It’s only natural to want to sell a property as quickly as possible. Whether you’re flipping a house or are selling the place you’ve lived in for years, finding and securing a buyer quickly allows you to move on faster and not have to wait for a big payoff.
Visit any bookstore or do a quick Google search, and there’s tons of literature on the art of selling property. However, a lot of it is full of vague information and tedious steps that don’t help you sell quickly. While you don’t want to cut out necessary steps, there are measures you can take to sell quickly and smoothly.
Follow these top 10 tips to selling faster in Phoenix, and you’ll be signing over your property in no time!
1. Make Sure All Maintenance & Improvements Are Complete
A lot of people make the grave mistake of listing the property prior to all renovations, maintenance projects and landscaping being completed. While it can seem like a time saver to list the property when it’s almost completed, doing so often boils down to some wishful thinking and a misunderstanding of how long these projects can actually take. Showing the property before it’s finished (and this also means being thoroughly cleaned inside and out) can also lead to lower bids being offered.
2. Take Quality Photos
Having great photos of your property is among one of the most important things when it comes to selling, because these are what actually draw potential buyers to the property. While you don’t necessarily need to hire a professional for this, all of the photos should be high resolution and well lit. Make sure there are no mop buckets or cleaning products left around, and if there is furniture, it should be clean and well staged.
3. Make Sure the Price is Right
It’s a good idea to discuss what the price should be with an experienced real estate agent, or if you’re selling on your own (not necessarily the fastest way to sell, but still doable), do your research on what similar properties in the area have sold for. You don’t want to be overpriced, but you don’t want to undersell either. Buyers will be quickly attracted to a property that is reasonably priced and fits what they expect to pay in the area.
4. List on MLS
Your local Multiple Listing Service or MLS is your best bet to sell the property quickly. This will give the property more exposure, and it can easily be done through a broker or real estate agent who works in the area.
5. Read the Market
Once your property listing is up and running, it is important to pay attention to how it performs early on. If you’re not getting as much interest as you’d like, it could be because of something you can easily fix (like getting better photos or supplying more information). Talk to your agent about how things are going on the buying side of things, and see if there are any comments coming through that you can use to your advantage.
6. Be Smart About Lowering the Price
Going along with the above, sometimes one of the adjustments you’ll have to make is lowering the price. However, a dramatic drop in price can look bad, and too many price reductions can also turn buyers away. If you’re going to lower the price, it should only be done to meet market standards and should be done as sparingly as possible. You can discuss what the best strategy is here with your real estate agent.
7. Only Accept Offers with Lender Approval
When you do start getting offers, you should only look at ones that come with an approval letter from the buyer’s lender. The last thing you want to do is accept a bid quickly only to find that the buyer doesn’t actually have the funds to back it up, as this can end up costing you time and money.
8. Go with the Best Offer
Contrary to popular belief, the best offer is not necessarily the one that offers the most money. Instead, it is the one with a responsible buyer who will close on time and is financially qualified. They already have lender approval, and they are prepared with all the documentation they need. Oftentimes, the first offer you receive is the best one, but it is still important to review these qualities in each offer you are considering.
9. Be Prepared for the Inspection
Most buyers won’t close without an inspection being completed, and in many cases they will have specific details they want looked at (like the foundation, water heater, electric outlets, etc.) to make sure the property is up to code and safe as well as valuable. Be prepared for this ahead of time so you aren’t caught off guard.
10. Complete the Appraisal
The final step is letting your property be appraised. This process can go faster if you have gotten a previous appraisal report that you can provide a copy of, as it will help the current appraiser do their job more efficiently (and better understand your pricing).
