Tactics to Sell Your Home Quickly

nice kitchen

Have you been remodeling or updating your house so you could sell it? Right now is a great time to sell, at least in Abilene, Tx. We have been in the updating process for about a month and a half at this point and right now we plan on just enjoying the updates ourselves. BUT we are also making the design choices that will help the resale if we decide to move one day.

If you are wanting to put your house on the market you might be counting on the proceeds of the sale to help make a down payment on your new home. If you’re looking to sell your home and start over somewhere else, you likely want to see that sale happen as quickly as possible. After all, it isn’t easy to be paying two mortgages at once!

Here are 15 helpful tactics to get your home into the hands of its new owners as swiftly as possible:

1. Price it right

You want to get as much as you can for your home, and ironically, that means pricing it lower than the going rate. Find out the true worth of your home, and then hack 20% off that price. You’ll have the buyers rushing to your home – and then bidding up the price to what you really wanted. They may even offer more!

You have to separate your memories you’ve made in that house and the value those have for you with the actual value of your home to someone else. Of course your children being born in that home or the dinner parties and laughter had in that house mean the world to you but for the buyer they do not have the same emotional connection to you house.

2. Choose the right agent

Do your research before hiring a real estate agent. Agents should have an excellent track record that includes lots of recent sales, being updated on the latest market trends and knowing how to use technology to get the word out about your house. Ask for references and credentials before making a decision.

Sometimes knowing your agent personally can be a good thing and sometimes it might not be. Really evaluate that relationship before you jump in. Make sure your agent friend is the right person to walk you through the whole process or if it would be better to hire outside your social circle.

3. Let the light shine

After location, the amount of light in your home is the second-biggest selling factor. Change your lampshades, add more lights where necessary and use the maximum possible wattage for every light fixture in your home. You can also scrub your windows, remove the drapes and let the sunshine in.

This is one thing that we are doing in our remodeling. Our house tends to be very dark because we do not have good lighting, so adding some can lights and better light fixtures will make a huge difference for us.

4. Rent a storage unit

You want your house to be clutter-free and your closets to look as spacious as possible. To do this, you’ll probably need to get rid of half the stuff around your home and stored in your closets. Consider renting a mini storage unit to house your belongings until your home is sold. As a bonus, you’ll have a leg up on the packing when it’s time to move!

I know for me, since I am having to box up one room at a time as we start updating it, I am getting rid of ALOT of things we haven’t used in years. It doesn’t mean they aren’t nice things but if we haven’t used them…we probably don’t need them.

5. Amp up your curb appeal

First impressions matter the most. Attract buyers by sprucing up the exterior of your home. Splurge on a striking patio set, trim your shrubs and plant some pretty flowers along your walkway. You’ll likely get a 100% return on the money you spend.

I plan on painting our front door a bold color to make it pop off our gray brick exterior. Adding some color is always a great way to spruce things up.

6. Focus on the kitchen

The kitchen is where it’s at. Buyers will spend the longest time here, and the offered price will fluctuate according to how updated your kitchen is. Depending on the state of your kitchen, you might want to do a quick remodel, including a fresh coat of paint, new cabinets and more. Or like us, you can just give your cabinets a fresh coat of paint and change out the hardware. No need to spend the time and money on brand new cabinets if the ones you have work just fine!

Not convinced? Consider this: Replacing your old countertops will run you a few thousand dollars, but a buyer can easily shave $10,000 off the asking price by claiming your kitchen is outdated.

7. Upgrade – but don’t go overboard

In addition to the kitchen, you’ll want the entire rest of the home to look its best. It’s a good idea to do basic repairs and some remodeling to make your home sell faster. But don’t go overboard, or you may end up losing money. A new paint job and some new light fixtures, door handles and rugs can do the trick.

In our renovations we are focusing the majority of our time, money, and effort in the kitchen and master bathroom but we are freshening up every other room as well. The entire house is getting a fresh coat of paint and new flooring. With three kids and carpet everywhere, it is time to rip that stuff out and put in something new!

8. Make it impersonal

To you, it looks homey and lived-in. To potential buyers, it’s just a mess. We’re talking personal effects. Get rid of them before showing your home. You want your visitors to envision their own family and personal belongings here – not yours.

It’s hard to think about taking most of your personality out of your house to sell, I mean who wouldn’t want to see pictures of my beautiful family and who wouldn’t want to see the preschool drawings on my fridge?  But they don’t. It has to be a blank canvas so they can picture their family living there and the memories they will make.

9. Market it yourself

Be your own best agent. Let everyone and their neighbor know that you’re selling your home. Post an attractive picture of your house on your favorite social media platforms, tell your friends to tell their friends and be sure to speak in glowing terms about your house to anyone who asks for details.

But BE HONEST! Don’t be throwing out lies 🤨. A few months ago, I went on a Girl’s Trip to Waco, Tx, with some of my best friends. We rented a house off of Airbnb. The pictures were beautiful and the house lived up to those pictures. However, the location was described as being in a ‘revitalization neighborhood’ close to the Silos… well lets just say we did not want to walk to the Silo’s from our house!

10. Make it sparkle

Don’t skimp on this one! Give your entire home a deep cleaning before showing it to buyers, scrubbing and buffing until every corner gleams. Nothing turns a potential buyer off like grimy counters or streaks on the bathroom mirror.

If you don’t have the time, know how, or want to, consider hiring someone to come do some of those things for you. I have a friend that cleans my house every other week and if I decide to put my house on the market you can bet your first born that I will be asking her to come help with the DEEP cleaning!

11. Hide your pets

Not everyone is an animal lover. If you’ve got some furry critters at home, hide the evidence! Don’t leave out a bowl of dog food or a half-chewed ball of yarn. If you’re hosting an open house, send your pets to a friend’s place for the day.

I love my dog, Frankie, so much but I am very aware that that doesn’t mean everyone else will (I’m not sure how they couldn’t but just to be the devil’s advocate here). I mainly understand this because I don’t really like anyone else’s animals…there I said it! I don’t want your animal smelling me and jumping on me or scaring me when I am trying to make a huge decision for myself and my family. So if we list our house, we will send Frankie to my mom’s house so the new owners can focus all their attention on the decision at hand and not have to worry about my dog.

12. Time it right

Spring and summer are by far the most popular times for house hunting. Placing your home up for sale when more people are looking to buy will put you ahead of the game from the start. So what better time than now! (At the time of this post it is June 2021)

13. Hire a professional to help you set up your home

Unless you’ve got an awesome eye for aesthetics, you might want to hire a professional to help you stage and photograph your home. They can help you arrange your furniture so it maximizes space and then shoot photos showing your house in the best possible light.

This step is so very important. When I look at houses online I can easily tell which houses were professionally photographed and which ones just used their disposable cameras. Even if you can’t get someone to stage the house, get someone to take great pictures! Most of us know a family member, friend, or even teen in photography class that would probably be willing to shoot some photos for you. Make them their favorite baked good or give them a bottle of wine (not the teen of course).

14.Use extra rooms

Do you have a spare bedroom that houses your baby gear or boxes of your college stuff? Now’s the time to clear it out! Set up an empty room as something useful, like a guest room, an exercise nook or even a hobby room. It will look a lot more attractive to potential buyers than a room full of stuff!

15. Encourage people to explore the entire house

Entice visitors to check out the upstairs and to peek into bedrooms by placing a piece of artwork, a pretty vase of fresh flowers, an interesting light fixture or even painting an accent wall near the end of a hallway or at the top of a set of stairs.

You’re all set! Now get out there and put your home’s best face forward!

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