Low-Cost Options to Get Your House Ready to Sell
To sell your house fast you have to have a clear strategy. Traditionally that means finding an agent. However, more and more home sellers are opting to sell to a “We Buy Houses” type investor. Previously the only home sellers interested in this option were ones that needed to sell quickly due to some sort of financial difficulty. Now more and more sellers are opting to sell homes to investors simply out of convenience.
In addition, many home sellers want to make a run at selling the home themselves. Selling your home is a bit more difficult than what they show on HGTV.
Surveys show that 51% of home sales fail, costing sellers an average of $3,000. Aborted sales happen due to ignorance. Ignorance on the buyer’s part in regards to the financing, ignorance about the real estate contract, ignorance around knowing the contingencies. The list goes on and on. This results in wasted time and effort, culminating in money down the drain.
If you want the easiest and fastest way to sell your house fast, then contact one of the best companies that buy houses in any condition, The Fast Offer Solution team! However, if you want to sell your home more traditionally, here’s your quick guide to some low-cost options to get your home ready to sell.
In this article, we will give some practical, low-cost tips on how to sell your house fast.
Clean Up Your Image
Image is everything when it comes to selling your home whether you are selling to an investor or through traditional real estate. You should be meticulous in presenting your house visually—both in photos and from your buyer’s perspectives. You should also take care to post high-definition media (photos, videos, slideshows, etc.) of your house from flattering angles with good lighting.
This step doesn’t even have to cost you money—just use your smartphone and enhance the photos using a photo-editing app (such as Lightroom CC). We live in the era of Google – people search for properties online, and they want to be impressed. Only then will they want to see it in person – this includes first time home buyers AND investors.
Moreover, traditional buyers love fantasizing about what their lives will be like in a property they plan to buy. And no one imagines themselves living in a boring, stale house. When taking photos, make sure to highlight your home’s best assets. The best image of your home spells the difference between someone buying your house NOW and buying it later for a discounted price.
Clean Up Your Curb Appeal
While we’re talking about image, one of the cheapest things you can do that can pay massive dividends is clean up your yard and “curb appeal.” Simply cutting, eddging and trimming your yard can do wonders for house. IF you do have some funds, add some annuals and mulch to the front yard. If you have no budget, then get pine straw or at least trim and clean it all up.
Market The Features That Matter To Home Buyers
Now that you know why the image is important, the next thing to do is identify your house’s best assets, the features that will make buyers say “yes”. Assets may include:
- The laundry room: define it as ‘efficient’ or any other positive term that accurately describes it
- The hardwood floors: name the type of wood and your favorite cleaning method for best results
- A beautiful patio: describe how useful the patio is and how much time people spend lounging there
- Ceiling fans: these optimize airflow, keeping the whole room feeling light and breezy
- A garage with storage space: besides your car, what use does the garage serve? How much can be stored there? Try to describe how useful this space is.
- Energy-efficient windows and systems
Keep in mind that investors want to know they can sell your home after they buy it from you. If you market your home this way to investors & home buyers you hit both audiences.
Along with marketing these assets, make sure to give as much information as possible about your property. Spare buyers from doing some grunt work.
The Price Is Right
Price is the number 1 factor in home sales. Period. The price will be your greatest selling point; however, it’s subjective, whether you like it or not. Therefore, we suggest being flexible in giving your buyers the best price. This is important in terms of hitting the buyer’s pain points and presenting an air of transparency.
Plenty of buyers want a property’s value to be greater than what they are paying for. Therefore, you shouldn’t offer the exact price of your property in the market. Check your house’s full market value and consider giving a 10-20% discount. This helps guarantee that you can sell your house fast without the negotiations falling through.
Traditional real estate buyers require a real estate appraiser. They have the capacity to compute whether your offer truly matches your house’s market value. If the buyer finds out that you’re selling your house for more than what it appraises for, then it’s likely the deal is dead. To add insult to injury you’ll be stuck with that appraisal for several months.
If selling traditionally, you could also hire home inspectors. This may seem an added cost, but you’ll find out what’s wrong with your home before a potential buyer does. Even if you don’t plan to fix this you present the problem and have a solution ready.
As you can see, it’s possible to sell a property without splurging. Let us help you sell your property quickly! Our agents here at Chad Smith Team know the ins and outs of the Texas real estate market. Contact us today.