How to Sell a House Fast
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If you need to get out of a house fast without losing your shirt, you'll need professional help and an overall strategy. Consider several ways to get the word out and sweeten the pot for home buyers.
Step 1: Get tips
Get tips from a real estate agent. Use their advice to set a price based on average sales of real estate in your market to sell your home faster. Don't inflate the number just to absorb their commissions and make a bigger profit.
Tip
Shaving off even a couple thousand dollars below average price can increase activity and the likelihood that the house will move faster.
Step 2: Clean up
Paint, trim, mow, and make repairs to improve curb appeal. Organize or eliminate interior clutter so that potential buyers can visualize themselves living in your home.
Tip
To save time and hassle, hire a staging service to prepare the home for sale.
Step 3: Put pictures online
Take bright, complimentary photos of the home inside and out and post them online with the listing. Engage a video service to create a virtual tour so more people can experience the home.
Step 4: Sell everywhere
Expand options by placing information about the home on social networks. Saturate the local area with fliers on bulletin boards at stores.
Step 5: Stay out of the way
Stay out of the way and let the realtor sell the house. Answer questions if asked, but don't expect to hard sell people by crowding them or overselling the good parts. You could accidentally talk them out of a sale.
Step 6: Offer extra value
Offer to prepay taxes or closing costs for a buyer who acts quickly. Include plasma screens, furniture, or appliances to further entice a buyer to spring.
Tip
Playing the waiting game and sitting on the house till the market gets better can backfire. If there's a sudden surge of interest, you'll be late getting the house into the running. If you're selling, just do it.
Step 7: Hold the line
Hold the line on what you expect to get for the house, and avoid continually lowering the price when interest slows. On the other hand, don't jump at the first bid without being sure no more offers are possible. With the right advice, your home will sell quickly, and you'll be on your way to a new home.
Did You Know?
Home purchases in the U.S. decreased over 2 percent in March 2010 to a yearly rate of 308,000 homes, according to the Commerce Department, as the median sales price was at its highest in more than 2 years.
