If you’re ready to move on to bigger and better things, you’re probably thinking, “I need to sell my house fast.” If you’re facing hardship in your life, making a quick home sale might be the best way to avoid further complications or bigger issues.
However, wanting to sell your home fast and being able to do it are two different things. The traditional home selling process can take several months, which will only delay your ability to move on or avoid something terrible, like foreclosure.
We want to help. We’ve pulled together a complete guide on how to sell a home fast.
We’ll walk you through the fastest way to sell a house traditionally. We’ll also provide you with an alternative, guaranteed option to get your home sold within a matter of weeks.
Keep reading for everything you need to know to complete a fast home sale in North Carolina.
Price Your Home Competitively
First, if your primary purpose is to “sell my house fast,” you must think about the process from the buyer’s point of view. If you were looking for a new home, what would encourage you to make an offer? The most basic answer to this question is an unbeatable price.
A low price will create a sense of urgency for the buyer. They’ll want to make an offer on your home before another buyer has a chance to snatch it up.
However, you also don’t want to short-change yourself. Therefore, to find the right competitive price for your home, a little groundwork is required.
Get a Home Inspection
First, hire a home inspector to evaluate the condition of your home. In many cases, this falls on the buyer who places an offer on your home. However, if anything disconcerting is uncovered, it has the potential to derail the entire sale and prolong the process.
By investing in a home inspection before you list your home, you can decide what to do about any issues beforehand. Additionally, the value of your home is directly related to what condition it’s in.
Decide Which Repairs and Renovations to Complete
Now that you know more about the condition of your home, you can decide what to do moving forward. If you are looking for a fast home sale, taking time to make repairs and renovations may be out of the question.
This is especially true if you’re looking to save money. The average home seller spends over $20k preparing their home for the market.
If you want a quick home sale, we recommend investing in small, cosmetic repairs instead. These will make your home more attractive and appealing to the average buyer. They’ll be able to see the home’s potential, and thus, be willing to overlook other repairs that will be needed in the future.
Identify the Fair Market Value of Your Home
Once you’ve made the repairs (or left the house as-is) you’ll be in a better position to accurately determine your home’s value. If you’re working with a real estate agent, they can perform a comparative market analysis to get comps on nearby houses.
Comps compare the value of homes that have sold in your neighborhood over the last few months. Based on the sale price of those homes, you can determine a relatively accurate asking price for yours.
But first, you must compare and contrast those homes with yours. Relevant factors of consideration include:
- Condition
- Year
- Square footage
- Property size
- Number of rooms
- Number of bathrooms
- Recent updates
- Outdoor features
- Additional buildings (shops, garages, sheds)
- And more
You can conduct a comparative market analysis on your own, but a realtor will be much more accurate and efficient.
Finally, you’ll find that some buyers work with lending agencies that won’t approve a home until the value has been confirmed by an official home appraisal. If you want to “sell my house fast,” scheduling an appraisal immediately is an effective way to save time.
Prepare Your Home for Buyers
Now, let’s talk about how to sell a home fast by making a good impression on buyers. Once again, you’ll need to put yourself in the shoes of prospective buyers to get a good sense of what they’ll be looking for. Just as importantly, you need to identify factors that might discourage buyers from placing an offer on your home.
Move Out or Declutter
If possible, we recommend moving out of the home in order to completely depersonalize the space. Moving out will allow you to get all of your possessions out of the home, which will also make it easier to complete renovations and clean.
More importantly, however, it will open up your home to make it feel more spacious. The house will appear cleaner and bigger to buyers, who can better envision moving in and customizing the home as they see fit.
If you can’t move out, rent a temporary storage unit and significantly declutter. Think minimalism.
Deep Clean
Whether you’re able to move out of your home or not, you need to work overtime to keep it clean. Obviously, this will be much easier if you and your family are no longer living there.
Regardless, the cleanliness of your home will leave a lasting impression on buyers. While we know that cleanliness is fleeting, buyers will judge the value and quality of your home based on how clean or dirty it is.
Stains, odors, and messes, while temporary, can push buyers in the opposite direction. Spend an entire week deep cleaning your home or hire a residential cleaning company to do it for you. Then, it will mostly be upkeep and spot-cleaning.
Pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms where buyers will be more likely to be “grossed out” by stains, smells, and uncleanliness. Ultimately, the cleaner your home is, the more appealing it will be to buyers.
Stage Your Home
Lastly, if you’re thinking, “I want to sell my house fast,” making calculated investments can help you accomplish your goal. For example, hiring a home stager can help you sell your home 73% faster. Generally speaking, staged homes also sell for more money.
