Selling a home Fast ~tips?

Use an agent and solicitor for whom you have had a personal recommendation.

Makes sure that you price it reasonably.

Whiff
I was ready to take out a contract for the demise of my solicitor and estate agent, it was that bad.
Disclaimer. I’m only joking ?

Whiff

Sorry in my experience you are asking the impossible. No such thing as selling a house fast. Unless you sell to a company that will give you lot less than your house is worth same goes for auctioning it.

My last house sale and purchase was completed in six weeks from start to finish. My purchasers were in rented accommodation, having previously sold a property. I bought a new property and all of us were living in our homes by the end of the sixth week. So, yes it can be done. We had excellent solicitors too.

No matter how quickly you find a buyer for your house, it is currently taking a long time for sales to be completed. The house opposite us sold very quickly, ie the Sold sign went up within a few days, but the couple have only just moved out some 7 months later.
Conveyancers have been very busy, with a rush of buyers due to the stamp duty discount, and Covid has slowed things down hugely.

Kerb appeal is most important,pathway or drive weed free and front door sparkling clean.
Clear all nic-naks away and have kitchen worktops clear from clutter.
Have bedroom doors open and let potential buyers walk in first
that way the room will not look crowded if it is on the smaller side.
Make sure your house is free from cooking smells & pet smells then cross your fingers xx good luck

Parking can be a problem so maybe give some thought to that. I would have mega problems selling my house because of the state of my neighbours which is permanently rented. My fences and shed have been freshly painted, theirs have not been touched since 2009 so everything looks on its last legs.

In a previous house which was all open plan at the front, I cut the grass of a neighbour to enhance the kerb appeal and "shared" my flower tubs temporarily.

Good kerb appeal, clean and clear clutter, open windows, I wouldn’t personally have candles burning or air fresheners sprayed, neat and tidy house, have lots of storage is always a bonus! I would de personalise by removing excess ornaments, shampoos etc in bathrooms. Lighter walls always make your home look more spacious , let plenty of light in, so blinds up, curtains open,

Just noticed something apart from me no one has bought or sold a house in the last couple of years.

I suggest you read the stress of buying and selling thread below this one. Started by Craftyone continued by Spice101. It will open your eyes to the reality of selling your home.

Not only are you selling a lifestyle you want it to appeal to as many viewers as possible, which means staying away from loud decor, very bright colours (says she with a bright orange wall in her kitchen) and cluttered rooms.

If you can get 10 viewers early on you want at least five of them to think it's a possibility. Then maybe a few of them may return for a second viewing and one or two may make an offer.

MaryQueen, sorry to hear about your disability and wish you every success in selling your home quickly.

When my father died my late mother sold her house, coping with osteoporosis she just wanted somewhere that required very little effort. She moved into a managed sheltered accommodation flat and found that ideal for her and was very happy there..

Pretty much agree with a lot of advice particularly as regards to clutter, I can never understand people who allow their properties to be viewed on Right Move with kitchen work surfaces chocka, mucky utensils, plates etc visible, un made beds, tangles of clothes, heaps of shoes all over the place. Have even seen an overflowing bin in one picture. If there is an estate agent involved it begs the question why they can't be candid and say, "this is very off putting to potential buyers and could knock thousands off the price because you aren't showcasing your home in the best possible light"

When we've sold our properties previously we've boxed up surface clutter, not to the extent of de personalising but everything had to be put away, much harder when our children were living at home 2 houses ago ! We moved at the beginning of the year having sold our last house in a couple of days, with two offers at the asking price, quite different from a couple of years ago when we put if up for sale when the market was sluggish and decided after a stupid offer to withdraw it and wait. So much depends on the prevailing house market, but as I understand it there are not a lot of properties being offered for sale at the moment. We were lucky this time the market has been so buoyant. Having said that it takes a certain amount of effort on the part of the sellers to present a property in the best possible light, as detailed by Georgesgran and nongran further stated, you are selling a lifestyle. I had a bit of an argument with the estate agents with that in mind, we had communal gardens with last house that went down to the Thames, and I asked them to take some more pictures of the outside areas, which they hummed and hahed about seemingly, given that was their remit, to miss the point, these gardens and river frontage was a major selling point to anyone moving to that development.

