If your house is on the market, it can be a stressful time. There are showings, keeping the house clean, and hiding the clutter to worry about. You probably want to sell it sooner rather than later, so if you want to speed up the process, here are 30 tips for selling your house fast.
Why isn’t my house selling?
If your house isn’t selling for some reason, you’ll have to determine why. Maybe there’s something wrong with the house that is scaring potential buyers away. Or, maybe your asking price isn’t competitive or reasonable. The main thing to know is that there is something that is not pulling people in and closing the deal. These are tried-and-true suggestions that will ensure your home sells quickly and for a great price! Let’s get started…
Boost your curb appeal
Your front yard should be clean and inviting. Plant fresh flowers or plant some small trees. Make sure that your yard is mowed, and make sure there are no trash cans out on the curb. A hanging basket on the front porch is another way to entice buyers in their search.
Your home should look beautiful from the street and scream to buyers, “You have to see what’s inside!” The idea here is that people passing by want to see more of what you have to offer. After all, if the outside looks amazing on the outside, they can’t wait to see what else is on the inside.
Do not underestimate the power of a home’s exterior. An ugly house on the outside can deter potential buyers, as many buyers judge the book by its cover.
Clean and declutter
Space sells; clutter doesn’t.
Before you let another person check out your house, have everything picked up and put away. Be sure to deep clean your home, dust every room, and make it look tidy. Get some moving boxes and put everything in them that you don’t need until you move.
Not only is clutter unpleasant for buyers, but it makes your house appear smaller than it is. Messes and clutter can distract buyers from the beauty of your home.
Real estate is all about selling the vision and potential, not how you currently live.
Get our house cleaning checklist and our home decluttering checklist if you need to work from a list.
Remove the personal items.
We all love photos of our own family and our trips, but buyers don’t.
If you have memorabilia or family photos up, take them down before buyers come through your doors. They don’t want to feel like they are intruding in your life by looking at pictures of your kids on the fridge or school report cards on the wall.
Wait until after the final bid, and then you can put them back up, or leave them packed because you are moving soon.
Fix everything that’s broken
You know all those little things you never get around to fixing?
Like the door handle, the light switch in the laundry room, or the knob on your dresser that won’t turn any more?
It’s time to fix them.
You should have a running list of everything in your house that is broken or doesn’t work correctly. Before the next showing, make sure you fix anything and everything that might be a problem for those viewing your home.
After all, you don’t want them to see the light switch and think that it will never turn off. You want your house to appear as they could move right in, and you want them to think that there’s nothing wrong with it.
Do any quick repairs
Quick repairs can help sell your house faster.
This includes installing a new sink faucet, getting that stink out of the basement, and replacing those burnt-out light bulbs.
These quick fixes can drastically reduce your time on the market and bring in more buyers.
If you don’t do these minor things it deters potential buyers; they begin to think that if you didn’t take care of the little things, what does it mean for the big things. This doubt can quickly make your buyers run for the hills.
Any major renovations can be left unless your experienced real estate agent thinks it could be the reason for hindering the sale.
Put on a fresh coat of paint
Painting the walls white or off-white (hint: paint is cheaper than wallpaper) can help sell your house faster.
Neutral colors like grey, beige and blue make rooms look larger, reflecting light better than darker shades.
Purge the closets
When was the last time you cleaned out or organized your closets?
If it has been a while, it might be time to take everything out for a good cleaning before selling your house. That way, you can show buyers how much storage space you have.
You absolutely must deep clean your closets and storage areas (even the garage) before inviting prospective buyers over to see your house; otherwise, they can tell (and smell) that you never clean out anything, and it gives them a bad feeling about buying your home.
Don’t let this happen!
Get an air freshener
The first thing buyers will notice when they come to see your home? The smell. Unless you have one of those fancy air fresheners, chances are your house smells like you and the rest of the family. That’s not something that most people want to smell.
Remember, you are selling the idea of a fantastic home; smelling last night’s liver and onions probably isn’t on a buyer’s list of best new home smells.
Have some air fresheners around the house (cookie smell does wonders were told) to ensure it smells clean and fresh when you show it to people. Open the windows and let in the fresh air and natural light; it gives a freshness to the house that can appeal to your buyers.
And throw out the trash before they get there too!
Make your house more appealing
Instead of throwing a bunch of stuff in the garage, get rid of it!
You want to make sure that you have enough space for your cars, but also for potential buyers to look around. Have a yard sale or give things away on Craigslist so you can sell your house faster.
You want them to be able to move in easily, so get rid of anything unnecessary for the house being sold; garage sales are a great way to start this process moving quickly.
Related: House Showing Checklist: Everything You Need to Do Before Selling
Get an appraisal and a home inspection
If your house has been on the market for some time, buyers may begin to wonder what is wrong with it.
To get over this hurdle, it’s a good idea to get an appraisal on a home inspection done before you start showing the house.
This can alleviate a lot of buyers’ fears and can help sell your house faster.
Find the best real estate agent in your area
When you want to sell your house fast, it’s crucial to have a real estate agent who will get the job done. Look for a few different agents and compare their results before deciding on one. Make sure they are part of the National Association of realtors and do some due diligence on them.
Ask about how they were able to sell other homes in your area, what buyers they attract, if the homes went above the listing price, and how long it took them to close. Know their track record and if they have a list of buyers to sell your house fast. If they are a selling agent, see if they have a buyer’s agent on the team with buyers that you can sell quickly to.
Hire a professional photographer
Hiring a professional photographer can help you sell your house fast.
