Tips for Selling My Home Fast

You’re in a hurry to move on, but selling a house takes time, doesn’t it? Here’s how to do it quickly.
Selling your home is one of the largest financial transactions you’ll make in your lifetime. From showing it to potential buyers to lining up inspections and conducting title research, there are a lot of things to schedule and legal issues that can’t be skipped over — that is, in the traditional home-selling process. However, there are alternatives and strategies you can use to sell your house quickly.

When is speed a priority?

There are certain times when selling your house fast is important. It could be you’ve found the home of your dreams and you can’t afford to carry two mortgages. Or maybe you have to relocate for a new job that starts right away. The best thing to do is explore your options and find the best process for you.

Two common strategies: Listing with a real estate agent and FSBO

There are a few different avenues to take when putting your home on the market. You can choose to do it all yourself, going the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route. Or you can work with a traditional real estate agent. Either one has its benefits. One important thing is to choose a lane and stick with it. If you change up during the time your home is on the market it will only delay the process.

Pros and cons of FSBO

The big attraction to selling FSBO is you don’t have to pay a commission to a traditional real estate agent. Commissions range anywhere from 3 to 6 percent, so having that extra money in your pocket for your next home’s down payment is an attractive feature. You also remain in control of the entire process, which might help speed things along.

However, there are a lot of legal aspects that come along with selling a house that most homeowners don’t have experience with. It also takes a lot of time to market and show your home. Consider your time carefully before deciding to sell your home FSBO.

When is FSBO beneficial?

You might have seen the statistics from the National Association of Realtors® that FSBO sales are rising. 10% of home sales in 2022 were FSBO, versus 7% the year before. But it’s important to note, 50% of the time those sellers knew the buyer of the home before making the deal. The key takeaway is, if you already have a buyer lined up, FSBO might be right for you. Other times to consider FSBO is if you have a lot of free time to devote to the home selling process, or if you are in a hot seller’s market and houses in your area are moving quickly.

Benefits of an experienced real estate agent

When you choose to sell your home with a traditional real estate agent, you know you have someone working with you who will be able to get the most money from your sale and sell your house as quickly as possible. They understand the market, can show your house so that it’s presented in the best light to potential buyers, have contacts in the industry to set up inspections, appraisals, and closing appointments in a timely manner, and are experienced at price negotiations.

A third option — cash buyers

Whether it’s an individual investor or an iBuyer (also known as instant buyer), working with a cash buyer can ensure you sell quickly. Since cash buyers don’t have to get approved for a loan, it’s less likely the deal will fall through for unforeseen reasons. While many cash buyers are looking for as-is deals, which means you may end up accepting a lower price than you would on the traditional market, the trade-off is a quick, effortless sale process for you.

Selling with Sundae offers an advantage over seeking out a cash buyer another way, and that is competition. We put your house listing in front of a large number of potential cash investors, who then compete and bid to buy it, as-is. This not only helps make your home sale process fast and easy, with no worries about cleaning or repairs, but also helps ensure you aren’t leaving any money on the table.

How it works

Sundae provides you with multiple cash offers from local investors. You get to choose from the best offers presented. We take away the hassle of showing your home and scheduling open houses, and you close on your timeline — often in as little as 10 days.

5 Steps to getting your home market-ready

If you’re selling FSBO or going with a traditional real estate agent, one of the ways to ensure your home will sell quickly is to pay attention to your curb appeal and get your home clean and attractive to prospective buyers.

Step One: Clean

Nothing deters a potential buyer like cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling or dirty floors. Before putting your home on the market, take time to deep clean your house from top to bottom. Clean the windows for a good first impression and to let more light in. Wipe down walls to get off all the dirty fingerprints, clean baseboards and cabinets, and pay special attention to the nooks and crannies in all the bathrooms.

If you don’t have time for a thorough cleaning yourself, consider hiring professional cleaners. They can come in and get the job done quickly.