While we won’t tell you home stagers are cheap, they might be a viable solution if you want a fast home sale in North Carolina. Professionally staged homes help buyers visualize the potential of the home and how it will flow together. Furthermore, home stagers use high-end furniture and decor, which will make your home feel more upscale.
Improve Your Curb Appeal
One of the most common home selling tips is to invest in your curb appeal. The outside of your home says a lot about the property, at least, to buyers. A well-manicured lawn and attractive home exterior will motivate buyers to take a look inside.
Not only is your curb appeal the first impression buyers get of your house, but it plays a larger role in their decision to make an offer. People like being greeted by a lovely home when they pull into the driveway after a long day at work. Property in disrepair isn’t appealing and may even make the buyer feel anxious.
If you want to make a quick home sale, spend some time cleaning up your property. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on landscaping, but you can:
- Keep the grass cut short
- Trim the vegetation around the property (trees, shrubs, weeds)
- Clear away clutter, trash, and debris
- Clean sidewalks, paths, and driveways
- Add a fresh coat of exterior paint
- Etc.
If your yard is past saving and there is no grass or greenery to speak of, that’s okay. Just do what you can to make everything look neat, clean, and tidy.
Market Your Listing
Once your house is ready for the market, the next step is listing it. This is a vital part of the home-selling process. The more visibility your home has, the more likely it is to sell quickly.
If your primary goal is to “sell my house fast,” you can’t afford to skimp on marketing. Here are the top ways to ensure your listing gets optimum attention.
Real Estate Agent
Most home sellers decide to work with a realtor, who can provide multiple benefits. In terms of marketing, real estate agents have access to multiple listing sites that are commonly used by homebuyers. They can also promote your listing on their personal website and social media pages.
Additionally, realtors handle private home tours and open houses so you don’t have to. This can be a major convenience, especially if you’re uncomfortable parading people through your home.
Digital Marketing
If you don’t hire a real estate agent, you can still learn how to sell a home fast by advertising your listing on social media. Post your house on your personal Facebook page and ask your friends and followers to share the listing to gain maximum exposure.
You can also join a local buy/sell/trade page where thousands of people in your community will be able to see your listing. Just make sure that the page allows home listings, as some do not.
There are also free multiple listing sites, Craigslist, and other platforms on which to market your home.
Tours and Open Houses
We mentioned home tours and open houses already, but this topic needs to be discussed in a little more detail. Aside from keeping your home presentable at all times, it’s ideal to be as flexible as possible for people wanting to tour your home.
This part can be a little tedious, as you’ll need to drop what you’re doing or schedule time out of your day to walk strangers through your house. Even if you have a real estate agent, you’ll have to find something to do outside of your home for hours at a time while your agent parades people through your home.
Yet, if you want a fast home sale, you have to allow buyers into your house to get an inside look. If you decide to host an open house, you can decide whether or not you want to be there. If you don’t have a realtor, this means committing an entire day or weekend to home showings.
Consider Selling to a Cash Home Buyer
Finally, let’s talk about how to “sell my house fast,” if you don’t have the luxuries of time and money. What can you do if you don’t have the ability to make repairs, hire a realtor, or market your listing? What if you need to sell your house immediately to avoid foreclosure or solve a complicated problem?
In situations like these, selling to a cash home buyer can be the solution you’re looking for. Cash home buyers are ideal for homeowners who:
- Are facing foreclosure
- Going through divorce
- Inherited a home they don’t want or can’t afford
- Are selling a distressed home without making repairs
- Need to sell a home so they can relocate for work
- Don’t want to go through the hurdles of selling a home traditionally
This all sounds amazing, but how does it work? Can anybody sell their house to a cash home buyer?
The Process
First, no matter why you want to “sell my house fast,” a cash home buyer will work with you. Most cash buyers will give you a cash offer, regardless of what condition your house is in.
Start by reaching out and requesting a cash offer. The company will send out their specialist to evaluate your home and give you a fair market cash offer. This usually takes place within 24 to 48 hours of your request.
Of course, you are under no obligation to accept this offer. However, if you accept their offer, you can choose the closing date.
In many cases, this can be as soon as seven days. Alternatively, you can postpone the closing date to several months. Once the closing process is complete, you can walk away with cash in hand.
Are You Thinking, “I Need to Sell My House Fast?”
If you’re planning on selling your home, you can see that the traditional house-selling process is anything but quick and easy. However, there are things you can do to make a quick home sale.
But if you’re thinking, “I need to sell my house fast,” there are better, more convenient options. Contact us today to get your free cash offer.
No matter what you’re going through, we can work with you to buy your house. Let us take this burden off of your shoulders.