A good picture of your property is the first impression buyers have, so the photos must be great. If you want to save some money, take some photos yourself with high-quality cameras and smartphone apps.
But hire a professional if you can! Professional photos are great for real estate sales as they showcase the house in the best possible light.
Write a great listing description
Next to hiring a photographer, the other way you can help your house sell fast is by writing a great listing description.
A good real estate agent should post all of the necessary information, but it helps to add details that might attract buyers, like complimenting any renovations or selling points of the property. Be aware that anything negative about the house could turn off potential homebuyers.
Be open with showings
The customer is king. In this case, the customer is anyone wanting to see your house. Be open to showings unless you have a very strict routine or your home is in terrible condition.
Let buyers have the chance to see the property when it’s convenient for them. Open houses are a great way to have many buyers come through fast, but most serious buyers will want to see a house a few times.
Be prepared
Showings can happen on short notice, so be ready.
Make sure that when people come to see your house, everything is spotless and ready for them. You don’t want people to walk in and think you’ve got a mess.
Experienced agents will advise you to live in your house like it’s a show home for a few weeks and clean up any messes immediately.
Stage the house to show its best qualities
Real estate agents do this all the time. Get your house in order to have a successful sale. In other words, clean it up and bring out its best qualities.
Remove any old and dated furniture and bring in some newer pieces so that the rooms show the best. There are lots of tips for staging a house for sale. Make sure you take advantage of them.
Tip: Rent furniture if you don’t have any extra pieces to help stage your house for an open house.
Have an open house
One of the best ways you can sell your home fast is by hosting an open house. Because it is likely that several people will see your home when they host an open house, it can be a quick way for them to see your proper without committing to a realtor.
Check out comparable homes
If you are in a hot market and your house is not selling quickly, it’s a good idea to check out comparable homes in the local market.
This can be a great way to get inside knowledge on how your property is valued, and if the price is too high, you may want to consider lowering it. This will attract more buyers and speed up the sale of your house.
Sell in an off-peak season
Everyone knows that in some places, winter is a slow time for real estate, and spring and summer are the best times to sell a house.
If you really need to sell quickly, it’s a good idea to think about selling in an off-peak season. This means less competition for buyers and more interest in your home as people try to get into new places before the busy seasons hit again.
Ask for an all-cash offer for your home
Homes sell for cash more often than you think. Even in a slower housing market, homes can sell in a matter of days when there are motivated, all-cash buyers who want the home and don’t have to wait for a mortgage contingency or appraisal. A cash buyer can swoop in quickly and buy your place if you want to sell quickly.
An owner can also opt to finance the sale instead so they will not have to pay closing costs.
Advertise on all of the most popular real estate websites
Make sure you’re taking advantage of online resources to sell your house fast.
Websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com are great for letting buyers see all the information they want about your property at their fingertips. You can save thousands of dollars by simply cutting out the estate agent fee!
There are a lot of free websites that can help advertise your house to a worldwide audience for low or no cost. In fact, the more people that see your home for sale, the more likely it will have an offer before you know it.
Inform friends and family
Let them know about the property by sending them information on what they need to know.
Let everyone know about the property you are selling by sending them flyers or other printed advertisements.
Make it easy for people to see your house.
Post plenty of photos of your home online and have an open house with snacks. Make it convenient for people to come by and see your house as often as possible so you can get as many offers as possible.
Use social media
Use your social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to reach out to friends and family members for help with selling your house. You can ask them to share the ad on their social media platforms.
Offer seller financing
Many people will still think about buying a house even though they don’t have all the money upfront. If this is the case, consider offering seller financing where you will finance the purchase of your home.
This may only work to your advantage in a brisk housing market because there are many buyers looking for homes to buy.
Sell to a wholesaler
Another option for a quick sale of your house is to sell to a wholesaler.
A house flipper, for example, will give you cash for your home as-is without making any repairs. The flip side is that the investment group may only offer you a price even though they are able to sell it to investors with rehab budgets who can pay more.
Sell to an iBuyer
There are several iBuyers out there that are buying up homes for sale. They use tech to assess and buy homes instantly.
They are good because they can make an offer on your home in as little as 48 hours and offer a fair price.
If your main goal is to sell your place as fast as possible, an iBuyer can buy your house fast if it meets their criteria.
Put up signs
These often get forgotten. If you are selling via the for sale by owner route, put “For Sale” signs in front of your property and at the end of the road with a contact number so people can see you are selling quickly.
The best thing you can do to sell your home quickly is be patient.
If you wait, the right buyer will find it. This may not happen immediately but rest assured, if you are patient, it will happen for you!
Dramatically reduce your price.
Many sellers tend to price their homes higher than what they should be so they will attract more attention from buyers and other agents. The problem with this, however, is it can slow down the time it takes to sell your home as well as discouraging buyers.
If your house isn’t selling, it may be time to drop the price.
You can’t argue with the market, and if there are no buyers in your price range or they are looking for more, then dropping your house price is a surefire way to sell your house faster.
Take a look at comparable houses in the market and undercut them by a few thousand or a percentage of the price.
A fast sale isn’t guaranteed when you offer a price reduction, but it doesn’t hurt your chances of your home selling fast.
Final thoughts on the fastest way to sell a house
If you read through all of these ways to sell a house and you’re still wondering where to start, hire a real estate agent that knows how to make your house sell faster. Whether that’s analyzing the buyers’ search, lowering the price of a short sale, or other things, getting your house on the open market at a fair price point will help ensure that your house sells quickly.