For two years there was no problem selling a home quickly for most homeowners. Covid managed to help create a market that was ideal for sellers as the available housing inventory was unable to meet the demands of buyers.
In 2022, this is changing on a monthly basis. The number of house sales each month continues to drop as the year progresses, and this is expected to continue. For buyers, there is more choice as more houses hit the market, but anyone requiring a quick sale is likely to find it difficult.
Interest rates continue to rise, and the demand for houses has dropped. Therefore, it is important to impress potential buyers during a viewing if you want a quicker house sale.
Is there much to do when selling a home?
Most first-time buyers will turn into first-time sellers at some point in their lives. While they may understand there are major steps to buying a home, they may not be aware of what it takes to sell one.
Finding an attorney, hiring a moving company, understanding the costs involved, and organizing paperwork, are just some aspects of selling a home.
For anyone who is selling a home for the first time, or anyone who wants to sell quickly, here are some tasks that need to be carried out.
9 jobs you can do to help sell a home quickly
Here are nine jobs that could help you sell your home faster. There are plenty more aspects to selling a home quickly than just carrying out a few jobs. But, the ones listed here are all proven ways to enhance your home’s appeal to buyers and help speed up the selling process.
Choose how you want to sell
Selecting how you plan to market and sell the home will have a major impact on how quickly you sell your home. A realtor will see your home marketed professionally with viewings arranged for you. They will aim to achieve the highest price possible, especially as their commission is affected by this.
Yet, this may not be the quickest route available. Visiting sellyourhousefast.com shows that cash buyers remove the need for marketing and viewings completely. Choosing a cash buyer will negate the need to carry out any of the jobs below too. However, if you are looking for bigger proceeds from your sale you should choose a realtor perhaps, and carry on reading.
Choose the right price and time to sell
While not a job exactly, this is still essential for making a quick sale. Setting the right price will make your home compete on the market, and help to attract more viewers.
When you sell will affect how long the sale takes too. The months between April and June are optimum times to sell, whereas October to January can be the worst.
Have a clear out
You have probably heard about the importance of decluttering and removing some of your personal touches. This helps to create space and enables your viewer to visualize themselves in the home. This can help increase the value of a home and speed up a sale.
A clear-out has other benefits too. Once you have sold your home you will need to move. Having a clear-out can see you making a little extra money through eBay or a garage sale, and having fewer belongings to transport after the sale.
Organize and tidy your storage spaces
It could be tempting once you perform your clear-out to throw everything into cupboards, the attic, and any other storage space you have. Don’t do this. Your viewers will want to open cupboard doors and look at what they are getting in terms of storage.
If you have built-in closets then organize them to make them look bigger. Remove some of your belongings to create space. Potential buyers want to know that your home is big enough for their needs.
Tend to the outdoors
Look at the front and back of the home. Weed the pathways and driveway, mow the lawn, remove clutter and tidy away the garden hose and any tools.
You could consider installing some type of light, perhaps for the driveway, or the porch. Potential buyers will often return to see how the neighborhood is at different times. Lighting can add security to a home and make it more appealing.
Curb appeal is one of the best ways to add value to a home and speed up a sale. A minimum of 5% could be added to the value of a home by improving its curb appeal. This may require more than just a bit of weeding, but there are some simple renovations and repairs that can be made too
Finish work that is already started
Half-finished projects are unsightly and point to potential problems in the home. If you haven’t finished painting a room and it is half done, get it finished before you start marketing the home. If a buyer sees unfinished work they may wonder what other problems haven’t yet been attended to.
This includes repairs, cracks in driveways or walls, and peeling paint on window frames.
Consider some renovations
According to Moving, even the simplest updates can add value to a home. A garage door replacement can see a return of 98.3%. This type of investment not only sees money added to the value of your home but it increases the curb appeal too.
Be careful when carrying out renovations. While landscaping could help sell a home quicker, the time taken for carrying out the work could negate the benefits.
Get cleaning, or hire someone who will
Once all that renovation and repair work is out of the way you will need to clean.
Cleanliness has been ranked as one of the most important aspects for buyers. Anyone viewing a home needs to not only imagine living there but being able to move straight in.
A professional cleaning service could provide a proper deep clean to help your home sparkle. Of course, this is an added expense you will need to budget for. Many homeowners forget to budget when selling a home. Although your budget won’t slow you down it is worth taking time out to consider all the aspects involved in selling a home
If you are cleaning the home yourself, don’t forget to remove stains, and pet odors, and degrease the cooker. Windows should be done inside and out, and upholstery shouldn’t be ignored.
Remove any wallpaper and paint in neutral colors
One of the many ways to scare away a buyer is to have wallpaper in place. Money lists the many things that buyers dislike, and wallpaper is one of them.
Wallpaper is difficult to remove, it is outdated for many, and patterns are very much a matter of personal taste. Take the time to remove your wallpaper and paint over the walls with neutral colors.
Summary
There are plenty more tasks you could undertake to sell your home quickly, but these nine jobs will put you in good stead. Don’t rush into expensive renovations, but do look at what work needs to be done around the house. Fixing half-finished projects and improving the curb appeal may help just as much as installing a new bathroom.
Choose the best way to sell, set your price, and work through this list, and you could be on your way to your new home quicker than expected
WRITTEN BY
Brand Voices