If you’re ready to sell your home, you may have reason to want to sell it fast—such as a new job that starts soon in a different city. How do you generate interest in your house? After all, the more potential buyers you can attract, the better your chances of selling at a good price. Whatever your reasons for selling, here are ways to sell a house quickly, even in a slow market.
1. Find the Right Real Estate Agent
If you want to sell your home fast, the first step is to hire a real estate agent. The ideal person will know the local market and have a sales record that proves they know how to sell.
Keep in mind that a real estate agent will help with the entire process, from hiring a professional photographer who will take top-notch photos of your home to negotiating for the best price. They will also write up a real estate listing that sells, schedule and host showings, and market your property to get it seen.
2. Price It to Sell
One of the most effective ways to sell your home fast is to price it competitively. If you price it too high, your home will spend more time on the market. Also, if your home is overpriced, you may end up selling it for less eventually—it will just take a lot longer.
Your real estate agent will research comparable homes (aka “comps”) in your area to set a realistic price. If you really need to sell fast, consider pricing your home a little lower to attract interest (and maybe even spark a bidding war). If you haven’t received any offers by a certain date, knock the price down.
3. Clean, Declutter, and Depersonalize
Are you searching around for tips on selling your home? Have you ever heard of the 3D rule? It’s professional organizer shorthand for Declutter, Depersonalize, and Design—and it’s the backbone for getting top dollar when listing your home for sale.
1D: Declutter
Clean, clean and clean again: Before you list your home go from room-by-room and clean, clean, and clean again. And not just with a rag and some light sweeps, but get the hot water, soap and sponge out and really dig into the nooks and crannies. If you don’t relish the thought of a deep clean, consider hiring a professional cleaner. In the Toronto area, a “move-out” deep clean—which includes baseboards, windows, inside the fridge and oven and all the floors
2D: Depersonalize
Pack away the photos: While your family photos are extremely important to you, they are a complete turn-off to would-be buyers. That’s because most buyers have a hard time imagining their own family living in a home if all they can see is evidence of you and your family. So take down all the family photos and remove remnants of family memorabilia to give your home a cleaner, more depersonalized showroom appearance.
Remove the “What’s That?”: While your at it, take a look around and determine if any part of your home or decor would prompt buyers to ask, “what’s that?” If you find something then consider fixing it or removing it. Whether it’s the 1950s wallpaper or the green vinyl flooring get rid of it before the buyer gets turned off.
3D: Design
Neutralize Colours: A quick paint job can quickly add to your home’s appearance and this can also translate into a higher sale price. This is particularly true if your home’s paint job is old and outdated—although loud or distracting colours are also a distraction to buyers. According 1993 study researchers found that colour “will grab the customers’ attention and create a positive perception about the merchandise.” Since the merchandise in your home and you’d like to sell it, concentrate on picking colours and hues that will appeal to the largest percentage of would-be buyers, such as neutral whites, beiges or grays.
4. Boost Your Curb Appeal
If you want to sell quickly, it’s essential to make a good first impression. And the first thing a buyer sees is a home’s exterior and how it fits into the surrounding neighborhood. To boost your home’s curb appeal:
- Paint the front door
- Plant flowers
- Sweep away any spiderwebs and debris from windows, eaves, and porches
- Wash the windows
- Fix broken light fixtures and mailboxes
- Make sure the trees, shrubs, and lawn are nicely manicured
Keep in mind that a tidy exterior not only looks nice, it also signals to potential buyers that you’ve taken good care of the place.
5. Take Care of Quick Repairs
You won’t have time for any major renovations, so focus on quick repairs to address things that could deter potential buyers. Survey the house and take care of the easy fixes:
- Fix loose tiles
- Tighten leaky faucets
- Touch up paint
- Tighten door knobs and handles
- Remove carpet stains
Depending on how much time and money you want to spend getting the home ready, you might also want to update fixtures, buy new appliances, install new hardware on the cabinets, and give the interior a fresh coat of (neutral) paint.
