Maybe you are relocating. Or getting married. Or you already bought another house and are facing two mortgages. Whatever the reason behind that panicked “I need to sell my house quick!” feeling you have – you will need a solid game plan if you really want to sell your house fast.
I was actually in this position myself a couple of years ago – I needed to sell my home fast in order to buy my dream property. But, I needed the equity out of my current home to make it happen.
Unfortunately, this occurred right as the bottom was starting to fall out of the real estate market. Although my real estate agent warned me that it might take up 8 or 9 months (or more) before it sold, I was very lucky in that my house sold in… 3 days.
For almost the full asking price.
While I certainly think luck played a part in this (i.e., the right buyer saw my house at the right time), there were also a couple of more controllable factors that helped my house sell fast, including:
- Selecting a top-rated real estate agent. I chose the my real estate agent because she had been a top-producer in the area for years and she did a lot of marketing for her listings. I figured she would do the same for mine. My buyer was one of her clients – my agent had already shown her nearly 40 other houses and knew immediately that my house would be a good fit for her.
- Cleaning up interior clutter. No need for the whole world to know I like to keep things in piles. ‘Nuff said.
- Finishing interior projects. This included repainting a couple of rooms, fixing a broken door knob, and replacing some worn window treatments. Simple stuff to do, but helped the home appear “move-in ready.”
- Focusing on front yard curb appeal. I am an avid gardener, so I really enjoy working in the yard. Before putting the house on the market, I put down fresh mulch, weeded wherever was necessary and added a monochromatic color scheme of annual color to bring it all together.
By themselves, none of these things are that monumental. However, hiring the best sales agent I could find – and polishing my “product” before it went on the market – made a huge difference. That is how I was able to sell my house quick!
Til Next Time,
P.S. For more curb appeal ideas to sell your home fast – check out the Real Estate Guide in the sidebar to the right!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
How far would you go to make a quick home sale? It seems that many homeowners will even lie to get a sale when asked about traffic noise, neighbours and even hiding problems in the home away from the buyer. If you want to do all you can to help sell your home there are many precautions and measures you could take. Cleaning your home and making it smell fresh, giving it a lick of fresh paint. You could also consider selling with a company that offers to buy homes quickly and for cash.
Hi Oliver.
No, I definitely would not lie to sell a home. In the US, there are disclosure laws to protect buyers from this – but more importantly, I just don’t believe in conducting business (or life) that way.
I agree with your points about sprucing up because often the first impression is a lasting one for many home buyers.
Thanks for commenting!