How to Sell a Home Fast: 5 Secrets You Need to Know

Selling your home can be a scary thought, especially if you don't know where to start and need to do it quickly.

Of course, you want to get the best price possible, attract the right buyers, and avoid any pitfalls along the way.

But how do you sell a home fast while doing these things as well?

This article will reveal five secrets that will help you sell your home faster while still getting top dollar. These secrets are based on research, statistics, and expert advice from real estate professionals like us.

By following these secrets, you can increase your chances of selling your home quickly and for the most money.

Introduction – How to Sell Your House Fast

If you are thinking of putting your home on the market, you probably have a lot of questions.

How do you prepare your home for sale? How do you price it correctly? How do you market it effectively? How do you negotiate with buyers? How do you handle the legal aspects of the transaction?

Selling your home is a complex and often stressful process that requires a lot of planning, research, and strategy. It also involves a lot of emotions, as you are parting ways with a place that likely holds many memories and attachments.

However, selling your home can also be an exciting experience as you are moving on to a new chapter in your life. Whether you are upsizing, downsizing, relocating, or simply looking for a change, moving can open a world of new opportunities and possibilities.

But before you can enjoy the benefits of selling your home, you need to know how to do it right.

That's why I have compiled five secrets how to sell a home fast and easy. These secrets are not based on opinions or guesses; instead, they are based on facts and evidence from reliable sources as well as my own professional experience.

In the following sections, I will explain each secret in detail and provide tips and examples on how to implement them. By following these secrets, you can increase your chances of selling your home quickly and for the best price possible.

Secret #1: Price the Home Correctly

One of the most important factors that affects how fast and how well your home sells is the price.

As I often say, you can have the best home and the best realtor in Jacksonville, but if the home isn't priced correctly, it simply won't sell.

Pricing your home correctly is crucial for attracting buyers and getting offers. If you price your home too high, you will scare away potential buyers who may think you are unrealistic or greedy. If you price your home too low, you will leave money on the table and lose out on potential profit.

Pricing your home correctly is essential for selling your home fast. If it's overpriced, the home will sit on the market.

So how do you determine the right price for your home?

The best way is to request a comparative market analysis (CMA) from your realtor. A CMA is a report that compares your home to similar homes that have recently sold or are currently for sale in your area. It takes into account factors such as location, size, condition, features, and market trends.

A CMA can help you:

(1) Understand the current market conditions and demand for your type of home

(2) Identify the most relevant and recent comparable sales (comps) that reflect the value of your home

(3) Adjust the price based on any unique features or upgrades that make your home stand out from the comps

(4) Avoid overpricing or underpricing your home based on emotions or personal attachment

According to Zillow, pricing your home correctly can have a significant impact on how fast and how well it sells.

For example, homes priced within 5% of their market value sell in half the time as those priced 15% above their market value. Homes priced at or slightly below their market value receive 60% more online views than those priced 12% above their market value. Finally, homes priced at or slightly below their market value receive 3.4 times more visits than those priced 12% above their market value.

By pricing your home correctly, you can attract more buyers who are interested in your home and willing to make an offer.

Secret #2: Highlight the Best Features of Your Home

Another secret to selling your home faster and easier is to highlight the best features of your home.

Every home has something that makes it special and appealing to buyers, whether it's a spacious kitchen, a cozy fireplace, a stunning view, or a unique architectural style.

By identifying and showcasing these features, you can create a positive and memorable impression on buyers that emphasizes the value and quality of your home. These features will appeal to the emotions and preferences of buyers to help your home stand out from the competition.

To highlight the best features of your home, you need to first identify them. You can identify these features by:

(1) Asking yourself what you love most about your home and why

(2) Asking your friends, family, or neighbors what they like most about your home and why

(3) Asking your real estate agent or a home stager for their professional opinions

Obviously, a pool is a special feature to be highlighted. But it often amazes me how often listings don't talk about a pool until the final sentence of the listing description or put the pictures of the pool last in the photo lineup. Highlight special features upfront!

Once you have identified the best features of your home, you need to showcase them to potential buyers. You can do this by:

(1) Cleaning, repairing, and updating these features as needed

(2) Adding lighting, accessories, or decorations that enhance these features

(3) Removing any clutter or distractions that obscure these features

(4) Ensuring that your real estate agent includes a compelling description that highlights these features in your home's listing

(5) Hiring a realtor that uses high-quality photos and videos that best captures these features

By highlighting the best features of your home, you can make buyers fall in love with your home and want to make an offer.

Secret #3: Tidy Up and Stage Your Home

A third secret to selling your home faster and easier is to tidy up and stage your home.

Tidying up means decluttering, cleaning, and organizing your home so that it looks neat and spacious. Staging means arranging furniture, accessories, and decorations in a way that showcases your home's potential and appeal.

By tidying up and staging your home, you can:

(1) Make your home look bigger, brighter, and cleaner

(2) Remove any personal items that may distract or deter buyers

(3) Create a neutral and welcoming environment that suits different tastes and styles

(4) Highlight your home's functionality and flow

(5) Increase buyer confidence and trust

To tidy up and stage your home, start with the most visible and important areas of your home, such as the entrance, living room, kitchen, and master bedroom. Discard any items that you don't need, use, or love. You can donate, sell, or store them elsewhere.

