Tips for Selling Your House Quickly

Selling your house can be a psychologically nerve racking experience. You will effectively be severing a long relationship with one of the most powerful emotional anchors in your life. The situation becomes even more complicated if you need to sell the property quickly due to financial problems, promotion at work, or change in marital status.

 

With that in mind, we’ve compiled three tips that will give you a good head start and help you to make a fast house sale in a professional and efficient manner.

A typical example of a house for sale (Graham Horn / For Sale / CC BY-SA 2.0)

 

1. Get the timing right

 

House sales are notoriously dependent on the season. There is a significant drop in the number of sales and purchase transactions during the summer months (it is the holidays, after all) and winter (understandable, because of the festivities and natural tendency to hibernate during cold weather).

 

So what’s the best season to sell a house? Springtime, of course! Many potential buyers are still flushed with their year-end bonus, which makes deposit payments a little bit easier. In addition, not only does the great weather help with house viewing, the extra light also makes your house look better (and your garden and lawn more lush).

 

Be mindful of sales around autumn though. Sellers typically feel pressured to sell before the holidays, and usually end up going lower on the selling price to close the sale early.

 

2. Find a good agent

 

Like lawyers, you can find real estate agents practically around every street corner. However, finding good ones can be a little challenging. Sellers (and buyers) usually just settle for the first agent they meet. Once again, like lawyers, there are good, mediocre and terrible real estate agents. Finding higher quality agents will give homeowners a clear advantage when trying to sell their house.

 

A good and established agent will not have financial pressure, and as such, will not have a reason to influence negotiations due to the personal needs. In addition, good agents have a large network of contacts with surveyors, contractors, handyman, publishers, web masters, and sometimes, even ready buyers close at hand. By leveraging on their contacts, clients can usually get things done faster and more efficiently.

 

Reputable agents will also have a clear schedule of rates and commissions, and you will not have to worry about some dubious fees either at the beginning or at the end of the sales process.

 

3. Start the conveyancing process early

 

If you don’t have a regular solicitor, find one quickly. Inform the solicitor of your intention to sell your property, and he will advise you on the documents you need to provide. For instance, you might not even think of getting the planning consent you received ten years ago for your kitchen renovation. The advance notice will also allow him to start preparing a draft contract and other related documentations. You could literally save days, and maybe even a couple of weeks!

 

These three tips may sound like simple common sense to some, but you’d be surprised at how frequently sellers ignore them. Don’t make the same mistake!