Picture this; you’ve received a job offer or an unexpected relocation situation. So, you need to sell your home fast. Selling a home swiftly requires a well-thought-out plan and a series of strategic steps that can make all the difference. Worry no more if you’re stuck and don’t know where to begin. This article covers ten tips you should follow to get a fast offer for your home. Let’s dive in!
1. Hire and Collaborate With a Real Estate Agent
Hiring a real estate agent is one way to get a fast offer on your home. A real estate agent is a licensed professional who helps people buy, sell or rent properties. They handle all the paperwork you need to complete the deal. You need documents such as the listing contract, title deed, and tax information to sell your home. To avoid messing up while filling out the documents, it’s best to seek help from an expert.
An agent also has the best marketing skills, expertise, and experience to ensure your home gets a new owner soonest. They use new, tested, and tried digital marketing strategies and real estate platforms to enhance the visibility of your home. According to the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials, there are over three million active real estate licensees in the U.S. With such high numbers, how do you find the best real estate agent?
Start by searching for a ‘real estate agent near me’ online. You’ll get a list of licensed agents near your location. Local real estate agents are familiar with local market trends and can offer tailored advice.
Next, read online reviews and seek recommendations from family and friends. Narrow your search to the best agents according to experience, successful deal closures, and affordability. Interview the potential agents to gauge their experience and knowledge of the specific market. Ensure you state your goals and preferences to help them guide you toward a fast and successful home offer process.
2. Set the Right Price
If you want to sell your home on a fast offer, be cautious about how you price it. You should know the value of your home. According to the National Association of Realtors, the value of single-family homes in the U.S. increased by 8.6% between 2021 and 2022 to hit 398,500.
You need to keep up with the latest value estimates to avoid undervaluing your home. Conversely, you’ll have difficulty attracting potential buyers if you overvalue your home. Luckily, your real estate agent can help you do a home appraisal to determine the true value. Essentially, they assess the condition of your home to establish its value.
That said, there’s a trick to selling your home quickly. You can set your home’s price below a typical market value, ideally by 5%, to attract multiple offers. If you don’t receive offers within a certain period, consider lowering the price a bit further.
Another tip to consider when setting the price for your home is the pricing points. People who want to buy a house online indicate their price range. For example, if they don’t want to spend more than $400,000 on a home, they’ll only search for houses below that amount. For instance, if you price your home for $401,000, you’ll miss out on the buyers looking for homes below $400 000. To avoid this, list your home’s price for $399,999 to appear in more results.
3. Clean Out Clutter and Depersonalize
Potential buyers envision themselves in the spaces when they enter your house. However, that vision can quickly blur if your house isn’t at its best. To avoid this problem, start by clearing clutter and depersonalizing your space. Ensure you clean the house thoroughly. Some key places to clean when your house is on offer are inside cabinets, bathroom counters, shower doors, windows, the basement, and the garage.
Declutter each room by removing unnecessary items and organizing your belongings. For example, you can donate your clothes to a charity organization or sell the items on sites like thredUp and eBay. Decongesting your house gives an illusion of more space, a major selling point.
Depersonalizing your space is also important. Remove family photos or personal items to avoid distracting the buyers. Instead, opt for natural decor and artwork that matches the theme of your home. You’ll get a fast offer for your home that will surprise you.
Decluttering isn’t a cakewalk, though – it’s overwhelming, especially if you’ve to handle other activities such as relocation. For this reason, you should contact a house cleaning service to do the job for you. These experts have the right equipment to clean your home, leaving it sparklingly clean and organized.
4. Spruce Up Your Space
When aiming for a fast offer, the key lies in sprucing up your living space. A well-maintained and visually appealing home is likely to attract the attention of buyers. But how do you spruce up your home?
For beginners, focus on the wall. Well-designed walls scream, ‘buy me.’ There isn’t a better way to spruce up your walls than having professional home painting services freshly paint your walls. Choose neutral colors to allow potential buyers to envision their style and furnishings. Bring in an expert drywall contractor to enhance your wall’s durability and resistance to elements.
Replacing the hardware is yet another way to spruce up your space. Consider changing the doorknobs, handles, cabinets, and drawers. Swapping outdated hardware elevates the appearance of your home and makes it look new.
Remember to pay attention to the flooring. Consider refinishing hardwood floors or replacing worn-out carpets. Clean and well-cared-for floors create an inviting atmosphere that buyers will appreciate.
You can also take advantage of natural light to enhance the ambiance of your house. Ensure curtains are properly positioned to allow sunlight to filter inside the room. Use Pinterest or YouTube to get more ideas on elevating your living space.
5. Boost Curb Appeal
According to Virginia Tech, a home with good landscaping and curb appeal will boost sales by 5.5%-12.7%. This is why you should work on boosting your home’s curb appeal for a fast offer. For instance, strategic tree pruning is an effective way to enhance your property’s exterior charm. Well-pruned trees open the space, allowing natural light to showcase your property’s features. Once you’re done with tree pruning, consider enlisting the help of a local junk removal service to dispose of the waste safely and in an eco-friendly way.
Piles of debris, old furniture, and unused items can negatively affect your home’s curb appeal. A junk remover clears away the mess, thus creating a sense of a well-maintained outdoor environment. You can boost your home’s curb appeal by freshly painting your door to create an excellent first impression.
