Before you can move into your brand new house, you have to get rid of your old one. The home selling process can be a bit of a pain.
You’ve got to prep the place, hire a real estate agent, post pictures, stage your home, and go through all the closing paperwork. The entire thing can take quite a bit of time.
How long will it take? That depends on a number of factors. If the property is in an undesirable location or you set the price too high, it can slow things down by a lot.
We’ve got a home selling checklist that will help you speed the process along. Keep reading to learn what’s making your house unattractive to buyers and find out what you can do to correct it.
Factors That Go Into Selling Speed
Before we tell you how to spruce your home up, let’s talk about what’s keeping it on the market in the first place. There are a variety of things that can slow down selling a house.
If the place is a little worse for wear or it’s not the best location, you’re going to struggle to get rid of it. These are only a few things to consider.
The Market
The status of the market will have a great impact on how fast your house goes. If it’s currently a seller’s market, that means the demand for houses exceeds the supply. You’ll be at an advantage during this time.
It’s the buyer’s market that you have to worry about. That’s when the supply exceeds the demand. There are a lot of houses to go around, and not enough people to sell them to.
The Number of Days It’s Been up for Sale
When someone sees a house that’s been on the market for over a year, they’ll ask themselves what’s wrong with it. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the place looks beautiful in all the pictures, buyers may still be a bit hesitant about scheduling a tour.
Pricing
One of the hardest parts of posting homes for sale is deciding on a price point. If you set the bar too high, you’re not going to get a lot of hits. If you set the bar too low, you won’t make a profit on the house.
Home selling tips dictate that you should get on a realtor’s website and look up other houses in your area that resemble yours. That will give you some numbers to work with.
Home Condition
Most buyers want to be able to move into a house as soon as you hand them the keys. They’ve already taken out a mortgage. They don’t want to have to dump a lot of money on repairs.
That means if your house needs a lot of TLC, people are most likely going to avoid it. If you’re going to get rid of the home, you’ll either have to find someone who buys houses for cash or be willing to take a lot less for the place.
Location
If your house is in a location that has a low crime rate or is near a bunch of top-notch schools, it’s probably going to go pretty quick.
If you’re out in a rural area away from all the grocery stores and other attractions, your house isn’t going to get a lot of buyer attention. Nobody wants to drive miles out into the city to get the things that they need.
Time of Year
The last thing to pay attention to is the time of year. Those who try to sell during the winter won’t get as many hits as those who sell during the summer.
There aren’t a lot of buyers who are going to brave the snow to go out to house viewings. Besides that, people aren’t moving during the cold months because it would require them to uproot their kids in the middle of the school year.
How to Make the Home Selling Process Faster?
Now that you know what makes a house stay on the market, it’s time to find out how you can speed things up. When in doubt, the first thing you’ve got to do is hire an agent.
Hire an Agent
Real estate agents have all the tools and knowledge at their disposal to help match buyers to your house. It doesn’t matter how bad the housing market is, they’ll be able to find someone to purchase your place.
They can also help you out with all the paperwork, and if there’s a problem that’s going to slow down the selling process, they can assist you with fixing it.
Get Professional Pictures Taken
Most buyers don’t go around looking at housing listings in the paper. They browse homes online. You’re going to need professional-looking pictures if you’re going to stand out from all the other places online.
Buyers won’t come to visit your house if they don’t like the photos. That means no snapping shots with your cell phone!
Prep the Place
There are a few things that you can do to prep your house for staging. Start with painting your walls a neutral color. That will allow buyers to mentally make their own decor choices when they come in to tour.
Move all your furniture into a storage unit, or hire movers to take it to your new place if you already have one picked out. Make small repairs, such as fixing the handles on your cabinets.
Get Rid of Your House in a Hurry
Are you trying to get rid of your old house in a hurry? Getting through the home selling process is a lot easier said than done. There are several factors that could hold you back from making the sale.
If you don’t take the time to prep your property or get professional photos taken, your house is going to sit on the market for a long time to come. For more tips that will help you in your selling endeavors, visit the Real Estate section of our blog.
