This article is written in order to help people sell their houses fast for cash. Most of the tips will be general information that can be used in any region, but some will target specific areas in New York City where there are unique challenges.
1. Get Your Home Ready to Sell
Before you try to sell your house fast with the hope of getting top dollar, it’s best if you fix up any problems with your home first. This includes cosmetic defects like peeling paint or cracks in the walls as well as structural issues with things like sagging floors or leaking roofs.
If buyers know about these items when they tour your house and they aren’t addressed, then they’ll think something’s wrong with your property and that might lower interest. Of course, there’s no law that says you have to fix everything before you put your house on the market.
Many buyers will be fine with cosmetic issues so long as they aren’t major and don’t threaten structural safety, but it can still help if your home looks and feels clean and well-maintained.
2. Decide How You’re Going to Sell Your House
Are you going to sell your house now yourself or turn to a real estate agent? If you do decide to sell it yourself, then you’ll be operating under “for sale by owner” (FSBO). This means that as the homeowner, you’re responsible for getting as much exposure for your property as possible. You also retain all rights to the final selling price, so you don’t have to pay a commission to an agent.
On the other hand, if you work with a real estate broker, then they’ll be responsible for advertising your property and drumming up interest from buyers. They’ll also assist with negotiations and paperwork, which will help save you time that would otherwise be spent doing these things by yourself.
3. Clean Your House
A clean home is always more appealing than a dirty one. A lack of upkeep can even signal something is wrong with the house or may lead prospective buyers to think it’s been neglected since before its last occupants moved out. In addition, cleaning your house beforehand gives potential buyers a chance to see what they’re getting without having their view of your place obscured by dirt and clutter.
You should also remove any photos or paintings from the walls and take down any personal effects that might distract buyers from seeing the property as they would if it were their own.
4. Stage Your House for Sale
The idea behind staging a home is to make it look more attractive by presenting it in a way that’s familiar to prospective buyers. That means putting away anything personal, moving furniture around so there are open spaces for traffic flow, and taking out items like stacks of old newspapers, dirty laundry, old food containers, and trash cans.
In addition, you might also consider adding some personal touches like fresh flowers or a vase of freshly cut greenery to draw attention to your best features.
5. Pricing Your House
Pricing your house correctly can be the difference between selling it quickly or being stuck with it for months on the market. Unfortunately, since all homes are unique, it’s impossible to offer concrete rules about pricing strategy.
It ultimately comes down to how much buyers are willing to pay for your property compared to others nearby that are currently on sale or have recently sold. The best way to find out what potential buyers are thinking is by having an agent conduct a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) which shows you comparable properties that have recently sold as well as ones listed right now so you can gauge how much demand there is in your area and where prices currently stand.
Of course, before setting your asking price at any level, you’ll want to factor in the cost of any improvements you plan to make as well as any major repairs your house might need.
6. Finalize Your Listing
Once you’ve got a final price, you can begin writing up your listing description. There are no hard and fast rules here but the general idea is to include enough information so that potential buyers have a good idea of what they’re getting into without going into unnecessary detail.
This also means keeping it short and sweet, avoiding long sentences or passages that require readers to stop and think about what they just read. You should probably avoid using technical terms or abbreviations unless absolutely necessary since these can confuse laypeople who aren’t familiar with them.
On the other hand, including specific information like the square footage of your property, will definitely help attract people who are searching for properties in your size range.
7. Use Social Media to Promote Your Listing
With so many buyers looking online to check out listings, it might be helpful to use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about your listing. Just post regular updates letting people know that you’ve placed your house in New York on the market, then include links back to your listing site where buyers can view photos and read full descriptions of what you’re selling.
You should also take advantage of any social media sites that allow users to share their interests with others since these can provide a handy way for potential homebuyers to find out more about what you’re offering.
8. Attract Buyers
In addition to using social media, you can also attract buyers by placing ads in local publications and on websites where people looking for homes might be browsing. If possible, make a point of showing your house during open houses or other events wherein members of the public will have a chance to tour the property without any interference from you.
By meeting potential buyers face to face, they’ll get a better idea of what they’re getting into before beginning negotiations with either yourself or your agent.
9. Prepare Yourself For Tough Negotiations
If you’ve been through this process before, then chances are that most homebuyers will start out asking for concessions that relate directly to the price. That means negotiating the terms of the sale and trying to lower your asking price as much as possible. How far you’re willing to go will depend on a number of factors that only you can decide, like how long your house has been sitting on the market and how feasible it is to make any changes they want.
10. Keep Your Agent Informed
Once everything’s settled with one potential buyer, it’s also a good idea to let your agent know so the two of you can work together to find another buyer as soon as possible. Even though selling a New York house is every bit as easy as selling one anywhere else, finding someone who knows what they’re doing and understands all the ins and outs of this process goes a long way toward making sure you don’t miss out on any opportunities.
Grab Every Opportunity to Make a Sale
Selling Queens New York houses might seem like it should be one of the easiest real estate transactions there is but it’s not so simple for everyone involved. That’s why knowing all the factors at play and using them to your advantage when selling will greatly increase your chances of successfully closing a deal as quickly as possible.
Selling my house fast is just one part of the process; coming up with a realistic asking price and the right strategy for attracting buyers should be your first concerns. Once you’ve done that, it’s a matter of using social media to advertise your listing, working with an agent who has experience selling houses fast in New York City, and not being afraid to negotiate.
Provided by HomeLight: sell a house fast in Queens, NY