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The 5 Essential Tips On Selling Your Home Quick!

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The 5 Essential Tips On Selling Your Home Quick!

Essential Tips On Selling Your Home Quick!

Selling your home can sometimes be a lengthy process but by using these easy and inexpensive tips, y

 

 

Selling your home is a different experience for everyone.

The average home stays on the market for 68 days. Clearly, some people sell their homes quickly with no problems. However, other people can wait for years for a sale to go through.

The question is, what makes the difference?

Is it luck? Is it the market? Or is it all about strategy?

Well, honestly, the answer is probably a little of all three. However, even though luck and the current market play large roles in selling your home, having a good strategy is most important.

If you want to sell your home quickly, follow along for an in-depth look at 5 essential strategic tips from the experts! 

1. Keep it Clean

It seems overly simple, right? Keep a house clean to sell it fast - no problem.

However, it may surprise you how unclean many people’s idea of "clean" really is. If you're planning on selling your home fast, you may need to redefine what the word "clean" means to you.

Move Out

The easiest way to clean your home is by moving out of it. Most people have way too much stuff already. When you're cleaning with the intent of selling your home, it quickly becomes apparent that as long as you live there, cleaning will be a full-time job.

People like the homey feel of a well-made bed or a set dining table when perusing through homes for sale. However, they don't like seeing a bathtub that's still wet from your morning shower or garbage can half full of toilet  

We know moving can be a pain, but if you're selling your home, the sooner you move out, the better. 

Get the Scents That Make Sense

Odors are another make it or break it factor when selling your home. Obviously, bad odors related to pets, sewage, mold, and last night's fish dinner are turn-offs for home buyers. 

You really want to saturate your home with scents that suggest cleanliness and freshness. Some people swear by the "fresh-baked cookie" smell. However, experts know that citrus, herbs, vanilla, and pine scents work better.

Make Minor Repairs

Don't break the budget, you're selling your home to make money, after all. Make small, inexpensive repairs throughout your home that make it feel more put together.

For example, broken doorknobs, cracked trim, faded paint, and leaky pipes should all be taken care of. Anything that stands out to a potential buyer and says "you'll need to fix me if you move in" needs to go away. 

Now, unless it's an inspection red flag, don't spend thousands of dollars replacing floors, knocking down walls, or anything else. 

Leave No Signs of Pets

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the more you can erase any sign that pets ever existed at or near your home, the better off you'll be. 

Home buyers have been known to be completely sold on a home until they saw a litter box. Then, suddenly, all they could smell was cat litter and they wanted to go look at other places. 

Don't sabotage yourself. As far as anyone is concerned, you don't even know what a pet is.

2. Make It Feel Inviting

Now that you've moved out, it's time to move fake stuff in! This may sound a little anti-intuitive, however, it's vital!

You must move out so your home doesn't feel lived in. However, if it's completely empty, it may come off feeling cold and uninviting. You need to stage your home!

Furniture

If your furniture is nice and you can live without it, for now, leave some of it staged in your home. This gives people the opportunity to see what rooms will feel like with their stuff in it, rather than trying to imagine it with an empty room.

If you don't have nice furniture, ratty old couches and chairs will have the opposite effects and you may consider hiring a home stager.

Lighting

People love brightly lit rooms. More specifically, people love sun-lit rooms. Open up all of your blinds and curtains and let the sunlight pour in.

Well-lit spaces feel happier and warmer. Modify with lamps and other types of lighting if windows aren't an option. Just don't leave any rooms dark.

Colors

If you have any wildly painted rooms, selling your home means it is time to repaint these rooms. Keep base colors neutral so your house appeals to everyone, not just people who like the bright purple you painted the guest room.

Leaving small, bold color pops in places is okay and can even add an aesthetic appeal to a room. Just remember to use bold colors conservatively.

Decor

Speaking of bold colors, the decor is the area you can apply a few more of them. Once again, remember that bold colors go a long way, so don't get carried away.

Use sophisticated, yet engaging decor throughout the house. No motel art and nothing too niche.