Clean every surface, corner, and crevice of your home. Pay attention to details such as windows, doors, switches, and faucets. Organize your closets, cabinets, drawers, and shelves. Make sure they are not overstuffed or messy.

If necessary, rearrange your furniture to create a spacious and comfortable layout. Remove any excess or bulky furniture that blocks the traffic or the view.

Add some accessories and decorations that enhance the mood and style of your home. For example, you can add pillows, rugs, curtains, lamps, plants, or artwork. Avoid anything too personal or potentially controversial.

Make sure your home smells fresh and pleasant. You can use natural scents such as flowers, citrus, or baking. Avoid using too much air freshener as you don't want it to appear that you are covering something up.

Adjust the temperature and lighting to create a cozy and inviting atmosphere. You can use natural light, lamps, candles, or a fireplace (if you have one and it's seasonally appropriate).

Tidying up and staging your home can have a positive effect on how fast and how well it sells. For example:

(1) Homes that are staged sell 88% faster and for 20% more than homes that are not staged

(2) Homes that are decluttered sell for an average of $2,584 more than homes that are not decluttered

(3) Homes that are cleaned sell for an average of $1,728 more than homes that are not cleaned

By tidying up and staging your home, you can make your home look more attractive and appealing to buyers.

Secret #4: Use Professional Photos and Videos

A fourth secret to selling your home faster and easier is to use professional photos and videos.

Photos and videos are the first things that buyers see when they browse online listings. They are also the main factors that influence whether buyers decide to contact their realtor to schedule a showing.

As I often say, pictures lead to showings, showings lead to offers, and offers get us to the closing table.

Professional photography sells homes. It can be argued that a home's photos are the most important component of the listing.

To ensure that photos and videos are most effective, here are some tips:

(1) Hire a professional photographer or videographer who has experience in real estate photography or videography

(2) Prepare your home for the photo or video shoot by tidying up, staging, and highlighting the best features (as mentioned previously)

(3) Talk with the photographer/videographer about the best time of the day for the shoot, preferably when there is natural light and no harsh shadows

(4) Include photos and videos of every room and area of your home, including the exterior, the entrance, the backyard, and any special features

(5) Ensure the professionals are editing the photos and videos to enhance the quality, brightness, contrast, and color

Unless your real estate agent is a professional, never allow your agent to be your real estate photographer. Ensure your agent is hiring a professional in this field to best capture your home.

According to Zillow, using professional photos and videos can have a significant impact on how fast and how well your home sells. For example:

(1) Homes with professional photos sell 32% faster than homes with amateur photos

(2) Homes with professional photos sell for an average of $3,400 more than homes with amateur photos

(3) Homes with video tours receive 403% more inquiries than homes without video tours

By using professional photos and videos, you can make your home look more appealing and attractive to buyers.

Secret #5: Create a Strong Online Presence

A fifth secret to selling your home faster and easier is to create a strong online presence for the listing.

The data from the National Association of Realtors says that 97% of of all homebuyers used the internet in their home search, so a strong online presence is important to maximize the visibility of your home's listing.

Like many of these other secrets, this is the job of your agent. A strong online presence includes the following:

(1) Listing the home on popular and reputable online platforms such as Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and Trulia

(2) Syndicating the listing to other less popular websites to maximize online exposure

(3) Creating a dedicated website for the property listing that includes all the relevant information, photos, videos, and testimonials

(4) Using social media to share the listing, website, photos, videos, and updates about the home

(5) Using email marketing to send newsletters, flyers, or invitations to prospective buyers and other agents

(6) Using online paid advertising such as Google Adwords to target specific audiences or keywords related to the home

(7) Using online tools to track and measure the performance of your online presence as well as capture leads

In other words, this presence online is more than just putting your home on the MLS. Be sure your realtor knows how to properly market your property online.

By creating a strong online presence, your home's listing will reach a larger and wider audience of potential buyers, and the exposure as well as visibility of your home will be increased. In turn, more interest and inquiries about your home will be generated.

The Bottom Line – How to Sell a House Quickly

Without a doubt, selling your home quickly can be challenging. However, with a little bit of know-how and strategy through these five secrets, you can make the process both easier and faster.

In summary, the secrets for how to sell a home fast and for top dollar are:

(1) Price the Home Correctly

(2) Highlight the Best Features of Your Home

(3) Tidy Up and Stage Your Home

(4) Use Professional Photos and Videos

(5) Create a Strong Online Presence

By implementing these secrets, you will likely avoid common mistakes and pitfalls that may delay or derail your sale.

If you are ready to sell your home, don't wait any longer. Start applying these secrets today and see the results for yourself.

Related Articles:

How to Find a Top Realtor in Jacksonville

7 Curb Appeal Ideas To Sell Your Home

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rob Hastings is a top-producing real estate agent in Jacksonville, Florida and helps buyers, sellers, and investors of homes and property throughout all of Northeast Florida. He works with his wife Nancy as a husband-and wife-team with Keller Williams Realty Atlantic Partners. When not helping his clients navigate the real estate process, Rob enjoys working on old Corvettes and playing music (guitar and piano). A U.S. Naval Academy graduate and former Naval Officer, he also loves boating and simply spending time on the water.