How hard is it to sell a house?
You might sometimes feel like your house will remain on the housing market forever as the process becomes downright stressful and time-consuming.
However, you should know that you can take certain actions to help you sell your home for the higher price you’re hoping to receive.
As a first-time seller, you might need to take a closer look at adjusting the asking price, painting your house, or advertising to the correct target market.
In this article, you’ll learn seven tips that will help when you want to know how to sell a house fast. They’ll also help you understand the best ways to sell a house and move into your new home feeling like a winner.
Why It Can Be Hard to Sell a House Sometimes
If you’re going to sell your house, you need to know that some factors make it more difficult to find a buyer. The biggest factors that can make it more difficult to sell a house include the time of year, location, and the condition of your home.
You might need to know how to sell a house with foundation problems. Many buyers will feel leery when faced with the cost of fixing the foundation. You’ll have a harder time selling in this situation. Having a home inspection to determine any improvements that may need to be made can help with your home valuation on the seller’s market.
Have you decided to sell the house on your own? You’ll need to learn how to sell a house without a real estate agent. Though this can save costs on the agent’s commission, using a realtor can save you a lot of time.
Realtors are well versed in the local market and use multiple listing services to market your home. They can also perform a comparative market analysis to determine home prices in the area.
If you take the for sale by owner route, consider turning the advertising and viewing process over to a realtor or listing agent if you become frustrated. Another option is looking for cash home buyers in Minneapolis.
How hard is it to sell a shared ownership property? It can become difficult if the other owner wants to keep the home. You’ll need to negotiate in a manner that makes them feel comfortable releasing the property for sale.
Is it hard to sell a house in December? Selling your house in winter can seem like an impossible task. However, get creative with your advertising efforts and help potential buyers see that they’re getting a deal at this time of year.
Asking Price Is Too High
When you want to know how to sell a house fast, you must consider whether you’re asking the right sale price. Getting your asking price wrong is a sure-fire way to struggle with finding a quick buyer. Here are some things for home sellers to consider when setting the asking price.
- Look at comparative sales in the area and how long they remained on the market
- Consider whether you need to pay a commission fee or closing costs
- Ask yourself if the home needs repairs or renovations that you can pass on to the new owner
After figuring out what price is right for your house and where it stands against other homes in your area, you can begin marketing.
Your Photos Aren’t Good Enough
Did you work hard to learn how to sell a house on Zillow, and you’re frustrated by a lack of buyers? When listing FSBO, you might need to take a fresh approach to the photos you’ve used for the home sale. Homeowners will learn quickly how difficult it is to sell their own homes if they use poor images of the property. Here are a few tips to help you take good photos when marketing the house.
- Invest in a good camera
- Use natural light to take photos during the day
- Don’t show just one room. Instead, reveal every room and space within the home
- Replace wall hangings with mirrors so there’s no dead space in the room
- Use a rug to make rooms feel larger, such as in a living room with bare floors
You should also consider hiring a professional photographer to take photos for you. When it comes to getting the job done, sometimes your best option is outsourcing to someone who can make your listing superior to competitors.
The House Looks Cluttered
Are you wondering how to sell a house full of furniture fast? It’s possible to accomplish your goal. However, you’ll run into difficulties if the house looks too cluttered to potential buyers.
The first thing to consider is hiring professional cleaners to come in and do an intensive cleaning before you do an open house. Sparkling floors, baseboards, windows, and furniture surfaces can help when buyers need to navigate the furniture.
Selling homes with furniture doesn’t mean the house should look cluttered, though. Here are some tips to help if you think clutter is hampering your ability to sell the house quickly to prospective buyers.
- Remove all personal items from the house
- Hide children’s toys and books in closets or other rooms
- Use storage space under beds for out-of-season clothing, shoes, or decorations
Quick tip: If you have a favorite chair that makes the room feel cozier, place it by a window where buyers can see how nice it looks during the day.
Viewings Aren’t Going Well
Is your marketing working well to get potential buyers to show up for viewings? At first, it’s exciting to get foot traffic flowing through the home for showings. It can quickly turn frustrating if people continuously walk out without making an offer. You might now wonder how to sell the house faster.
Here are some reasons that often cause a house viewing to turn sour.
- Viewers become distracted by clutter
- The house feels too small for them
- Potential buyers can’t picture living in the house because it’s not set up to feel like a home
If you’re noticing that viewings aren’t going well, take steps to improve the situation. A few things you can do include the following.
- Clean and declutter more thoroughly before showings
- Set up furniture in ways that create a feeling of spaciousness
- Invite friends or family over to give their honest feedback about what works and doesn’t work in your home
Consider whether you need to improve the curb appeal. Perhaps you need to cut the lawn and pull out a few weeds that stick up out of the walkway. Look at the shrubs and cut them back if they’re looking shaggy.
Place a few plants on the front and back porches. Use lighting along the walkway. Include lights that point up at the front tree to create an interesting view when buyers pull up in the evening.
If you create an amazing first impression with the home’s curb appeal, you should see an improvement in how viewings go for you.
Another option if you’re at your wits end with viewings is to find a “we buy houses Minnesota” company to offer you a cash deal. One of the benefits of selling a house for cash is that it speeds the process up.
The House Needs a Lick of Paint
Do your home’s interior and exterior walls look shabby because you haven’t freshened up the paint in quite some time? Identify which areas need new paint and use these house painting ideas to improve the situation.
Clean the walls thoroughly before you start painting. Use a roller for larger areas of wall space and choose one that’s appropriate for your surface. For example, if the area is bumpy or textured, consider using an angled brush to get into narrow spaces. When it comes to color choices, pick something neutral like tan or white.
If the paint is peeling off in spots, it’s probably time to repaint completely. You don’t want buyers seeing this and thinking you haven’t taken care of the house over the years.
Take a look at the outside of the home. If you see that the exterior paint is flaking off, then it’s time to repaint it. You might get away with freshening up the shutters only if the main walls look decent.
Two areas that make a big impression are the front door and garage door. If either one is looking old and outdated, consider giving them a fresh coat of paint. Go bold when choosing colors for a front or garage door. Select colors such as bright red, yellow or blue to make a positive impression on buyers.
By making these few simple updates, you could be increasing your home value.
You’re Targeting the Wrong Buyers
How difficult is it to sell a house by owner? You’ll quickly discover that it’s quite hard if you’re targeting the wrong buyers. Marketing effectively is essential when you’re learning how to sell a house without a realtor.
Create a buyer avatar that lists the qualities you’re looking for. Then, build a list of marketing materials that appeal to this avatar. For example, if you want young family buyers who love kids and dogs, design ads with images that will appeal to them. Include information about your home’s proximity to schools or parks.
Consider creating an online campaign using ads targeted at specific demographics such as “women with kids” or “empty nesters.”
You can use social media to market your home. Make sure you post regularly with helpful information for potential buyers and buyer’s agents. Stay true to your identified avatar by including benefits you know those buyers will get excited about.
Conclusion
Is it hard to sell a house? It certainly can feel like that sometimes. The key to overcoming the situation is using the tips outlined above. If you improve as you go through the house-selling process, you’ll eventually sell close to or even above the market value or your asking price.