Getting a sale completed quickly is every property seller’s dream. There’s nothing worse than when a house sale falls through last minute, or seeing your property sit on the market with little to no interest for months and months, with no sign of a sale coming in the future.
Unfortunately, for some sellers, this is their reality. It may feel like the situation is entirely out of their hands, but in fact, there are a lot of things that sellers can do to influence how fast their property sells.
Carry on reading to find out more information on how sellers can help their property sell quicker, and find out whether it is a good time to buy a house from a buyer’s perspective.
Best and worst time to sell a house
The property market moves in ebbs and flows. Sometimes these are routine and can be predicted, and other times they are unexpected.
For example, there is a seasonality to the speed of the property market. The winter months around December are notoriously slow for property sales. Buyers are likely prioritising other purchases in the build-up to Christmas instead, and then recovering from that period afterwards.
Instead, the summer and spring months are more competitive for selling property. During this time sellers are more likely to see increased competition to buy their property, potentially even a bidding war between interested buyers.
Then you have unexpected reasons why the housing market might slow down. One reason that this can happen is if there is a sudden recession that affects house prices or otherwise raises the cost of living which means people try to save more money.
How to make my house sell faster
Aside from the seasonality behind selling properties, what can sellers take into their own hands to give their property the best chance of selling quickly? Let us give you a few examples.
Pricing
One of the biggest factors that sway how long a property remains on the market is the asking price.
When the property market is fast and there’s plenty of demand, sellers can value their property at above market value and there will likely still be competition from buyers to buy it.
Conversely, when the property market has slowed down and demand has dropped, if sellers continue to market their property at such a high value, then it’s unlikely that the property will sell at all – let alone strike a bidding war from buyers.
Sellers should use a range of tools to research property prices in their area and come to their own conclusion on their asking price. This includes property surveys and professional valuations, as well as commercial tools such as Zoopla and Rightmove.
Presentation
If sellers want to shift their property quickly, then they should make their property as appealing as possible. Fortunately, there are plenty of actions that sellers can take to do this.
Properties that are plain and inoffensive are easier to sell than properties that have been decorated in bold and vibrant colours or have bizarre fixtures and fittings on the listing pictures.
Making a property a catch-all is the most advised process because while some people may adore a bright red bathroom, it’s safe to say that they will be in the minority. So if need be, you should be prepared to redecorate before listing your property for sale.
The same goes for the exterior of the property. As the saying goes: first impressions count, and in the property market this is known as kerb appeal. Sellers don’t need to splash out getting the render redone, but by making an effort to clean up any weeds or replace broken fences they are making their property more attractive to prospective buyers.
Marketing tips
It might be tempting to leave your property sale in the hands of your estate agents – after all, they are the ‘experts’ – but if you want the best chance at selling your property quickly then you may need to do some of the marketing yourself.
This may include taking your own professional photos for your marketing, or writing your property description yourself. After all, you’ll know what the best things about living at the property have been.
If you want to try and create a spike in interest on your property, consider holding an open house. This route is becoming more popular in the UK as it gives prospective buyers the chance to see that there are multiple interested parties, and therefore bring about a quick and competitive offer or offers.
Also, don’t hesitate to inform your neighbours that you are planning on moving. Word of mouth travels fast and they may have family or friends who are looking to move to your current area.
While this might give you more work to do, you may be more successful at selling your property quicker than the estate agent at certain times of the year and you will avoid the negative aspects of working with them. This includes paying their fees and being lured in by a higher-than-expected valuation, only for your property to linger on the market for months before you are forced to lower your asking price.
Sell my house fast for market value
If you take care to follow the advice in this article, then you have a chance at selling your property quicker than usual through the standard channels. However, it is not a guarantee, and selling property through an estate agent takes a long time regardless.
If you are looking to truly ‘sell my house fast‘, use a cash property buyer like us here at Easy Sale. We can give you a competitive valuation within 24 hours and, if you accept, we can get moving on drafting contracts immediately. In some cases, we have been able to exchange contracts within 48 hours of offer acceptance.
So get in touch with our team at Easy Sale, we can’t wait to hear from you.