Hope all goes well

Georgesgran gave a great response.

In addition I would say the following:

The smell of baking bread or coffee is a bit of a cliché now I think.

Open the windows before viewings to let in some fresh air so that the house doesn't smell stale, especially if you have pets

Don't spray air freshener everywhere or have those plug in air fresheners as it it just smell like you are trying to cover something up.

This is just my opinion. I agree with what other posters have said about decluttering and street appeal.

Sorry in my experience you are asking the impossible. No such thing as selling a house fast. Unless you sell to a company that will give you lot less than your house is worth same goes for auctioning it.

Make sure the front of the house looks tidy first appearances matter. Tidy personal ornaments and other stuff away. Then empty walls of pictures it gives the impression of space. If you have good storage space makes sure it’s tidy so you can show it off. People seem to be impressed with storage space. If you have a garden make sure it’s all looking good. Everything in its place like you see in magazines best wishes.

Absolutely agree with all of these.

We're house hunting and the last three houses we visited we thought we were at the wrong house, they all looked smaller than in the photos. I've also noticed that in photos of neighbouring houses that have sold recently that are actually the same size as ours. We take more notice of the plans now before we decide to visit and check the size of the rooms.

When the Agent takes pictures or the house is to be shown, make sure the toilet seat and lid is down!
Clear all the shampoos, lotions, talc etc from the bathroom into a cupboard. Make sure the shower curtain is spotless. Polish the taps!
Take suitcases & paraphernalia off the top of wardrobes. Clean windows to make more light flood in.
You’re selling a “lifestyle”, so prospective buyers will think “I want to live like this.”
Go for it & goo luck.

Cut the price so that it is the best house on the market at its price. Check what price similar houses on your road are selling for. Go on the Rightmove site and then click on 'House prices on the top bar, then click on 'sold house prices', then type your road name and post code in the box.

MaryQueen sorry to hear you are having problems. If you need help decluttering and getting rid of any unwanted items you can get professionals who will help you with it. Hope you are very happy in your new accommodation, my mum lived happily in sheltered housing for many years.

At present around here property is sold the day it goes on the market. Most people who wanted to move took advantage of the Stamp duty holiday and now there is less to choose from.
Those that don't sell are overpriced or have serious defects.
Good luck.

Oh I can see the need for speed then.
We are told that the property market is very buoyant at the moment, with people deciding that they need more space and in particular, a garden.
Good luck with your sale. It’s a stressful time though isn’t it?

JenniferEccles, I need to sell my home ASAP, due to becoming disabled I can no longer manage to live alone. I am moving into sheltered housing. Im not sad about it as I understand it is the best thing for me to do.

There has been some great advice given here and I am grateful xx

Do you have a property to sell quickly MaryQueen or is this just a general request for unusual ideas of the spiritual/whimsical nature, in the way that, for instance, a journalist might ask?

Make sure the photographer does not make your house look bigger than it is with a wide angled lens. This happened to us and some viewers said 'it's smaller than I thought' as they walked in. We had to get the agent to do the photos again.
Other than that, yes de-clutter, clean thoroughly (don't forget the shower cubicle) and get the price right. One agent told us to get some hanging baskets as 'people like them'.

My daughter just sold quickly by packing everything she didn't need day-to-day and renting a storage space. She made the house look massive. She painted the front door and bought a new shiny door-knocker and put some cheap plants in pots at the front.
She painted over her (very) wild wallpaper in the bedroom with a neutral contemporary colour.

My son moved very quickly and did exactly the same (obviously not the wallpaper).
Both had quick offers.

Look for an estate agent who loves your house. You can tell when they look round. Preferably one which has sold houses in the same area and similar to yours- they sometimes have people waiting for properties. Agree about the decluttering, but my photographer moved things so he got the best angles (it was a huge family joke that the house looked fantastic in the photos).
If you can get a buyer who has already an offer on their property or a first time buyer things move much more quickly. The longer the chain the longer the wait.
Keep on top of your solicitor when you have an offer. They tend to work slowly.