There are many different reasons why you might need to sell your home. Maybe you are being transferred by your job or require more space for a growing family. Whatever your motivation for selling, you probably have a few main goals: to sell for the highest possible price, with the most favorable terms, in the shortest amount of time.
These three factors may not always go hand in hand. For example, if you want to sell for a price higher than market value, you may have to be patient and wait for the right buyers. On the other hand, if you need to sell as quickly as possible, you may have to be willing to negotiate in other areas.
While no magic formula guarantees you will meet your goals, a few strategies can help you sell your home faster without sacrificing price and terms. This is especially important if you are under a time constraint for moving but do not want to lose money or end up with a bad deal. This post will discuss five best practices to help your home sell more quickly.
5 Ways to Help Your Home Sell Faster
1. Price strategy
The first step is choosing a price that attracts many buyers without underselling the value. If you price your home too high, it will sit on the market much longer, and you may be forced to reduce the price to a number that you could have sold for much faster from the beginning.
This step should be more thorough than just picking a number based on Zillow estimates or what your neighbor’s house sold for. It includes analyzing comparable sales, days on the market, average sold price as a percent of the asking price, and more.
Once you determine the market value of your house, you may consider pricing it slightly higher or lower, depending on how quickly you need it to sell. It is essential to choose a real estate agent who knows the local market and current pricing trends so they can do most of the research for you.
2. Staging
Professional staging should be part of your strategy if you want to sell your home faster while increasing the perceived value. Even the most luxurious houses can seem underwhelming without tasteful furniture and decor.
Staging is an excellent option, especially if you have already moved out or feel your decorations are dated, dull, or too personal. It is also less expensive than buying all new furniture outright.
Professional staging can give your home a magazine-worthy appearance by using pieces highlighting your home’s best features and appealing to buyers’ desired lifestyles. The National Association of Realtors reported, “A recent survey from the International Association of Home Staging Professionals shows that staging helps sell homes three to 30 times faster than the nonstaged competition. Further, staging can help increase the sale price by up to 20% on average.”
3. Professional photography
Next, get professional photos and videos taken of your home to look its best when people see the listing online. First impressions are crucial, and the photos are often the first thing potential buyers look at before deciding to schedule a showing.
If you have poor quality, dimly lit, or even blurry photos, your home may get overlooked, leading to less buyer interest and a longer time on the market. Remember that professional photos will make your home look appealing, but they cannot hide clutter. It would be best if you tried to tidy up before having the pictures taken.
If you hire a top real estate agent, they will often hire a photographer and pay for the pictures and videos of your home at their own expense.
4. Marketing
Once your home is listed for sale, you should focus on getting as many eyes on it as possible. Any good real estate agent will market your home on the local MLS or multiple listing services, which will sync with all the major real estates websites, like Zillow, Trulia, Redfin, and Realtor.com.
Additionally, your agent can put a sign in the front yard, hold an open house, and even place ads in local publications and digital platforms. You can contribute by sharing any marketing content your agent produces and posting about it on social media.
5. Incentives
Lastly, if you are pressed for time to sell your house, you can offer incentives to potential buyers. For example, if your home needs any specific repairs that would deter some buyers, you could offer cash for these repairs upfront.
In a high-interest market, you could offer cash to help lower buyers’ interest rates and make your home more affordable at a total price. A 2-1 buydown is a seller-paid incentive that lowers the buyer’s interest rate for two years, significantly lowering their monthly payment. This particular incentive will help your home stand out in a market where buyers are forced to reduce their budget due to high mortgage rates.
Next Steps
Remember that using an experienced local real estate agent to help you with each step will make the entire process much more manageable. Our agents at Sheridan Solomon and Associates are passionate about helping you sell your home with the least stress. We take all the significant steps behind the scenes, including market research, advertising, and negotiating.
The best way to sell your home quickly for the highest price is to connect to one of our local agents who are knowledgeable about Macon, Warner Robins, and surrounding areas. They will work closely with you to craft a market strategy that meets your goals.
Call us at (478) 746-2000 to get started!