Step Two: Boost your curb appeal

The first impression potential buyers get comes from the outside of your house. Make sure your curb appeal is at its best by freshening up the landscaping with a few new flowers and fresh mulch. Consider painting your front door a bright color to make it pop from the street.

Step Three: Stage your house

Real estate agents have perfected the art of staging over the years, and it’s a key element to making your property attractive to home buyers. The first step is to look at the living areas and do what you can to make them look spacious and comfortable. Remove family photos and mementos so that potential buyers will be able to see themselves living in your house. Consider a storage unit for some of your furniture and clothes, to help open up space in your rooms and closets.

When you get ready for a showing, open up curtains and blinds to let as much light in as possible. And make your home more inviting by baking cookies ahead of the showing so that prospective buyers walk into a great-smelling kitchen.

Step Four: Complete necessary repairs

Now is the time to fix that toilet that runs after flushing or fix the light fixture that cracked, all of the minor things you have been putting off. It’s also a good idea to think about repairs that will help pass inspection. When you’re trying to sell your house fast you don’t want to be hung up with delays before closing. Repairing roof damage, plumbing problems, or issues with the HVAC can help you sell quickly.

Step Five: Make updates to improve appeal

Consider making minor updates to your house that can make a big impact on potential buyers. For example, removing old, dirty carpet to expose hardwood floors can help make a good impression and might even allow you to list at a higher price. Put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, preferably in a neutral color. This not only freshens up the house but also helps with staging as the bright purple your daughter wanted for her room might not be the shade a potential buyer has in mind.

Hire a professional photographer

When you’re trying to sell your house fast, you want to do everything possible to put the best images in front of potential buyers. Once you’ve improved your curb appeal, done a deep clean and worked on staging, it’s ready to show off. An experienced real estate photographer will be able to take pictures that highlight the best features of your home.

With the proliferation of real estate websites, many potential buyers are doing their first searches online. These professional photos are the first step in attracting people to come look at your house. Make sure to have at least 30 photos uploaded, with both interior and exterior shots.

Price to sell fast

Working with an experienced, traditional real estate agent is a great way to make sure your home is priced right. They know the market value and understand the current real estate trends.

Do your research

If you’re going for FSBO, you’ll want to do some research of your own before coming up with a listing price. Check real estate websites to see what homes are selling for in your local market.

What to look for:

• Comparable properties with similar square footage and acreage
• Homes within your neighborhood or zip code
• Homes that have sold in less than 120 days.

Work on a pricing strategy

Once you’ve come up with a price based on your home’s worth and comparable sales in the area, it’s time to set a listing price. Knowing what prospective buyers in your area are searching for will help with this. For example, if most home buyers are searching for houses under $300,000, it would be smarter for you to have a list price of $299,000 and not $302,000.

When to consider a price reduction

The first two weeks on the market are the busiest for a home sale. If things drop off dramatically or you don’t get an offer, it could be time to consider a price reduction. This is especially key when working to sell a house fast. Changing the asking price will also bring your property back up to the top of the list in online searches for potential buyers.

Offer options to sweeten the deal

There are ways to help bring potential buyers to your house without lowering your list price. Consider offering a transferable home warranty or paying for closing costs to make a more attractive deal.

Accept an offer and close the deal

With a clean, attractive house and great list price, you’re sure to attract a good number of prospective buyers and be in a position to negotiate a deal both you and the home buyer are happy with. Plan to allow around 30 days from the time you accept an offer to the actual closing date. During this time the buyer’s agent will be conducting a home inspection, doing title research and getting things lined up for closing.

What to do to help closing move faster

There are a few things you as the homeowner can do to help the process move quickly. The most important thing is to have all your paperwork in order, including the title, property tax information and loan documents. When scheduling is an issue, offer to go by and sign papers ahead of the closing date, so you don’t hold things up.

Ready to make the next move

Having to move in a hurry can be stressful. But with the right selling strategy in place, you can sell quickly and move on to the next adventure in life. Remember that if time is of the essence, your smartest move might be to skip all the trappings of a traditional MLS sale and seek out the best cash, as-is offer you can get, through a marketplace like Sundae.