No time to lose? Let’s get straight to the point then. Here are five strategies you can use to help you sell your home as quickly as possible. If you’ve found yourself caught up in the property market with no leads to go on or you’re planning ahead and need to offload an investment property quick smart, these are the methods that will give you the most luck. So let’s not beat around the bush and get straight to it because I’m assuming you’ve got no time to lose!

Be selective with refurbishments

If you feel like your home could use some sprucing up but you don’t have an extra lifetime to go all out, make sure that you put your time and your money into areas of the home that are going to have the biggest impact. Since you don’t have all the time in the world, whatever you do needs to go towards impressing your buyers because they’re the ones that will help you achieve your ultimate goal – selling! So, this is the point where you will want to direct your time, energy, and money into making visible improvements and unless it’s essential, stay away from structural remodelling or behind-the-scenes renovations. If people can’t see it and say, “wow, that’s stunning!”, then it’s probably not worth doing. 

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, the bathroom and the kitchen are arguably the two most important rooms of a house to focus on when you want to make an impression and increase the value of your home. People are suckers for a beautiful kitchen and a stunning bathroom, and who can blame them? If prospective buyers comes across either and find that they need a lot of work, they’ll almost instantly be deterred from buying because they know how much it will cost to refurbish. This is where cosmetic restoration comes in handy. It’s not going to cost you the world, but it is going to make enough of an impact to refresh any old spaces and make sure you please your prospective buyers and not scare them away. 

Price your home flexibly

When it comes to putting a figure on your property, you need to be strategic about it. Why do you think you were so compelled to buy that giant picture book of sausage dogs for $19.95, but wouldn’t dream of getting it for over $20? Pricing makes a huge difference in how likely we are to buy something and whether we consider it to be good value.

So now you can likely see how much of a difference it will make to your prospects depending on whether you price your home at $600,000 or “offers over $580,500”.  It’s also going to be important to ensure that you broaden your potential range of buyers as much as possible, which means that you need to avoid cut off prices wherever you can. For instance, instead of listing your home at $600,000 – nothing more, nothing less – it’s going to be in your best interests to create a price range. So a price like $540,000 – $600,000 will allow you to include a whole slew of buyers that might otherwise not be shown your listing at all. This whole housing market really is just a big numbers game at the end of the day.

Spruce up your advertising

As much as selling your home can be a numbers game, you should never forget about the importance of marketing, because this is when people will usually get their first look at your home. The other thing you might need to consider is where your home is being listed online and how long it’s been there for. If your listing has been stagnating on one site for the last million years then it’s going to need an update and you should consider getting it out onto other sites where more people can view it. 

The other thing you’ll want to pay attention to is how your property comes across in the photos accompanying your listing. Is there something different you could do to improve the overall look of certain rooms or the property’s facade? Does your home look dark, cramped or uninviting? Are there ways you could make it look more open and bright?  Never underestimate the importance of good looks when it comes to selling your home because first impressions really do count. 

Staging for success

While we’re on the topic of looking good, try to put yourself in the shoes of those who come to your open inspections. What impressions are they getting from the set up of your home? Does your interior look a little outdated? Could it use some refreshments? I’m not necessarily suggesting you bring in a $200 an hour interior stylist or home staging specialist, but flipping through some real estate or interior design magazines and hiring a few pieces of furniture will bring your aesthetic to the next level. 

Now that doesn’t mean you should bling out your home with chandeliers and diamond lamps, but you want to be able to help prospective buyers relish in the idea of living within your home. I also can’t stress enough how important it is that everything is spick and span. Clean your little heart out or hire someone to do a better job than you ever could, because there are few things less inviting than a dirty home. 

Competition is key

If you’re currently struggling to sell, it might be due to some serious competition. Do some research on the houses in your area that are going for similar prices and try to determine what they’re doing differently. If you haven’t yet put your home on the market, take some notes regarding the amount of time similar homes spend on the market, their median price range, and whether the homes are being sold privately or in auctions. All of these things will help you to make accurate comparisons between yourself and the competition and to see what works and what doesn’t. 

It’s also worth using your compiled information to help you think of ways that you can attract attention and get a head above the rest. You might consider adding a new coat of differently coloured paint to the front of your home for that extra street appeal. Maybe even a water feature out the back or a freshly landscaped front yard. The possibilities here are endless, you just need to be creative and give your home something that your competitors don’t have, and your buyers won’t be able to resist.    

So there you have it! This should ensure your home gets sold in no time at all, and when it comes time to buying that new property, just remember to have it properly inspected so that you don’t end up with a home that you need to sell again! We offer the very best in Pre-Purchase Building and Pest Inspections so when you find yourself house hunting again, set up an inspection date with Building Masters. You won’t be sorry that you did.