You want — or need – to sell house fast. Whether you have to relocate for work, have inherited a property that you do not want or cannot afford, must pay for care, want to avoid repossession, etc., the bottom line is that you need an accelerated timeline. But what happens if it just sits there? You receive no viable offers? The clock is ticking… and nothing is happening?
Here are five tips that can help you speed up the process.
5 Steps to Take When You Need to Sell House Fast
Get ready to take action. There are ways to complete a sale sooner rather than later. Start now:
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Reconsider Your Asking Price
This is likely the biggest reason that houses do not sell quickly – or even at all, depending on the market conditions. Price: it all comes down to the bottom line. Is your asking price turning away prospective buyers? There are a lot of factors that come into play here, including the state of the market, the condition of the house, its size and location…. You could be derailing your own progress by asking too much. Yes, we know it is hard to reduce the price (especially if you already earmarked those funds for future purchase and needs), but this may be the only way to sell your house fast at this point.
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Make Improvements Within Your Budget/Timeframe
On a similar note, are there issues with your home that are making prospective buyers walk away? While you may not have the funds or the time to make major changes, try to tackle some smaller, more manageable projects. It could be anything from sprucing up with a few coats of neutral paint and fixing loose tiles to tightening leaky plumbing and swapping out hardware (faucets, fixtures, doorknobs and the like) for new options.
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Consider Your Kerb Appeal
What is the first impression someone has of your home if they walk or drive by? Is it open, inviting and welcoming? Is it bright and cheery? Or is it dreary and rather foreboding? People need to be able to picture themselves in this space, and it certainly helps if it makes a powerful first impression. Again, some small, manageable steps may be the key to boosting kerb appeal. Plant some flowers, cut the grass, weed the garden, put up new house numbers, etc.
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Assess Your Estate Agent’s Level of Effectiveness
While a great estate agent is often well worth their fees, an ineffective agent is more of a hindrance than a help. In many cases, the issue is that they are not working as aggressively as needed to sell a property fast. Perhaps their fees don’t make it worth their while, in their mind. Or perhaps they do not have a great deal of experience and are simply not reaching through to the right type of buyer.
They may be increasingly unresponsive or otherwise acting in unethical or even illegal ways. In these cases, unless you are very close to completion, consider switching estate agents. A fresh set of eyes and new ideas can be instrumental in selling quickly.
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Rethink Your Selling Strategy
It may be that you are taking all the right steps but still not seeing the results you want. Your selling approach itself may need consideration. Is a traditional route with an estate agent the best one for you? If you need to sell house fast, opting to work with a reputable cash house buyer may be the solution for which you have been searching – and hoping.
They have the financial resources to complete sales quickly. Within as little as a matter of days, you could be finished and enjoying cash directly deposited into your bank account. They also take care of the myriad details that can be so complex and so challenging. From instructing surveys to handling documentation to arranging and paying for solicitors, every step is covered – at no cost to you.
A cash house buyer typically offers between 80 and 85% of total market value. If you are on a timeline, this may be well worth it. Also, remember that you are not paying for valuations, surveys, searches, solicitors or estate agents. Nor do you have to go to the expense of making repairs or improvements as they buy houses in as is condition. This can save significant sums of money.
Do you need to sell house fast? Think about which of these steps makes the most sense for you and your needs.