5 Simple Ways to Sell Your Home Fast
As a home seller, whatever market you're in right now, you still want to sell your home fast. Right?
Buyer's market? Seller's market? It really makes no difference!
You want to get as many feet through the door as soon as possible, so you need to hit the ground running before your property listing becomes stale and potential buyers start asking why it hasn't sold yet.
There are plenty of articles published as to how you may want to go about trying to sell your home by yourself, or how you ought to go about hiring a real estate agent to assist you.
Regardless of which way you prefer, we hope the advice provided in this article on how to sell your home fast in 5 easy ways will still be beneficial.
So, without further ado, here are 5 simple steps to sell your home fast:
#1 - Consider a storage unit
Some people might frown their eyebrows upon reading this as they believe to have ample space in the house to store (read: temporarily hide) their excess "stuff".
Whereas initially, this might seem to be a good idea, any decent real estate agent will advise you to opt for a storage facility instead.
Most home buyers will be looking for storage space in the house, and do you really want them to open up your spacious closet space, only to find your overstuffed closets?
Even though YOU know there's more than enough storage space in your home, yet if you now over-use them yourself, it may not convey the same message to the interested buyer, as he might think you're running out of space to put things!
#2 - Do small upgrades
Before hitting the market, your property might be in need of some small upgrades - you know, those you've been dreading to do these past few years!
Don't bother with the bigger remodeling projects - they didn't happen all these years and doing them now will not result in you getting your money back.
If not, the potential buyer who really likes your home will hone in on those 'imperfections' and blow it out of (Rand) proportions in the hope to offer you a much lower amount.
Forget about redoing bathrooms or kitchens - rather spend minimal amounts on re-tiling, kitchen backsplash, new cabinet handles, small paint touch-ups etc.
Another great piece of advice which often gets forgotten is the lighting in the house!
One very important rule to keep in mind: get the highest possible wattage light bulb each of your light fixtures can take, and you'll immediately see those sometimes dark or poorly lit up rooms brighten up in no time! (Obviously, make sure all those lights are actually on when there's a buyer viewing coming up!)
#3 - Remove personalized items
Unlike popular belief, having your family photos all over the walls in every room of the house does not help in making it any easier for interested buyers to imagine living in your house.
That thinking applies to unusual pieces of art as well, as many buyers may not appreciate it as much as you do.
So, let the home buyer focus on the many features your home offers, and not be distracted by the art or photos.
#4 - Interview real estate agents
How does one go about interviewing real estate agents? How many real estate agents should you interview before deciding who to give the mandate to? Which questions should you as the home seller ask the real estate agent?
How about experience in the industry? Recent sales track record? What marketing tools will be employed? Any testimonials to share?
These are but a few of the important questions one should ask during the interview!
If you go about it properly and interview a number of agents, you're more than likely to lean toward one particular agent.
After all, not only does s/he need to be knowledgeable, but you also need to feel at ease working with this individual these next few months during the marketing of your property!
Plus, we all know that the months following the actual signing of the contract will more than likely have a few 'issues', so who better than that real estate agent to help you out in those sticky situations?
#5 - Use professional photos
If you decide to go the real estate agent route, make sure to insist on having professional photos taken!
Sure, the agent might be great with his iPhone or Samsung phone, but there's still a huge difference with professionally taken pictures.
That first impression given by those professional photos, (both online via the property portals and offline via the marketing brochures), will be crucial in getting those interested home buyers through for a viewing!
It is truly shocking to see how many poor pictures are being used to market properties!
With the level of average commissions most real estate agents make, R500-R700 cash outlay for professional photos won't break the bank, yet will highly increase the chances of getting a good interest from the market once the property listing goes live!
Summary
In order for you to sell your home fast, it needs to be clean, gives a welcoming vibe to interested buyers, and obviously needs to be correctly priced!
By following these simple, yet effective tips discussed above, there's no doubt you'll see an offer in no time and you'll sell your home fast!
Feel free to share in the comments below the inexpensive tips YOU used to sell your home fast!