How to sell your house fast

If you want to seize a great deal on a new property, or if your circumstances change suddenly, you may be wondering ‘How do I sell my house fast?’.

Before you rush to the estate agents in a panic, our guide will help you to value and sell your home quickly. And to still get a fair price for your property, making use of experts across estate agencies, property auctions and home buying companies in selling your home.

Spend just a few minutes working through the guidance below, and you’ll be ready to sell your house quickly. Even in a slow housing market, or if you’re looking for a quick cash sale.

Prepare for selling your house

When it comes to property sales you need to prepare in advance all the necessary paperwork, including Land Registry and utility documents. Speak to your solicitor or conveyancer and ensure everything is in place. This includes any planning consent and even a draft contract of sale, which will encourage cash buyers looking to move quickly.

It’s also important to be realistic with your asking price, based on researching the local market and estate agents in your area for a fair property valuation. If you’re under time pressure and have to lower the price from the initial listing, potential buyers may think there’s an issue or problem with the property. If it looks like you need to sell quickly, you’ll get worse offers for your house.

While you’re researching the market value of your home, you can also look at the various ways to encourage a quick house sale through your property listings. Alongside the details of your home, include information on any other benefits to your location. School catchment areas can be massively important for property buyers with young families and the availability of nearby shops and services can also help to sell your house.

Tell friends and family that you’re selling your property, as word of mouth can be powerful, especially online. You could sell your house fast, if a potential buyer happens to see your house via a social network and already knows and trusts your friends.

• Organise all paperwork, including speaking to your solicitor, and checking what mortgage obligations you have in place.
• Do your research and highlight every benefit to potential property buyers.
• Settle on a realistic and competitive price based on the market value of your house.
• Spread the word yourself via friends and family to increase the options to sell your property.

Improve your house for a quicker sale

Investing a little time and money can make a big difference to the interest in your home, and the price you achieve. Especially if it helps attract the attention of anyone browsing online listings.

High quality and professional photographs can make a huge difference, especially when potential buyers might be looking from across the UK, or even around the world. And you can potentially recoup the financial cost by securing a good price for your house.

There are some quick and simple ways to improve the exterior of your house, including pressure washing the walls, tidying up front gardens and driveways and trimming lawns and plants. Repainting or varnishing windows and door frames will also make a big difference to the first impressions of your home. 

Many buyers will plan to replace interior features, such as flooring or fittings. It’s certainly worth investing in a deep clean for carpets, but repainting your house in neutral colours will be more conducive to a quick sale. Declutter and clear storage if possible, to emphasise the space.

• If you want a quick house sale, make sure you stand out in a crowded property market.
• Professional, high quality photographs can make a big impact and help your property listing stand out
• Clean your home inside and out, and invest in simple changes to help promote a quick house sale

How to turn house viewings into offers

Keeping everything clean and spotless may be a hassle, but it will also help you sell your house more quickly. And you can also encourage more offers to buy your house with a few quick, and simple, tips.

Make sure the house is nice and warm, and spraying a little furniture polish onto the radiators while they’re heating up will give a nice aroma. Eliminate bad smells, including using caustic soda on drains in the bathroom and kitchens, keep the windows clean and curtains or blinds open to make the most of any natural light.

If you can leave a parking space on your driveway clear, that will help first impressions. And keeping the house calm and quiet will help anyone viewing it to see it as a nice refuge from the outside world. Small touches such as a few plants, a bowl of fruit or freshly brewed coffee can also help someone to view your house as their potential new home. 

It’s also the chance for you to research potential buyers, including if they’re looking for their first home or they are property investors and if they’re on the housing ladder already, is their existing home under offer, or is their finance organised? Do they have a mortgage arranged, or are they cash buyers, ready to move on a quick house sale?

• Simple tips and tricks to improve the experience for people viewing your home can make a big difference to the number of offers you get to buy your house.
• Keep everything clean and tidy, especially for viewings at short notice.
• Make your house welcoming, even including the aroma.
• Leave parking spaces for viewers, if possible.
• Take the chance to research potential property buyers. Are they cash buyers, or in a chain?

Where to sell your house fast

Many people will automatically assume they need to sell through an estate agency, and that’s one potential option. But while they may be experts in house sales, estate agent fees are based on the amount paid for your property. So there’s an understandable incentive for them to take longer and secure a higher amount, especially if the property market is in a slump.

So, if you’re looking for a quick house sale through estate agents, you might have to accept a price much lower than the true valuation of your property.

Property auctions are an alternative which can work well for a house which is in need of substantial repair and can be sold cheaply. Or for a home which is in high demand and is likely to encourage a bidding war. But, as you’re committed to receiving the final auction price, there’s a big risk involved in selling your house quickly this way.

The quickest, and easiest, way to sell your house fast is by using a home buying company. In this case, you’ll receive an offer based on the estimated market value of the property. There’s usually a period of up to 28 days to think about the deal, before making your decision. But if you go ahead and sell your property, the cash could be in your bank account within seven days.

The cash offer will also save you the cost of estate agency fees, and ongoing mortgage repayments. Some house sale companies will also make a contribution to legal and solicitor fees to help you keep more of the cash from selling your home.

• Estate agencies tend to take longer to sell your property, and estate agent fees will come from the agreed price. You’ll also need to handle home viewings and check if you’re dealing with cash buyers or people in a property chain or still arranging a mortgage.
• Property auctions mean you’re tied to the winning bid, even if it’s not close to what you wanted. While you’re guaranteed a quick sale, you might get a price much lower than the true market value.
• Home Buying Companies will make an offer based on the estimated market value, and if you accept, the money could be paid within seven days for a quick sale without the hassle of viewings, property chains or additional fees.

Are you interested in selling your house for cash? Why not ask National Homebuyers for advice. Call us on 08000 443 911 or request a call back from one of our helpful team to find out how much you could get for your property.