9 Simple Steps to Selling Your Home Fast

By using these easy and inexpensive tips, you can expect an offer in no time.

Whether you’re selling Portland, ME or San Angelo, TX, putting your home on the market can be stressful. Week after week of showings require your house to be presentable at all times, not to mention the hassle of vacating at a moment’s notice. If you have pets or children, that stress is multiplied.

Buyers will be most interested in your home the first few weeks it’s on the market — so you need to hit the ground running and sell before your listing grows stale. These tried-and-true methods can help you get offers quickly that are close to (or even above!) your asking price.

9 Simple Steps to Selling Your Home Fast

1. Get a storage unit

You might think the easiest way to declutter your home is to shove everything into the closets.

Bad idea: Anyone who tours your home is going to check out the storage spaces, and disorganized, overstuffed closets only serve as evidence that your home is lacking. Opt instead for a storage unit to house the things you won’t need while your home is on the market.

The general rule? Get rid of a third of your stuff. Holiday decorations, baby gear, seasonal clothes, that bread maker you’ve never used — they can all go into storage.

Make it easy. Get a POD. If you choose a portable unit, it can be transported to your new home, making moving day a cinch.

2. Hire a professional to stage and photograph your home

A professional home stager sees your home from a buyer’s perspective — a good one understands how to highlight its strengths and soften its flaws. Buyer’s first impression will be the listing photos, and studies show that homes with more than six listing photos online are twice as likely to be viewed by buyers.

Not everyone wants their home staged (or has the money for it). Have a friend stand at the curb and walk through the house with fresh eyes to offer their perspective on decluttering, and then have an agent go through from a marketing standpoint.

Either way, staging of some sort is necessary on almost every home, no matter how beautiful it is.

3. Find the right real estate agent

What really matters? Customer service! A track record of sales that proves they know how to sell your house! Are they familiar with the benefits (and negatives) of your neighborhood? Can they walk into your home and tell you precisely what buyers will love and hate?

Check their reviews. Check the online client reviews and feedback on all the agents you’re considering.

Make sure they hire a professional to take photos and includes a variety of photos on their site and social media. Do they promote the listing on social media to build up demand before it goes on the market?

4. Promote it yourself

Do your part to get the word out about your home by using your personal social media accounts and sending the listing page to family and friends. You never know what friend of a friend or distant relative may be looking in your neck of the woods!

You may even consider spreading word about your home in your neighborhood. Send the listing to your homeowners’ association email list and let your neighbors help.

5. Remove personalized items

Remove personal photographs or memorabilia to allow the prospective buyer to imagine themselves living in your house and make it easier to focus on the home’s highlighted features. Of course, your kids’ baby pictures are adorable, but when your home is on the market, they need to come down in order to sell fast.

In the same respect, don’t distract from the house itself with art, which could be unappealing to a buyer. Your home should be more interesting than the things in it.

6. Make small upgrades

Focus on small upgrades, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom, where you’re most likely to see a return on investment. A new sink and cabinet hardware in the kitchen, or light fixtures, shower curtains, and hand towels in the bathroom, are inexpensive but can instantly transform your space. Rather than splurging $30,000 on a full kitchen remodel, ditch your unmatched old appliances and spend $3,500 on a new stainless steel appliance suite. Small upgrades can have a big impact.

7. Light it up

A dark or poorly lit home feels damp and depressing. Brighten it up by using natural and artificial light. When you leave for showings, turn the lights on and open curtains and blinds. A fresh coat of paint can also brighten a room.

Did you know that Sherwin-Williams has a color called Agreeable Gray, a light, neutral gray that provides a soft, brighter palette, making rooms look larger.

A deep cleaning will also help brighten baseboards, windows, and light fixtures.

8. Amp up the curb appeal

Your home’s exterior is typically the first thing a buyer sees in person and on listing sites. If it doesn’t look good, a buyer won’t even consider looking at the interior shots. They will actively avoid it.

Tidy up your yard by trimming and shaping hedges, refreshing mulch, and edging the lawn. Consider pressure-washing your house, walkways, and driveway, or even adding a fresh coat of paint to your trim and shutters.

Everything matters — even things as small as the brass on your front door. Polish the kick-plate and doorknob, and clean any cobwebs or bird droppings off your front porch. Flowers, particularly near the entryway, add a hint of color, making your home feel alive and inviting.

9. Sell at the right time

Spring and summer are typically known as the best time to sell your home. If you can wait until then to list, you should consider it. Be forewarned that increased inventory means spring and summer buyers can afford to be pickier.

Price your house right. Do your own research about area comps, get listing price suggestions from a couple of agents, and then listen to your agent when it comes to negotiating.