Tips for a Faster Home Sale

As a homeowner, selling your home can be a complex process that takes several months from start to finish. For most, selling one’s home quickly is a top priority. The longer your home stays on the market, the more likely it is that you will have to reduce your asking price, and the greater the impact on your finances and the timeline for your next home.

Today, we are laying out our tips for a faster home sale. While your agent will have insightful recommendations specific to your home and budget, these tips are generally good practice for any homeowner planning to sell their home this year.

There Is No Time to Waste

You are selling your home because you plan to upgrade, downsize, or relocate within months from the date you list. To avoid delays (which could lead to financial complications), we suggest implementing as many of your agent’s suggestions as possible. These plans are never a personal commentary on your property, but they are a realistic assessment of the work you should do if a quick sale is your goal.

In fact, most homeowners must be prepared to give their homes a serious cosmetic upgrade if they want to capture the top of their market segment quickly.

Set a Savvy Price Point

Your real estate agent’s knowledge of the market in Middle Tennessee, the zip code in which your home lies, and the trends within your precise neighborhood are all involved in the price they recommend you set. While you as a homeowner may have a different price in mind, simply ask your agent to show you the data they have used in their assessment.

Setting a price that far overshoots the market price will result in your home languishing on the market before the passage of time gives you no choice but to lower your asking or withdraw from the market entirely.

On the other hand, a fair price matched with a well-maintained, beautiful home is a recipe for a fiery bidding war—doubtless the ideal position for every seller.

Maximize Curb Appeal

Although prospective buyers are overwhelmingly more likely to view a property first online rather than in person in 2024, curb appeal remains a central component of real estate sales techniques. Whether we’re talking about a luxury property or a starter home, every buyer wants to purchase a home that has an attractive and welcoming exterior.

Improving curb appeal can include:

•       Cleaning all windows inside and out
•       Power washing the home’s exterior
•       Landscaping
•       Replacing sidewalks
•       Pouring a new driveway
•       Repairing the porch
•       Repairing or replacing the roof
•       Installing new gutters or deep cleaning the current structures
•       Shoring up the building envelope
•       Repainting, repairing, or replacing the garage door
•       Cleaning or replacing all exterior fixtures

This intensive facelift will breathe new life into your home, making it shine even more than it did when it was first built. Whether they realize it or not, potential buyers will associate this gorgeous exterior with a home that has been lovingly and carefully maintained, which is what every buyer would hope to secure.

Consider Professional Home Staging

In the era of digital real estate marketing, professional staging is invaluable. While an empty house will draw some attention, a house that has been staged to its full potential will fly off the market.

Not every homeowner can afford or will choose to invest in staging, and others will not have the option to remove their belongings to create a blank slate for stagers. The following strategies will be helpful to you irrespective of your situation, but especially if you plan to stage your home while still living there.

Lighting 

To bring as much natural light into the home as possible, windows must be cleaned, and new (or at least cleaned and ironed) window treatments are highly recommended.

Arrange artificial lighting so that it offers a warm, diffused glow when the home is viewed in the evening or on stormy days.

Create a Clean Canvas

Declutter and deep clean, meticulously organize what cannot be stored, and store everything that can possibly be sequestered during the sale. A professional home cleaning service that specializes in pre-sale work is well worth the cost. Your real estate agent will have a trusted company they can recommend.

Rearrange furniture to highlight the space within each room and maximize the flow throughout the home. Camouflage awkward spaces with clever furniture choices and placement. 

Play to Your Home’s Strengths

In partnership with your real estate agent, you will be emphasizing your home’s best features, including those that set it apart from nearby properties.

The following strategies are the gold standard for doing so:

• Include phrasing highlighting the work you recently completed on your home. While repair and maintenance aren’t talking points, new landscaping, green features, and upgrades certainly should be.
• Hire an experienced real estate photographer to take the best marketing photos possible. Even this far into the digital age, homeowners underestimate the importance of skilled photography in home marketing. Excellent photos will draw in exponentially more views over basic smartphone shots.
• Consider hiring a videographer to create your virtual tour. Buyers will see your home online and compare it to properties based on the information you provide. A compelling virtual tour will help your home stand out, impress buyers, and allow them to imagine themselves living their best lives there.

The Takeaway

A rapid home sale relies on a range of factors and strategies. Maximizing curb appeal, setting a savvy price, hiring professionals to stage, photograph, and video your home, and working closely with your agent throughout the process will all ensure that your home is sold as quickly as possible while still netting an outstanding offer.