If you have ever put your home up for sale, you know that it is far from an easy process. You’ll also be aware that it can take a long time before you find a buyer that makes you a good offer. Besides these, you also need to spend a lot of money preparing the house by making necessary repairs and staging it for showings to potential buyers.
Not long ago, I, unfortunately, found myself in the position where I wanted to sell my house fast. I did not know how to best go about it and made several mistakes that ended up not getting the cash I desperately needed from the property sale as fast as I could have. However, after I ran into some of the hurdles, I consulted the experts and learned some of the crucial tips that could have helped sell my house quickly— if only I had known about them. Thankfully, these tips soon bore fruits after implementing them. Also, I learned some of the mistakes that should be avoided if I ever want to sell my house fast again in the future.
Crucial things that I picked that helped to sell my house fast
Below are some of the tips I gleaned from experts I consulted that could help any property owner sell their house fast:
Hire the right agent
You do not need to hire a realtor to help you sell your house quickly. If you decide to hire one, you need to get the best one for the job. I wanted to sell my house fast and did not know much about the real estate industry, so I hired a realtor to help me.
Unfortunately, the agent I hired was not that familiar with the property market in my area. The realtor I chose was used to selling commercial properties, not residential properties like mine. As a result, I had to end my contract with the agent after four months without a successful sale.
Set the right price
Are you aware that thousands of houses are on sale, and the sellers compete for the same buyers that may potentially buy your home? This means you have to price your house competitively to attract interested buyers and eventually close the sale. In my case, despite my desire to sell the house fast, I priced my house too high, and this mistake lost me, potential buyers, and it forced me to reduce the price later.
Get a professional photographer.
Many buyers first look for properties online, and they go by the pictures and videos they see of the properties. Therefore, sellers need to post quality photos of their houses to attract potential buyers’ attention. I thought I could just take pictures with my phone camera and post them on property listing sites and sell my house fast, but I was wrong. I learned to attract potential buyers through those sites, you need to hire a professional photographer to take quality photos and videos from various angles to get your home noticed.
Consider selling to cash home buyers.
While many people are used to selling their homes the traditional way — hiring real estate agents, preparing their houses, staging them for buyers to view, negotiating, and closing the sale, you can use another way. You can sell to cash buying companies like Home Flippers, which guarantees a quick sale. I should have used this option in the first place to sell my house fast and had to use it eventually when it took me so long to sell it the conventional way.
If you want to sell your home and avoid any hassle quickly, you should invite cash buyers. Below are some of the advantages of accepting cash offers for your house:
- They buy the property as-is, so you do not have to repair, clean, or improve your house in any way, saving several expenses
- No need to hire a real estate agent, saving you the trouble of looking for the right professional and reducing your selling costs
- No risks of the sale falling through because cash buyers have ready funds and do not rely on loans
- The sale process closes in a short time, even within a week, because once you accept the offer, the buyer takes up all the paperwork and pays you cash as soon as all documents are ready
Repair, clean, and de-personalize your house
When selling your home like I was doing and hoping that I will sell my house fast, you need to give the buyer the ability to visualize themselves in the house as their space after they buy it. To achieve this, you need to de-clutter your home, de-personalize it by removing personal things such as photos, souvenirs, and others, and paint it in neutral colors that could appeal to any person.
Mistakes to avoid if you want to sell your house fast
As I tried to sell my house fast, I learned some of the mistakes that I made and many sellers too, which slowed down the sale. Below are some of them:
Expecting to sell at your asking price
Most buyers expect to negotiate before buying a property. It may be a big mistake to imagine that you will sell your home at your quoted price. If you leave no room for negotiation, you could end up not selling as fast as you wish or even have to lower the price to get a buyer. The smart way to go about it is to set a price that attracts buyers and allows space to negotiate to make them feel like they got a good deal. This is a better option than both under-pricing or overpricing and later slashing the price.
Concealing major faults in your house
As I wanted to sell my house fast, my professional advisors told me that I should either repair any problems or deal with any issues that needed fixing and not hide them. Alternatively, they advised that I could price my home slightly lower than its market value to take care of those problems. This way, I would offer the buyer some credit to fix the issues, which makes them feel better in that I am honest and give them a chance to choose the best way to fix any problems.
Conclusion
Selling a house is no easy process, but if you have read through what I gathered as I tried to sell my house fast, you should overcome all the challenges.
