Houses can sell in two weeks, two months, or two years. I speak with home sellers all the time who are sitting on their house for long periods of time asking themselves “why isn’t it selling”?
Indeed, waiting around tell your house can cost you. Every day that passes, your house gets a bit more worn. Taxes, utilities, maintenance, mortgage payments – even a natural disaster (like Hurricane Maria) can cost you big time. This is particularly true of vacant properties, where you very well are doubl paying the costs without an owner occupant.
Want to sell your house faster than the average days-on-market in your area? Here are a few tips to make that a reality!
Maximize Curb Appeal. You get one chance at a first impression. Old pain job? Landscaping out of control? Old plumbing? Drive-way and stairs crumbling? At the end of the day, home buyers will form an opinion upon seeing your property either in online pictures or their walk through. The better the curb appeal, the better the chance of them making a full price offer. This also creates a good impression that the house needs less “money” in work, rehab, repairs.
Take Care of Important Repairs. Small repairs such as leaky faucet or chipped paint can have an impact on price due to the aforementioned curb appeal. Major renovations can be even more substantial. Roofs can cost over $5,000. HVACs, electrical, foundation. This is all very pricey. When selling a fixer-upper, you are reducing the pool of buyers to prospectives who are willing to pay for and complete repairs. If you have the time and money, you can take care of this before selling your property. Hire a handyman to help if you’re not experienced in renovations.
Professional Staging. There’s quite a bit of work that goes into property staging. This involves lots of cleaning, removing clutter, garbage, and personal items. You should even really get rid of furniture that makes an open space cramped. Family pictures, political affiliations, those super hero dolls? It all must go. In it’s place, you can pay a few thousand to have clean and attractive furniture to accentuate the home’s strong points. This helps sell for top value and less days-on-market.
Set the price right. At the end of the day, price is the primary driver home sale speed. Need to sell a house fast? If you price above market value, you’re house may never sell. Buyers won’t pay more for what they can get for less. Focus on comparable sale prices (and how long they took to sell) and active listings (how long they have been sitting around at the listed prices).
Selling a house quickly can be a challenge. Focusing on repairs, curb appeal, staging, and pricing is a great way to get the ball rolling on a speedy sale.
