Selling a house isn’t easy. In fact, it’s something that many families dread. Chances are that you’ve heard horror stories about houses that sat for years on the market without selling, gradually decreasing in price. If you’ve been thinking about selling your home and you want to ditch your house as quickly as possible, there are a few ways that you can help your house sell fast. There are some factors you can’t control, like location or noisy neighbors. Fortunately, there are seven important things you can do to give your house the best shot at selling.

1. Fix what’s broken

Buyers are always looking for the perfect move-in ready home, so fixing your home is key. If your house needs a lot of help, focus on the major problems in your home. Need a new roof? Buy one- or get a bid and price accordingly. A new owner will not want to put a new roof on the house unless you’re offering the home at a serious discount. Remember that most families want something they can move into right away without spending months working on. If there are problems with the home that you can easily fix, whether it be chipping paint or a broken fence post, try to fix them before you list your house.

We recommend that our sellers have a home inspection before listing and fix the issues before going on the market.  At Stage Presence Homes we market these homes as "Certified Pre-Owned Homes" not only do buyers love this, but buyers agents go out of the way to show our listings because they know our sellers have taken care of all the details and the sale won't fall apart at the inspection process.

2. Update your appliances

It’s important to remember that homebuyers have specific items they look for in a home. For many buyers great appliances are number one on their wish list for a home. That’s where you come in. While you probably can’t afford to update every one of your home’s appliances, take a hard look at what your current setup looks like. Is the stove outdated? Is the fridge about to die? Dropping a few hundred dollars on a new fridge,dishwasher or oven might not be the way you want to spend your money, but it could help you sell your house. If someone sees an old stove sitting in the middle of the kitchen that looks like it’s about to break, they may wonder what else is going to break if they buy the house. 

Fun Fact:  There are a decent amount of buyers that 'feel funny' about used things.  Many buyers will not use your old dirty dishwasher or sit on your 'funky old toilets' - so if some of your items look worse for wear, go ahead and replace them.

3. Take breathtaking pictures

You probably know that you need to take pictures of your house. Pictures are one of the most important ways that you can draw in potential buyers. If someone is looking for a new home, they’ll typically take a look at real estate websites before setting up showings or attending open houses. Because so many shoppers look online before they decide to explore a house in person, it’s important that your pictures look great.

Consider hiring a professional photographer to really showcase your home. Make sure that you take pictures of both the home’s interior and exterior. If you have a large yard, try to showcase that. If you just planted roses, take a few pictures. If your master bathroom is enormous, take a picture. Highlight the best areas of your home and skip the ones that are less attractive to buyers. 

All of our listings include photos by a professional real estate photography company. They have the correct lenses and know how to get the right lighting to showcase your home in the best possible light, It really does make a huge difference!

4. Ditch your clutter

Clearing out junk is easier said than done, but if you want to sell your house quickly, you need to ditch your clutter. Get rid of extra papers, magazines or memorabilia that is sitting around your house. Clean out beneath your beds. Get rid of that pile of clothes next to your dresser. When people walk through your house, they want to imagine what it will be like to live in the home. Even if you can’t get rid of all of your home’s clutter, try to at least minimize the amount of things you have on shelves and on counters to present a clean, neat appearance to buyers. 

Everything off kitchen and bathroom counters, get the clutter off your fridge, minimal 'stuff' makes your house look bigger, cleaner, brighter and more inviting.  List with  us and we will provide you with a free staging consultation and list everything you need to do to have your home shine!!

5. Advertise, advertise, advertise

Your agent will be the first to tell you: you need to focus on advertising. Remember that buyers probably won’t drive by your house and see the “For Sale” sign in your yard. Rather, they’ll find your house online, in a newspaper or on a brochure. List your house on as many real estate websites as possible, share it on Facebook and try to promote it as much as possible for the best results. 

We spend thousands of dollars a month getting our listings out to the most amount of buyers. Social media, print advertising, direct mail, and our large list of ready to buy, qualified buyers. We are on top of the trends and take advantage of every opportunity to get your home in front of the most buyers.

6. Price fairly

You’ve spent years developing memories in your house, so it’s normal to want to attach a price tag to those. Unfortunately, the reality is that you can’t afford to ask too much for your house. Remember that buyers are looking for a good deal. They want to know that they’re getting their money’s worth when they buy a house. Take a look at what other houses are selling for in your area and price your home accordingly.

An active, knowledgable local agent is always your best choice for pricing your home right. Stage Presence Homes has a special way of pricing our properties that are PROVEN to net our sellers the most money. 

7. Don’t be choosy

One mistake that many sellers make is to turn down offers because they don’t like the family. Even if you don’t like the person that offers to buy your house, realize that you don’t have any control over what happens to your home once you sell it. If the buyer wants to tear down walls, paint everything green or add a bunch of garden gnomes to the yard, that’s their decision. For a quick sell, don’t be choosy about your offers. Sell your home to the first person who makes an offer that is reasonable and that you’re comfortable with.