A very saturated market can make the process of selling your house quite long and difficult. According to a 2019 Jeffries report, only 50 per cent of homes listed on real estate site Rightmove were sold after ten months.
Looking to sell your house quickly? Consider these adjustments to help you in the process.
Choose the right time to sell your house
Spring and summer are ideally the best times to sell your home, as families want to move in before the start of the school year. Likewise, the nice, sunny weather makes home viewings and inspections easier.
Interestingly, Rightmove had a spike in its visitor traffic in the winter of 2018, particularly in January. Page views rose by as much as five million, compared to November of 2017. Naturally, during the months leading to Christmas, people turn their attention to the festive period. No one wants to think about houses and mortgages. When Christmas expenses are done, people this time are ready to make other purchases.
Address all necessary repairs
Another way to sell your house faster is making sure repairs had been done on your end. Buyers wouldn’t want to spend more money on repairs after purchasing the house. Inspect areas like the roof, water drainage, handrails, breakers, power outlets, ventilation fans and pipes. You might encounter problems you have never seen before.
Also, consider the location of the house. Buyers would want a reliable heater when they’re buying a house in the colder parts of the country. If you’re looking to sell your cosy Aberdeen, Scotland home, it will be more marketable if its heating and insulation are in tiptop condition. You can conduct thermal imaging tests to check the house’s current heating system.
Stage your house
Staging a house is the process of strategically rearranging a house to make it look its best while in the market. The end goal here is to make your house look like a showroom. A 2017 National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey said 49 per cent of agents believe staging affects most buyers’ view of a home. You can hire a professional home stager to do the work for you. If you can’t afford one, here are some DIY adjustments you can make:
Pick neutral colours for the walls
Let natural light inside the house
Leave just enough furniture in each room to make it roomy
Declutter your house
Find the right real estate agent for you
It can be hard to sell a house on your own, especially if you have no knowledge of how the housing market works. In this case, you’ll have to seek the help of a real estate agent. Make sure the real estate agent you’ll get fits your budget. You can browse this directory of real estate agents published by Zoopla to help you.
Here are other points to remember:
Real estate agents charge a percentage fee, which can range from 0.75 per cent to 3.0 per cent + VAT of the agreed selling price for your home.
For higher value properties, such as those over £500,000, agents are often fine accepting lower commissions.
Beware of additional costs. Quotations are often given without the VAT, which is currently 20 per cent. If the agent does not say this upfront, make sure to double-check.
Remember that the most expensive agent isn’t necessarily the best. Get proposals from a pool of agents, and compare their costs.
Selling your house can be a tedious process especially if you don’t know what to do. You can sell your house more quickly if you know when to sell it and if its in top condition. Start examining your house now to see if there are things that need to be addressed.
