A guide to selling your home quickly

While moving home is a lot of fun, it's also a relatively stressful experience. 

After all, there are a lot of boxes that must be ticked ahead of time in order to facilitate a smooth, stress-free move. For example, you first have to sell your current home, something which can be difficult in the current climate. Not only do many properties sit on the market for months on end, but 31% of all house sales fall through at least once before completion.

Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

Of course, there are certain steps you can take to speed up the process. 

1. Get into the mind of the buyer. 

By now, you’ve likely attended a fair share of property viewings yourself. This puts you in a prime position when selling your home, as you know what buyers are told to look for when viewing a property or what qualifies as a good open house. This knowledge means that you can stage your home accordingly, making it appear as attractive as possible to a potential buyer. 

For example, you may begin by dealing with any glaring maintenance issues, such as mold or damaged roofing. While this does come at an extra cost, it can save you a lot of money in the long run by ensuring your property is off the market as quickly as possible. 

2. Declutter your home. 

Be sure to declutter your home before a viewing or open house. After all, this turns your home into a “blank slate” for the buyer to walk through, which means they can begin to picture themselves living in the space, as opposed to feeling as though they’re taking a tour of someone else’s home. Decluttering will also come in handy when you start packing, as you’ll no longer be taking any unnecessary junk along with you.

3. Enhance your curb appeal. 

A property viewing does not begin the moment you open the front door; it begins when the viewer steps out of their car or drives down the street - and, as first impressions go a long way, it is crucial that your property looks appealing from the outset. This often means that you need to spend some time working on your curb appeal. 

For example, you could work with a local lawn care company to ensure that your yard looks as neat and presentable as possible. This is particularly important when you consider the fact that buyers are often willing to pay more for properties with well-maintained gardens or outdoor spaces. In fact, “a nicely presented garden alone can be seen to add 20% to your house value”. You may also want to apply a fresh coat of paint to your windows and door frames.

4. Work with a trusted realtor. 

Working with a realtor can simplify the entire moving process, as they’ll take charge of everything from scheduling viewings to contract preparation. As such, this can speed up the process of selling your home, as they’ll do a lot of the difficult work on your behalf. They also have a deeper understanding of the housing market, which means they can help you make smart, economical decisions, too. 

When hiring a realtor, do plenty of research ahead of time to ensure they’re the right fit for you. For example, you may want to hire a realtor with extensive knowledge of the local area or one who has sold properties similar to your own beforehand. You can also ask friends and family for advice if they have moved within the past few years. Be sure to read all of their reviews from previous clients ahead of time too! 

5. Be realistic with your asking price. 

It's natural to want as much money as possible for your home, especially if you’ve invested a lot of time and energy into making it a nice place to live. However, it's also important that you are realistic when setting your asking price. For example, you should have your property valued by a real estate professional. When listing your property, you should also determine ahead of time the minimum amount of money you’ll accept from a buyer. This way, you don’t feel under pressure to accept the first offer that comes in.

6. Be prepared to negotiate. 

While in an ideal world, a buyer will offer up the exact asking price right away, this often isn’t the case. As such, you have to be prepared to negotiate. However, while this can be a great tactic when it comes to getting as much money as possible, you also have to know when to give in. That is, if selling your home is an urgent or time-sensitive endevor, there may be a time when it's beneficial to accept a low-ball offer from a client. However, you can protect your best interests throughout the process by learning more about the art of negotiation. Remember, you can always ask your realtor for advice during this stage, as they can help you put your best foot forward or let you know when it is time to accept an offer.

Final thoughts. 

In short, there are many things you can do to speed up the process of selling your home - which means that you can set your sights on the future (and your new property). 

For example, this can be achieved through staging your home correctly ahead of viewings or enhancing your curb appeal, as outlined above. However, you should also work to manage your expectations throughout the process. The likelihood of you receiving an offer on the same day as you list the property is incredibly minimal, and you must be prepared for this. If you’re putting together a moving timeline for the new year, then you should be mindful of the fact that it takes, on average, 25 weeks to sell a property.

Either way, try to remember that good things come to those who wait. Once you’ve sold your home and signed those contracts, you can focus on your new life in your new property.