Selling a home can be stressful, but if you are under a serious time crunch or if things don’t progress quite as planned, it can be even more nerve-wracking.  Regardless of your motivation, most people would prefer that their home sells quickly in order to minimize that stress and there are a few strategies sellers can use to make this happen by increasing a home’s marketability, decreasing the length of time it sits on the market and quickly attract strong offers.  Interested?  Try these tricks to help your house sell quickly. 

1. Clean and declutter

There are many strategies sellers can implement for selling a house quickly, but the most important (and logical) of them all is to appeal to as many buyers as possible.  How to do this?

Pack up or store any extra belongings or large furnishings that are making rooms look crowded, small or messy.

Organize storage areas. Buyers are looking for storage space, so they’re probably going to peek in closets, storage areas and pantries.  Don’t fill them with extra belongings, leave enough open space to give the impression that the home has plenty of storage.

Too many personal belongings, like family photos, keepsakes and religious items can distract buyers and prevent them from picturing themselves living in your home.  You want your home to look lived-in and welcoming but buyers also need to be able to see where their own stuff fits in.

This is an important one – do a deep clean on every room of the house, including baseboards, kitchen cabinets, bathroom tile and carpets.  Buyers will notice.  If you’re short on time, consider calling in some professionals.  It can make all the difference!

2. Handle any quick repairs

While you may not have time or funds for major renovations, it’s important to take care of any easy fixes that might deter potential buyers.  Patch up spots where paint is peeled, scratched or stained, fix or replace loose or damaged flooring, deal with leaky taps.  Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes – would you willingly pay top dollar for a home that needed a visit from a handyman? 

If you can, it can be hugely beneficial to invest in a few minor upgrades that will make your home show better.  A fresh coat of paint (inside and/or outside) can work wonders.  New hardware on kitchen and bathroom cabinets can give the room a facelift.  Swapping out old or outdated light fixtures can bring a home into the new millennium.  The same goes for new (or at least newer) appliances.

3. Hire a Realtor®

Sellers sometimes like to think that their home is going to be so appealing that anyone could find them a buyer – so they’ll do it themselves and save a little on commission.  What they don’t realize is the amount of work that goes into co-ordinating listing, showing and selling a property and the fact that most For Sale By Owner transactions are completed at prices that are far lower that if the property had been sold on the open market by a registered Realtor®.

The upside to hiring a professional real estate agent is that they know what it takes to get a house sold quickly in your area. They’ll streamline things like paperwork, showings, vetting buyers, negotiations, signing and closing.  At Forest Hill Grey County, the level of service you receive will justify any commission – we pride ourselves on it!

For example, it may seem faster to have your agent snap a few pictures of your house on his/her phone, but poor listing photos could result in your home sitting on the market instead of attracting attention right away.  In fact, in a recent Zillow Group Report, as many as 77% of buyers said that viewing professional photos was extremely important to their home-buying decision.  We know how important first impressions can be so we make sure to shine a light on the best features of your home to make buyers aware of them and then we provide professional, targeted marketing to make sure your property is seen by as many potential buyers as possible.  Online marketing has never been more important – these days chances are your first showing won’t be when a buyer walks through the front door, it’ll happen online before you even know about it.  The days of putting a sign on your front lawn and waiting for the phone to ring are long gone! 

4. Price to sell

Even in a busy seller’s market like the one we’re in the midst of right now, where there are many buyers competing for fewer homes, selling your house quickly isn’t guaranteed.  It is important to fight the temptation to “see how much you can get” and price your home properly.  Overpricing will lead to more time on the market, and ultimately, you may end up selling at that lower price anyway — it’ll just take you longer to get there.  If you actually want to sell, and increase your chances of selling quickly, a competitive asking price is key.  At Forest Hill Grey County, we feel strongly that your asking price is key to your success.  We won’t just take a quick look at your property and pull a suggested list price out of thin air, we can help you arrive at an accurate and competitive list price by studying local market data, recent sales and neighbourhood comparables that will help to pinpoint where your home fits in today’s market.  After all, we actually want to sell your home, not just list it! And selling your house quickly would be even better for everyone.

5. Be flexible with showings

When selling your home quickly is the goal, it’s important to be as accommodating as possible with showing requests.  Yes, last-minute showings can cause a scheduling scramble, but nobody will buy your home without seeing it for themselves!  If you aren’t willing to accommodate a buyer’s reasonable showing request, you risk losing that buyer.  Your Realtor® will coordinate showings on your behalf and can set any restrictions on showing appointments that you feel are necessary but it is in your best interest to allow as many showings as possible in order to appeal to as many buyers as possible.