The housing market is unpredictable and it can be difficult for even the best experts to foresee how quickly a house is likely to sell. Your home could be sold within a matter of days of being listed or spend months or even years before getting the right offer.
However, there are some steps that you can take to make your property more attractive to potential buyers. The more potential your house has, the more likely it is to sell quickly.
Follow these expert tips to help you sell your house faster while ensuring that you get the best offers:
1. Repair, Renovate, Remodel
A house that is in bad repair is likely to attract fewer potential buyers. Buyers are looking for properties where they can just move in or where there is minimum work to be done before the property meets with their requirements. Older homes may also benefit from a renovation or remodel in order to bring it up to date with current trends.
Get advice from a home renovation expert or interior designer to find out what changes you should make in order for the property to be a more attractive prospect for potential buyers. Make sure that the money that you invest in repairs, a remodel or renovations will be worth the return in profits that you earn from the sale. You don’t want to be out of pocket because you have renovated your home in order to sell it faster.
2. Know Your Market
Think about who is most likely to buy your home. If you have a 1 bedroom, semi-detached house close to a business hub, it is more suitable to a bachelor or a young, professional couple. A 3 bedroom home in the suburbs would however be much better suited to a family.
Understanding your specific market will help target potential buyers better through your various listings and marketing campaigns. You can focus on features that would meet the requirements of your target market and promote these. This will attract more viable potential buyers and eliminate time wasters who just want to look and have no intention of buying.
However, it is also important not to target your property out of a potential market. Always allow your marketing to address a variety of markets, especially investors who have a different set of factors that they take into account when acquiring a new property.
3. Pet Un-Friendly
Recent surveys have shown that potential home buyers are less likely to buy a house that has pets in residence. Even those who are animal lovers and are dedicated to their own pets don’t want to buy a house that has had pets living there. The reason for this is unclear but it can limit the selling potential of your home and mean that it stays on the market waiting for the right buyer to come along.
So pack away all that pet paraphernalia and clean up your garden and home so that there is no evidence of pets in residence. Send your pets away for a short vacation to stay with friends, relatives or at a pet hotel. While most pet owners will hate the idea of sending their pets away, this may actually also be in the best interest of the pet. Viewings and the selling/ moving process can be extremely stressful on an animal and it may be best for their health and well-being. Make sure that your pets are not around on show days or viewings by appointment.
4. Show-House Ready
Get your home ship-shape and looking just like the photos in those posh real estate catalogues. Get rid of all the clutter and take down the family photos. Pack away knick knacks and personal items. Clean your house from top to bottom so that it looks like new. Take out any furniture and decor items that are in disrepair or simply outdated and unattractive.
You might want to rent a storage unit to hold all your personal items while your house is on the market. You may also want to get some advice from an interior decorator regarding the best placement of furniture, ornaments and very importantly, lighting. You can even go the extra mile and hire new, modern furniture items to get your home show-house ready. It is preferable to take these steps before taking photos that will be placed on a listing.
5. Your Listing
You may want to consider getting some professional help when listing your property. The wording is extremely important and needs to attract the attention of potential buyers while outlining the features of the property in the best way possible. However, a picture speaks a thousand words so have professional shots taken of the exterior and interior of the property.
Include a floor plan of the house in your listings. This gives potential buyers a realistic impression of the flow and different spaces in the home. They will also have access to exact measurements so that they can see exactly whether the property will meet with their requirements. Recent research has shown that potential buyers are much more likely to view properties that have a floor plan included in the listing. It also helps eliminate time wasters to allow you to sell your home faster.
6. Be Flexible
Don’t get stuck on a figure, a certain type of buyer or the details of the sales transaction. The more flexible you are and willing to compromise, the more likely you are to sell your property fast. So be willing to negotiate with potential buyers whether this is with regards to price or any other concessions that you can make to get that offer and finalise the deal faster.
It is also a good idea to look at alternative house selling solutions. There are a multitude of house-buying companies that will buy your home quickly with the aim to renovate it and resell it at a profit. This is a great option to sell your house fast and avoid doing expensive and time consuming repairs and remodelling although you may need to compromise on your selling price.
