Selling a property can often take a lot of time. It’s almost always stressful and it can even cost you a great deal of money if done poorly. So, how do you do the opposite? Here are pro tips from an expert agent on how to sell a house fast.
Dealing with properties can be difficult in general, but there’s something about selling a home that makes it a little harder. There are emotional attachments, as well as, your (many times unrealistic) expectations with the final results.
In this article, I will touch on many aspects of the process. You will gain helpful information that will assist you during the adventure, and possibly make things a little smoother. The primary objective of this guide is to make everything less stressful and achieve results much faster.
Of course, this article doesn’t cover everything you might encounter in a real estate transaction. Each experience will depend on:
- the owner,
- the property,
- the buyers,
- and the people you hire.
Take this post as a guideline to follow, and not as a solution to your problems. Now let’s get started with what you should do before selling your house.
Getting Ready to Say Goodbye
When people move it’s often a struggle. The longer you lived in the home, the more difficult it can be emotionally. Let’s start by learning some of the most common mistakes people make so that you can avoid these from the start.
There’s always a reason why you want to sell your house. There’s either a significant problem here or a better opportunity somewhere else. There will always be emotions involved, but if you can come to terms with this fact upfront, you can better deal with them during the process.
Choosing when to sell is a huge factor in how to sell a house fast. Most people understand that the “selling season” is during the summer months when the kids aren’t in school. This is also the time when most homes look their best. Choosing to sell during this peak period is almost always a wise choice.
Should I Hire a Real Estate Agent or Not?
Now, here’s where some people might become indecisive. Although the decision should be rather simple. Yes, hiring a real estate agent will cost you some money. With the average home sale price in Louisville now around $270,000, paying 3% to your listing agent and 3% to the buyer’s agent, we’re talking more than $16,000… that’s a lot of money!
In almost all cases it makes sense to hire a real estate professional if you want to sell your house fast and at an acceptable price. Here’s why. If you’ve never sold a real estate property before you will struggle because selling properties require experience in several areas. It is definitely not a matter of just picking a price and putting a sign on your front yard.
Even experienced sellers may not be up-to-date on the latest laws that affect real estate transactions. Then, if you don’t understand current market conditions, you won’t be able to price the home appropriately.
Picking the Best Agent
Picking the best agent can be difficult, but not impossible. Here’s what you need to look for:
- Devotion. Only consider full-time agents. Part-time agents have mixed motivations and are more likely to lack expertise.
- Experience. The best agents don’t need to have 30 years in the books but a couple of years isn’t going to get the job done.
- Expertise. Just like in every occupation, there are some great ones, some terrible ones, and a whole bunch of average ones in the middle.
- Results. Read through the reviews and testimonials of past clients. Interview as many agents as you can. There’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting to give you a far better feel for a person than simply exchanging emails.
Ultimately, the best agents put you first. This serves you and it serves them because it will result in higher word-of-mouth referrals. It’s a win-win for both sides.
Yes, it will cost you more to hire an agent but statistics show that on average, homes sold by agents sell for more than those “For Sale by Owner” homes. You’ll also reduce the amount of time and energy you would have spent trying to do the job of a professional.
Take your time when picking a real estate agent. Ask your friends and family for recommendations. Interview them in person. This will set you up for a far better experience during and after your home is sold.
What If I Want to Sell By Myself
In the rare scenario where you want to avoid hiring a professional and want to try selling by yourself, you’ll have to invest some time, energy, and money toward this end.
Just understand that when situations come up, you may be able to navigate the waters with some tips you find online, but you might be making a terrible mistake.
Step 1: Get your home looking great! This is pretty straight forward and you’d be doing this, for the most part, even if you hire an agent.
Step 2: Put the sign in your yard. Most people today look at listings online, so the sign is only going to do so much. When leads to…
Step 3: Take high-quality photographs of your home. Often, your agent will pay a professional do to this.
Step 4: Set the terms for the listing, including the price. Price is obviously one of the most important aspects of your listing but there are others.
Step 5: Publish your listing online. This can be a challenge for the inexperienced. There are a large number of websites that display active listings. You want your listing on as many of these as possible.
Step 6: Promote your listing. This is largely an online endeavor but there are other means as well. The best promotion will produce showings.
Step 7: Show your property. This means handling the calls, answering questions, and scheduling the showings. Most agents will want to show your listing to their buyer clients, but only if you offer an incentive. This usually takes the form of 3% of the sales price. Everything is negotiable by law.
Actually, I don’t have time to completely cover all the other steps but you get the idea. Next would come the offer, negotiation, inspections, repairs, appraisal, closing dates, and more.
Just keep in mind, you can do all this yours in the hopes of saving 3% but most homeowners understand that if you want to know how to sell a house fast, you hire an expert.
How to Sell a House Fast: Bonus
Here we have some bonus tips for you! These are rather cheap, and even free, to make your house more attractive to people and improve the chances of selling it.
Paint! It’s a very common and easy step to improve any part of your home that needs some help.
Next, declutter and throw away anything that doesn’t improve the look of your space. Removing extra furniture or accessories will automatically increase how large the space feels.
Ask your friends for help. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Maybe pay a company to help remove junk, landscape the yard or even replace light fixtures. Depending on the choices you make, you can very easily make more back than you spend.
Hopefully, this article has given you some great information to think about. There’s a lot that goes into selling a home. With the right help, some smart strategies, and the right buyers, this is how to sell a house fast. Good luck!
