house for sale requires work both inside and outside the home from advertising, open houses, and possibly working with a realtor. It’s a big time commitment.
If you need to relocate in a jiffy, or are too busy to deal with the massive hassle of selling a home, then it’s in your best interest to get it on the market — and off — as quickly as possible.
Interested in selling fast? These tricks will minimize both your time on the market and the amount of work you’ll need to put into your house for the sale.
1. Hire a Photographer
You’ll probably list your house online. A great set of photos is a potential homebuyer’s first point of entry. They’ll look at the size of rooms, the apparent condition, the curbside appeal — and virtually anything else you could ask of a home.
And if these photos aren’t as flattering as possible, the majority of those potential homebuyers will never catalyze into anything more.
You can expect a photo shoot with a professional real estate photographer to cost anywhere from $100 to $300 dollars. Although it adds to the hassle of selling your house, the high-quality photos are likely to attract more homebuyers and increase the odds of a quick sale.
But you can’t just hire a professional photographer right away. Because you first have to…
2. Clean Your House
Even in our own homes and under the watchful eye of the most exacting clean freaks, clutter is an inevitability. Maybe you inherited some extra furniture or books that have been nestled into a corner in the living room.
Those things need to go.
Paperwork, books, clothes, and any other possessions that are not tactfully placed need to be tucked and hidden away. And unlike when we were children, we can’t simply stuff these things under our beds or into our closets, because homebuyers will be checking these areas too.
To find extra room for all those extra items you’ve purchased over the years, consider renting a storage unit for the items you desire to keep, and getting rid of the rest during a garage sale or donation to charity.
Once the surplus has been removed, you’ll want to dust and polish the floors and furniture, clean the sinks and bathroom tiles, and ensure everything is as spotless as a five-star hotel room.
3. Selling Fast? Then Let It Go
This is to say that it’s time to make your house no longer your own. Homebuyers don’t want to see a house that already feels inhabited. They should be able to imagine living in this space as if it were their own.
Pictures of family or personal photography should be removed entirely. Likewise, expel anything on display that could be even remotely contentious or inflammatory, such as religious symbols, political icons, or even movie and television posters.
4. Time the House Sale
Although houses can be sold year-long on any day of the month, the majority of homebuyers tend to shop at specific times. Naturally, the more homebuyers searching for homes, the less likely your house will be sitting on the market waiting for the right family to snatch it up.
Currently, the best time to sell a house is the beginning of May.
Since a significant amount of houses appear on the market during the summer, there is less competition earlier in the year while homebuyers begin their post-winter search.
Preparing your house for a Spring listing will not only reduce the listing time of your house, but it’s also likely to sell for more than average during this time of the year.
5. Sell to a Real Estate Investor
If this is all beginning to sound like too much work, there are alternatives to personally preparing and selling your home. When selling fast is your main priority, real estate investors are a fantastic option.
Real estate investors generally pay in cash for the amount of your home in its as-is condition. This makes for a quick and surefire way to get a house off your hands with minimal effort.
There’s no need to spend money on preparing your house, or fixing it up yourself, nor are there commission fees.
However, to get the most out of selling your house as-is, you may want to consider repairing some of the most troubling and outdated sections of your home.
6. Be Flexible
Homebuyers want homebuying as fast and easy as you do. If you can’t accommodate them for a convenient and prompt showing, they’ll likely move on to other houses before visiting yours.
Even just a 24-hour notice is enough to dissuade some homebuyers. Be prepared to show off the house as soon as an hour after being contacted. Also know that since most people are off work on weekends, you’ll need to be ready to give up this free time.
The more homebuyers you can accommodate with flexible scheduling, the sooner your house will be purchased and taken off the market.
Ready to Sell Your Home?
Nobody said the traditional method of selling a house was easy. Selling fast requires a significant amount of work and time — but it can pay dividends in peace of mind, especially if you’ve recently inherited a house and just aren’t sure what to do with it.
If you live in the Colorado area and are interested in the ease of selling your house to a real estate investor, read about us and the convenience we can offer.v
