Are you thinking about selling your home and wondering how long it might take? Well it's a pretty easy answer, but what most people (agents included) don't know is that there are a few things you can do to make it happen even faster... And will net you more money.
How Long Is This Going To Take?
Casey Jagoras
How Long Is It Going To Take To Sell My House?!
That's a common question sellers have, and it makes sense. Having your house up for sale can be a lot of work! Having to keep it spotless and ready for a showing at a moments notice can be no small task.
Trust me, as a wife and working mom of 2, I know the stress of living in a house that is up for sale. In fact not only do I understand, but I have done it 5 times in the last 8 years as a live-in-flipper. I have been purchased, renovated and sold my home almost every year-in-a-half for the decade. It is safe to say that I have learned a few things along the way to help speed things up... not only that, but make it more lucrative to.
An Average Close Is About 30-45 Days - Due To Lending
Homes typically take 30-45 days to close because lenders needing that much time to get all the documents & underwriting complete for the buyer. BUT that means 30-45 days after the seller accepts an offer. So if you got an offer on the 14th day of being on the market and the buyers need a traditional 30 day close, you will officially sell your house 45 days later.
Depending on the price point, the market and the home it can happen much slower or a little bit faster. Homes around $350,000 are move the quickest at about 35 days, homes $550,000 tend to take about 50 days to sell while homes over a million can take a year more. These are all averages of course and its impossible to predict the future, but the biggest part of this, is what most sellers (and a lot of agents) don't know.
What Most People (And Most Agents) Don't Know
There are five things you can do to help your house look its best, show well, sell quicker, and sell for more. These 5 things have been proven over and over again but are rarely all used together.
1. First Impressions Are Everything
You have heard that before, I am sure, but this is also true of homes because buyers will notice EVERYTHING.
When we live in a house long enough, we can grow a pair of rose colored glasses. We may not see the cobwebs above our front door or smell the odd stench in the mudroom, but you can put money on it that the potential buyers will.
Step one, is to do a good-old deep clean inside and out. Get a magic eraser sponge and wipe down walls, doors, cabinets and baseboards. Also be sure to dust the blinds. These are the areas we forget on our weekly housekeeping duties and they are the first a buyer will notice. Don't forget to manicure the yard to and get all the dust and webs off the porch and patios. Your home should show pride in ownership within and throughout .
If your home looks unkempt when buyers drive by they assume that the interior will look just as disheveled. The human psychology is that if it looks unkempt, people assume the home is not well maintained there for it is worth less. Don't give people a reason to believe they can discount your price.
2. Design-to-Sell
Think light & bright and up to date. If there are area's of your home that are dating the property, then it's time to spruce them up!
- If your walls date your property back to the early 2000’s or worse the 90’s or before, chances are you will be scaring off some buyers. Examples include sponge Painted feature walls, dark brown, mustard or burgundy accent walls, wallpaper from the 90’s or wallpaper borders and more. It's amazing how white or light grey can modernize a home.
- Switching out dated lights is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to update the interior style. Make sure they all have the same finish - such as brushed nickel, black, bronze etc. This will give the house flow.
- Updating the kitchen faucet to feel more like a chef's kitchen will give you home a super high end feeling. If your bathroom faucets are really dated, I'd recommend updating those while you're at it. Think about tying in the finish you chose for the light fixtures. For instance, if you updated all the lights including the bathrooms to bronze then find a bronze faucet to pull it all together.
3. Stage-to-Sell
Staging is vital to your homes presentation. The process consists of rearranging furniture to give the house a better flow and to look & feel more spacious. Re-positioning decor items to help the home photograph better and depersonalizing to allow the potential owners to see themselves in the space.
Follow my Check List Blog for tips https://www.caseyjagoras.com/blog/pre-real-estate-photography-check-list
4. Exceptional Real Estate Photography
Only the best photographer's will do, so be sure your agent doesn't cheap out on you.
People are falling in love with your home online, way before they even step foot inside. Having your home look its best so that the photography can shine is key.
Follow my Pre-Real Estate Photography Check List Blog for more tips https://www.caseyjagoras.com/blog/pre-real-estate-photography-check-list
5. Price It Appropriately
Lets face it, The sellers always want to make the most money and the buyers always want the best deal - this is true Every. Single. Time. In the middle lies reality. Even though you love your house and think it is worth more than any other home that has ever sold in the area, the market may not agree... unless the design backs it up.
I get that your house is special and you have added a lot of character to it but we have to decide on a value that makes sense and one in which the market will agree with. I am all about setting records - I have set an all-time-high sales price for each neighborhood I have sold my recently renovated home in. But this was very much based on the design, improvements, staging, presentation, photos, strategy AND the market. Make sure you choose an agent who can make all these elements work for you... and actually has first hand experience in doing so.
Happy Selling!
