There are many aspects of selling your home fast that are within your control, even if the outside factors feel overwhelming.
Sell your house quickly by preparing your home’s condition, knowing the steps and costs to sell your home, and understanding the buyers’ perspectives.
With these topics in mind, let’s break down 32 simple tips to sell your home faster:
- Find the Right Sales Method
Consider your timeline, financial situation, and condition of your home when choosing the services that will help sell your home fast. This includes the following options in the three tips below. - Apply for an Instant Offer
Instant offer companies, or iBuyers, are tech-based home investors that buy and sell houses online, streamlining the process for themselves and homeowners. With iBuyers, you can sell your home in as little as seven days. - Hire a Reputable Realtor
An expert realtor can do much of the work to help sell your home fast. It’s important to find the right realtor and understand their fees before listing a home for sale with this method. - Hire an Attorney
Having an attorney you can trust on your side of the deal can help you prepare and make decisions quickly while readying your home and negotiating a sale. - Get an Appraisal
Getting an appraisal before potential buyers are involved can help you understand the value of your home and your local market. - Look for Comparable Homes
Researching comparable homes that sold recently in your area can give you insights into what buyers look for, how to prepare your home for sale and your market’s condition. - Get an Inspection
A pre-listing inspection can make you aware of repairs that need to be made or negotiated with potential buyers. Completing repairs ahead of a sale can avoid interruptions to the selling process. - Understand the Market
The tips above can teach you about your local market. In a hot market, sellers find buyers quickly and buyers are more willing to compromise on the condition or price of a home. In a cold market, buyers can be picky and the sale may take longer if the price is wrong. - Get the Price Right
An appraisal, comparable home analysis, and understanding of your market can help you appropriately price your home so that you and potential buyers agree it’s listed for fair market value. - Understand the Buyer’s Perspective
Anticipate what a buyer will look for and what they’ll want in a home. This can help you stay ahead of their requests and needs in the process. - Stay Flexible
Flexibility to adjust the price of your home and your timeline can help move a sale along. This includes flexibility with showing the home, sharing paperwork, and quickly scheduling appointments. - Time of Year
Think about the best time for buyers to move into their new home in your location. In the midwest, summer warmth makes moving easier than snowy winter months. - Keep Neighbors in the Loop
Let neighbors know you’re moving and might be doing open houses or setting up appointments for inspections, etc. They could even help find buyers or provide testimonials for your neighborhood. - Do Major Renovations Before Selling
Work within your own timeline by doing major renovations that improve the value of your home before trying to sell it. The focus should be on functionality within the home. - Optimize Functionality
If a home is move-in ready and appears to be low maintenance, a buyer will feel more comfortable investing in it. Basic safety and functionality of the home is important. - Update Kitchen and Bathrooms
The rooms that get the most use also need to look the most move-in ready to a buyer. Remove wear and tear with updates to kitchens and bathrooms to increase buyers’ confidence in the home. - Update Appliances
New, more efficient appliances can be an obvious signal to buyers that the home is low maintenance and move-in ready. - Finish Maintenance Projects
Finish projects such as leaking faucets, clogged drains, or holes in walls. Buyers want to see a house that was well cared for and in good working order. - Clean
Clean thoroughly or hire a professional cleaner to help remove signs of wear and tear. This could include painting and cleaning carpets and furniture. - Remove Personal Items
You want a buyer to envision the home as their own, so it helps to remove personal items such as photos and trinkets, as well as clutter. - Start Packing
Packing helps clear space in your home and makes it easier for you to act quickly when you need to move. Keep the home clear by renting a storage unit temporarily. - Stage the Home
If you list a home for sale, staging it for potential buyers makes the home look more appealing, allowing them to envision it as their own comfortable space. - Improve Landscaping
Sprucing up your home’s curb appeal can make a great first impression on potential buyers. A nice yard adds the feeling of added living space for the home as well. - Get Professional Photos
If you list your home, have professional photos taken of it for the listing, to ensure it’s shown in the best light and from the best angles. - Prepare for Visitors
Potential buyers, inspectors, and appraisers will need to visit your home. Save yourself from panic by anticipating these appointments and being flexible with scheduling quickly to keep the process moving. - Share Positive Features
Make a list of the positive features that you know better than any realtor or appraiser could. This is your home, so you know the best parts, having lived in it each day. These features can help show what makes your home unique. - Keep Track of Improvements
As you prepare to sell, keep track of improvements or maintenance you’ve done to give buyers a clear picture of how low maintenance you’re leaving the home. - Avoid Cost Surprises
Research the costs involved in selling a home so you don’t hit obstacles before closing and can have your finances in order. - Prepare to Offer Concessions
Depending on the market and condition of your home, offering a buyer credit or concession might be an easy way to close a sale. - Clear Home’s Title
Check with your local government or get title insurance to make sure the title for your home is cleared from any previous liens or taxes that could halt the sale of your home. - Prepare Disclosures
Just as you want to list the positives, you’ll also need to list the negative disclosures related to your home. In some states, this is a legal requirement, so accuracy is important. - Prepare Paperwork
The sales process can move smoothly if your paperwork is in order and easy to access and share with the necessary people. This could include information about your house, finances, taxes, and details from when you purchased your home.
A Fast Sale Can Be a Smooth Sale
These simple tips for selling your home fast can help the sales process go smoothly, giving you a clearer timeline, from making the decision to sell your home, to handing over the keys.