6 Easy Ways To Sell Your Home Fast

When you list your home for sale, the goal is to get it off the market and the keys into the new owners’ hands as soon as possible. You will probably be anxious to move into your new home and no longer have realtors and potential buyers stopping by for showings. Even if you have already moved out, carrying costs, such as the monthly mortgage, insurance, and upkeep, can be a financial burden. Unfortunately, many factors impact how long it takes a home to sell, including many outside your control. The state of the market, the time of year, and even the weather all come into play. However, there are things you can do to make your home more saleable. While these upgrades may not increase your house’s value or sale price, they will make it more appealing to buyers, which can convert to less time on the market.

Install home automation and security systems

Home automation and security systems not only give potential buyers peace of mind. More importantly, they are also the type of modern touches that tech-savvy buyers desire, which is especially important if you are trying to appeal to the millennial market. Though members of the millennial generation are purchasing their first home at significantly later stages of life than any previous generation, they now make up the largest percentage of home buyers. This generation of buyers is looking for new ways to use technology at home, including interacting with their houses through apps and smart devices. Installing a fancy automation and security system in a house you are about to pass along to someone else may seem like a waste of money. However, a simple do-it-yourself system, with a doorbell camera, security lighting, and door sensors, will make a big impression without a significant investment.

Amp up your curb appeal

When is the last time you stood outside and really looked at your home? Potential buyers form a first impression within seconds of arriving, and even a pristine interior isn’t enough to overcome a lackluster exterior. If you spend the bulk of your time indoors, it’s easy to miss the fact that the driveway needs to be pressure washed or that a shutter is sagging. While repairing any maintenance issues should be the top priority, you also need to create a welcoming atmosphere. Use colorful potted flowers to fill in patchy landscaping and add a few chairs or a bench to the front porch to create a cheerful entry. It may also be worthwhile to give your mailbox a fresh coat of paint, or replace it if it is in disrepair. Creating curb appeal can be more challenging if you put your home on the market in the winter, since gray weather and a lack of foliage will work against you. Add a colorful doormat and a faux floral wreath, even if they seem out of season. Painting the door in a bold shade so that it is visible from the street can also help.

Add modern details

Kitchens and bathrooms are the rooms that can make or break a home sale, so it makes sense to focus your upgrades in those areas. However, you probably don’t need to embark on a full-scale remodel. Even an outdated room can benefit from a mini makeover, including sleek drawer pulls, knobs, and faucets. Replacing light fixtures is another easy swap, and a modern pendant over an island or bar can make an impressive visual impact. In the bathroom, ensure the room feels light and airy by adding high-wattage LED bulbs.

Declutter with personality

You likely already know that your home should be clutter-free when it goes onto the market. Start with the obvious steps of getting rid of piles of paperwork, creating empty space in closets, and stowing small kitchen appliances off the countertops. But, here’s the trick. You need to cut the clutter but keep some personality. Often, people want to buy a lifestyle as much as they want to buy a house. So, if your home is in a family neighborhood, it should look like a family lives there, complete with neatly stowed toys and a few family photos.

Go neutral

You might have fallen in love with your bold wallpaper or bright accent wall, but potential buyers probably won’t. Even if your walls are already a neutral tone, a fresh coat of paint can make your house look crisp and clean. White paint is always a good choice since it will make the rooms look larger and brighter. Plus, fresh paint shows that the home is move-in ready, while bold colors will have potential buyers calculating the financial and time costs of repainting.

Hire a landscaper and cleaning service

Cleaning a home that is on the market can be much more intense than tending to the same space in day-to-day life. Hiring a professional cleaning service can be an upgrade for the home and your schedule since it will take the task out of your hands. Before listing your home for sale or before an open house, schedule a deep cleaning, including all windows, the oven, and tile grout. Then, use the same cleaning service for weekly housekeeping sessions to ensure the home is always ready for viewings. Outdoors, a landscaping team can start by trimming trees and pruning bushes. Having the lawn mowed and edged every two weeks is also an effective way to improve curb appeal.

Little details matter to potential buyers and, if you are looking to sell your home quickly, cost-effective upgrades can be in your best interest. By investing a little time and money upfront, these upgrades will pay off when they tempt buyers into making an offer.

“Expert Insights’

1. I think that a fresh coat of paint goes a long way. If a home has dated kitchen cabinets or bathroom vanities painting them is a great way to have a fresh updated look for much less money than replacing them.  You have to make your home look like no one lives in it, think of magazine photos, there are no pictures with clutter all over counters and floors. I love to work with a stager to help sellers see what needs to be removed from their space to make the home most appealing to buyers.

Tracy Spaniol. REMAX Encore

2. Consider staging.  Especially if empty, professional staging helps not only to showcase great furnishing options for each room , but also to add warmth to a space that a buyer can actually envision themselves living in. Stagers know how to make rooms feel bigger and brighter.

Rachel Foy. Hillman Homes

3. Curb appeal is crucial as you need to bring buyers in the door first and foremost. I agree wholeheartedly that the simple addition of shrubbery, painted shutters or a colorful front door can make all of the difference. Inside and out the goal is to make small adjustments that will make a big impact. Don’t forget to lean on the experts. Hire an agent with a keen eye for detail who can help you determine what exactly needs to be done so that you are not creating too much work for yourself. In this current market, sellers can also get away with taking short cuts and spending less money on certain areas of their home.

Kara Trombly. Suburban Lifestyle Real Estate – Franklin

4. Hire a real estate professional who can guide sellers through the entire sale process plus pricing, presentation of the home and social/digital marketing. In the presentation of the home, realtors offer strategic improvements/repairs within sellers’ budget, staging the home and professional photos/video. They also can refer real estate attorneys, contractors and other resources.

Fay Wong. FGW Realty Group