6. Do Quick Repairs
If you want a fast offer for your home, you won’t have time to take care of major renovations. Visible issues easily turn off potential buyers, so fixing them can increase your chances of getting a fast offer. Inspect your property, focusing on leaky faucets, squeaky doors, and bathroom fixtures. Also, inspect your roofing to check for missing shingles or leaks. Additionally, you should repair cracked tiles, holes, and chipped paint.
Moreover, ensure your home’s electrical and plumbing systems are in order. Check outlets, switches, and fixtures and ensure they function optimally. Fix leaks and water damage for a safe environment. Addressing these concerns highlights your home’s maintenance and readiness for its next owner. Additionally, conduct a home heating and cooling inspection to ensure they function properly.
Prioritizing quick repairs when selling your home offers multiple advantages. It creates a strong first impression, accelerates the sale process, and positions your property competitively in the market. A well-maintained home increases property value, attracts a wider pool of buyers, and minimizes negotiation hurdles.
7. Advertise Effectively
You should apply effective marketing strategies to get a fast offer for your home. If you don’t capitalize on online platforms, you’ll miss out big time. First, list your home in online real estate apps like Zillow and Griffin. Also, advertise on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. By the end of 2022, Facebook was the biggest social media platform and the most used by marketers. According to Sprout Social, most consumers find a perfect product via targeted ads compared to organic posts and social media research.
Next, craft a standing-out property listing; describe your home and the upgrades or improvements you’ve made over time. You should accompany the description with high-resolution photographs that showcase your home’s best features. According to PhotoUp, property listings with high-quality photographs sell 50% faster and increase views by 118%.
Designing and printing marketing collateral is another way to advertise your home. Postcards, brochures, and sales flyers can add interest to your listing and give potential buyers more information about your property. The whole point is to use the most exquisite design features as your selling points.
Host an open house to provide interested buyers with first-hand property experience. Promote the open house by listing the details of your availability on the online listing platforms. You can also get a quick sale through word-of-mouth marketing. For example, you can contact your contacts via emails and calls to spread the word about your property’s availability. Remember, the price indicated on your marketing materials can make or break your sale deal. A house appraisal company ensures your pricing is accurate and competitive to align your listing price with the market value.
8. Host Successful Open House Showings
If you have already hired a real estate agent to sell the house for you, you can leave them to conduct the open house tour. However, if you prefer a For Sale By Owner route, you should avail yourself during the open house visit. Hosting an open house comes with a lot of advantages.
To begin with, it attracts a wide range of potential customers, gathers real-time feedback, and streamlines showings. Hosting an open house competition also spurs competition and helps build trust. But how do you conduct a successful open house showing for a fast offer?
Conducting a successful open house showing requires a balanced approach of professionalism and sociability. Start by warmly welcoming each guest, fostering a positive atmosphere that encourages engagement. Avoid hosting an open house solo for safety – having a colleague or agent present enhances security. Implement a sign-in sheet to keep track of attendees and maintain a record for follow-up.
During the presentation, offer an informative sheet about the property. It ensures every visitor leaves with essential details even if you can’t speak to them personally. Lastly, diligently follow up with attendees, addressing any queries and gauging their interest. This comprehensive strategy maximizes your open house’s impact and enhances your chances of securing potential buyers.
9. Make Your Deal Irresistible
You must sweeten the deal to get a fast offer for your home. Make the buyer believe they can’t get such an offer elsewhere. To make your deal irresistible to the buyer, consider a few strategic steps that will set your offer apart.
First, offer to cover all closing costs to ease the financial burden of the buyer and make your offer appealing. Secondly, you can offer a transferable home warranty. The warranty instills confidence in the buyer by covering potential repair costs.
Thirdly, you can accommodate the buyer’s move-out and move-in schedule preferences; this demonstrates flexibility and willingness to satisfy their needs. You can also agree to conduct all inspections to provide assurance and build trust in the transaction. If there are concerns, agree to pay for their resolution to eliminate potential obstacles.
To reinforce the irresistibility of your deal, create a sense of urgency. Set a clear timeframe for accepting offers or hosting a limited-time promotion. This encourages potential buyers to act quickly, knowing they might miss out on a fantastic opportunity if they delay.
Lastly, emphasize the potential for future growth and investment. Highlight any upcoming developments, infrastructure projects, or neighborhood improvements that could positively impact the property’s value. Demonstrating a keen understanding of the local market trends and prospects can make your deal all the more compelling to buyers.
10. Consider Giving a Cash Offer to Sell Your House Fast
A cash offer is your best option if your goal is to get a fast offer for your home. Do cash offers actually work? The answer is yes; according to an ATTOM analysis, all-cash purchases in the U.S. rose by almost 12% from the third quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2021.
To give context, a cash offer involves the buyer purchasing your property without financing, such as a mortgage. In most cases, the buyers have proceeds from selling their previous home. Also, if the competition is stiff, they might want to give cash offers to stand out.
The advantage is that this model doesn’t attract any fall-through risk. As a result, you benefit from faster closing time because no delays are associated with sorting out insurance and title policy. According to Redfin, you might close the deal in two weeks. An expedited process sounds good, right?
On the flip side, you should be aware of potential downsides. Accepting a cash offer could mean agreeing to a lower sale price, as cash buyers often seek a discount in exchange for convenience. So be sure to weigh your options.
In conclusion, selling your house doesn’t have to be tiresome. Following the tips outlined in this article will expedite the process and achieve a quick sale. Here’s to your journey on a quick offer and new beginnings.