3. Capitalize on Curb Appeal

Pop quiz! What's the first impression people have of your home?

If you answered "the exterior of the home," you're correct.

People love pulling up to their potential new home. They imagine how they'd feel coming home after a long day of work, all the decorating and landscaping they'd do, etc.

You want to capitalize on this tender moment of theirs and pull them in. Curb appeal is what makes people want to see more!

Exterior Paint and Siding

Depending on the condition of the exterior of your home, you may consider repainting the outside. Hopefully, your home doesn't require residing, as some lenders won't allow buyers to place an offer on your house without repairs.

Assuming you don't need residing, repainting can freshen up the look and make things appear much cleaner and buyer-friendly.

Roofing

If you're selling your home and it needs a new roof, you'll either need to lower the price or cough up the dough for a new one.

Once again, some lenders require the roof to pass an inspection before they'll give a loan to buyers. 

Lawn and Garden

Having a nice clean yard with lush green grass will do wonders for you when you're selling your home. However, if that isn't an option, there are still things you can do.

If you choose to spend the money, you can lay sod. However, if you can't do that either, just make sure your yard is clean and well-cared for.

Get rid of any debris, junk, weeds, or overgrown plant life. 

4. Be Smart

Telling people trying to sell their home to be smart may come off as condescending, but we don't mean it that way. Being smart when selling your home simply means being aware of the market, the condition of your home, and keeping a realistic outlook.

Honesty

While it's a first-grade lesson, it seems to be a core virtue many adults have lost. 

When selling your home, don't try to hide anything they may devalue it, especially if it's a potentially costly repair.

For example, if your basement leaks, be honest about it, even if you've fixed it. If you have bad electrical, let your realtor know. If they choose not to disclose information, that's on them.

However, if you hide something big from them and they find it while giving a tour, they're going to change their opinion of you and possibly not work as hard to sell your home.

Timing

Timing can play a huge role in how quickly you can sell your home. 

According to large studies, early May is the best time to sell your home in the U.S. Statistically, putting your home on the market on a Thursday will also give you an extra $3,000. Who knew?

However, selling your home quickly doesn't always mean you can wait until the right time of year. Sometimes, you just have to play the cards you're dealt.

Pricing

When selling a home you've loved for years, it may be difficult to price it objectively. 

Take a look at the houses in your neighborhood that have sold recently. Compare the size, quality, and features of those homes to yours. It's important to use the same neighborhood because location greatly affects the value of homes.

Don't get greedy when pricing your home, but don't give it away either. Try to be as objective as you can. You can also ask your realtor to put their two cents in.

Negotiating

Finally, be ready and willing to negotiate when selling your home, especially if you want it to sell fast.

Understand that most people will see things they want to change in your home and will, therefore, probably offer you a price lower than what you're asking.

It's okay to counter offer and reject their initial offer, just don't get emotional or offended, which can lead to making poor decisions.

5. Hire Professionals

We know you don't want to dole out money to every other person while selling your home. If you're willing to work hard and have a keen eye for aesthetics, you may not have to. 

However, it's always easier when you have professional help on your side.

Realtors

Realtors know the market. They know the buyers and the sellers. 

They also know what to look for as far as red flags and potential selling points. Having a good one on your side is a necessity.

Cleaners

If you hate cleaning or just know you're not that good at it, it may be worth the money to hire people who are. Professional cleaners make any place feel clean, fresh and inviting.

Home Stagers

Staging your house can be one of the best moves you can make when selling your home. In fact, it can sell up to 73% faster! Rather than leaving your home feeling empty and cold, hire a professional to stage it.

Photographers

While living in the digital age, most people flock to the internet when looking to buy a home. The pictures posted for your house can persuade people to come to take a closer look or send them packing for a home with better pictures.

Stop Wasting Time

If you're selling your home and want it done quickly, what are you waiting for?

Get on it today! 

Start cleaning, moving, and prepping. Most importantly, find yourself a good agent and get the process started!

 

Good luck!