Do you want to sell your house fast without having to hire a realtor? Then, this post is just for as it is the ultimate guide to selling a house fast without a real estate agent. Avoid having to pay a hefty commission to a realtor and take control of the entire process by selling a house on your own. It will help you save a ton of money and you will get to do things your way. Read on to learn how to sell your house fast.
Get Your House Ready
The first thing that you need to do when you plan on selling a house is to prepare it for sale. Start by freeing up space and throw away all unnecessary items that do not add value to your home. You need to make sure that your house is easy to navigate for potential buyers. The house should be clutter-free. It will allow potential buyers to imagine living in the house instead of seeing the house of a representation of your personality. Remove items that create a lived-in feel such as pictures and keep them out of sight. Instead, you should only show items that you no longer need or you can hold a garage sale to get rid of them.
Once all unwanted items have been removed, you should clean the entire house or can also hire a professional cleaning service. Prospective buyers are interested in buying a house that has had a professional deep clean. Moreover, if you have a friend or family member that has had a property sold, you can ask them to walk through your house to identify any issues that you might have overlooked. Some of the things that you need to do before listing your house are mentioned below.
- Add impersonal homey items such as decorative candles and rugs.
- Replace outdated fixtures or appliances that create an outdated look.
- Rearrange furniture to make your house look bigger.
- Repaint the walls in a neutral color.
Research the Market before You Set the Price
If you want to sell your house fast without hiring a real estate agent, you should research the local housing market. It will provide you with an idea of the price of similar houses. Remember, when setting the price of your house, you cannot let emotions get in the way. You must be completely rational when setting the price. Although the house might be extremely valuable to you, you must price your house according to the market.
Check out recent sales of similar homes in the neighborhood to find out what to price the house. Find homes that have the similar square footage, lot size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and amenities. The Federal Housing Finance Agency has an HPI calculator that you can use for an appraisal of your home. When you price your house right, it will sell quickly. You could set a low price and start a bidding war to get potential buyers involved. It will allow you to sell your house for more than your asking price.
Gather Information to Draft the Listing
The next thing that you need to do to sell a house fast is to gather information for drafting the listing. The following information should be gathered.
- Home Data: It includes all the quantitative information like bathroom and bedroom count, lot size, interior square footage, year built, heating and cooling configuration, amenities, and parking arrangements.
- Pictures: Although you can take pictures of your home on your own, it is best to get a professional photographer to capture high-resolution pictures of your home. If you do take pictures on your own, you should incorporate as much natural light as possible, emphasize the views from the house, and post a ton of pictures. However, before you post pictures, you should use editing software for touchups. Take a picture of every single room, the hallway, the balcony, the front yard, the exterior, and the neighborhood.
- Description: The description provides you with an opportunity to capture the attention of potential buyers. It should be interesting and contain factual information. Craft a story of your home by highlighting its best selling points from an objective perspective. The description should be short, concise, and insightful.
List Your House on Multiple Listing Platforms
One of the most important things that you should keep in mind when selling a house on your own is to have a listing on multiple listing platforms. Learn more about all the popular listing platforms and list your house on them. Go through different listings to get an idea about how the most popular properties are listed. It will allow you to create a killer listing for your house. Besides, listing platforms do not cost much. Hence, it is a good idea to list your property on multiple sites.
Advertise Everywhere
You should not just rely on your listing. Instead, you should advertise everywhere. Place a “for sale” outside your home and take advantage of every platform to advertise your home. Use real estate sites, place ads on local classified sites such as Craigslist, launch a YouTube channel to post videos of your house, and post ads on social media. It will allow you to maximize your chances of selling your house fast. When you advertise everywhere, you get to inform a ton of people about your interest to sell your house. Moreover, many of the platforms are free and you can post ads multiple times throughout the day to get people to take notice. Be patient as there is bound to be someone who will take an interest in your house. Give it time and respond to everyone gracefully.
Hold an Open House
After your house has hit the market, it is time that you held an open house a few times to debut your house. To get the maximum number of people to attend the open house, you should create a glossy flyer for your open house. Distribute it to everyone in the neighborhood and prospective buyers. Create a flyer that showcases all the best things about your house such as its location, amenities, views, and size. The open house should be scheduled for the weekend. Early afternoon or late morning is the way to go. Moreover, an open house runs for two to three hours. It is completely fine to hold it for even longer. Now, before you hold the open house, you need to make sure that your house is in excellent condition. Get it cleaned professionally to make a good impression on prospective buyers. Put an ad of your open house on Craigslist, post information on social media, send emails to your contact list, and post flyers at community spaces. When holding the open house, you need to dress professionally and pay attention to everyone. Patiently answer all questions and order some snacks for the guests.
Show Your House
After the open house has been held, you will need to hold private showings. You must verify the identity of prospective buyers by asking for their license numbers. Ask for more information and get a lock for the house. It is important that you let others know that you are holding a private showing and have your friends accompany you during the private showing. Make your house shine during the private showings.
Be Prepared To Negotiate
Once the open house and private showings have concluded, you will need to be prepared to negotiate. Since prospective buyers will want to buy the house for the lowest price possible, it is important that you learn to stand your ground and communicate with them about why your house is a catch. Learn some effective negotiation techniques for the best outcome. Keep in mind that there is no obligation to respond to unserious or low offers. Patience is the name of the game when it comes to negotiations. Do not be afraid to tell a prospective buyer that you will not lower the price any further. It will show the prospective buyer that your house is worth the asking price.
Get a Settlement Agent/ Real Estate Attorney
Finally, to sell your house, you need to get a settlement agent to take care of all the legal formalities. It is important that you seek professional help when closing the sale. The agent will help you with the transfer of the title and the escrow account. Moreover, you can hire a real estate attorney to draft the agreement.
Hire Fast Cash Home Buyers
Although selling your house fast is possible without a real estate agent, you should consider hiring one of the best fast cash home buyers to get cash for your home. Fast cash home buyers allow you to sell your home in the shortest amount of time without having to hire a real estate agent. You can sell your house to a fast cash home buyer and save up on realtor commission and fees.