Selling a home can be complex and stressful, especially if you’re on a tight timeline. Let’s look at some ways you can streamline the house-selling process and hopefully get a faster, hassle-free sale.
Inspect Early
Home sellers are required to make certain disclosures about their properties, such as attic leaks, mold, structural damage and furnace problems. Before putting your house on the market, consider setting up a pre-listing home inspection, which will reveal potential issues (or lack thereof) early on. With your inspection completed, you can speed up the selling process since buyers won’t have to order their own inspections.
Set Contingency Dates
Inspections, deposits, title transfers, homeowners insurance, mortgage approval, and other key steps in the buying process must be completed by contingency dates in the purchase agreement. You can ensure a faster sale by setting strict dates and making sure they are well understood at the beginning of the buying process.
Organize Your Documents
Prepare all critical documents before you begin the selling process. With every document in order, you or your agent won’t have to waste days or weeks hunting down a tax record, disclosure or title while the clock is ticking.
Filter Offers by Lenders
Inexperienced mortgage brokers can seriously slow down your home sale. If financial documents aren’t properly filed, the potential buyer’s mortgage can be delayed or denied. Although you can’t control where a buyer decides to seek a mortgage loan, you can limit which offers you accept based on lenders.
Be Clear and Direct
Some home buyers expect sellers to be flexible. If you’re not willing to give buyers time extensions, make that clear right up front. You should also convey this to your real estate agent, who can help speed up the sale by putting pressure on buyers to meet contingency dates.
Set the Right Price
Nothing slows down a home sale like an exaggerated price. When your listing price is too high, you’re likely to see a lot of visitors but few offers. It’s best to work with an agent when determining a reasonable listing price for your home. This will help ensure a faster sale and prevent you from having to discount the asking price over time.
Work with a Real Estate Agent
While it might be tempting to try to sell a house on your own, it’s almost always better to hire a real estate agent. The right agent will have the experience and expertise to help you sell a property faster. As an expert in the local market, a reputable agent will know how to effectively price your home, create a more attractive listing, and market the property, so it stands out for all the right reasons. Beyond this, an accomplished agent will be able to set up showings or virtual tours and assist with any potential negotiations, as well as the complicated closing process.
ERA real estate agents are especially adept at speeding up the home selling process because they have access to special programs, such as RealSure, where sellers can decide to take a cash offer or continue to market their property with the cash offer in their back pocket. Similarly, the ERA Seller Security® Plan provides qualified sellers with peace of mind knowing that if their home is not sold within a fixed time period, ERA will buy it.** Another great ERA feature that streamlines the selling process, Simply Home is a homeowner dashboard designed to help you manage the financial aspects and physical needs of your home.
Whatever the case, trying to sell a home without an agent ensures that the process will take longer, so seek expert help, especially if time is of the essence.
*Available in select markets only. Cash offers may be contingent upon property inspection. The RealSure program is not a mortgage product, and there is no guarantee that you will qualify for a mortgage loan. You are free to obtain a loan from any lender and are responsible for evaluating available loan products. Program is not affiliated with any real estate professional or lender. This is an advertisement and not a lending offer or an offer to purchase your home. See realsure.com/how-it-works for terms and conditions. ©2021 Home Partners Resources LLC. All rights reserved. REALSURE, the RealSure logo and SELL. BUY. EXHALE. are service marks of Home Partners Resources LLC.
*** Conditions and limitations apply; including but not limited to: seller and house must meet specific qualifications, and purchase price will be determined solely by ERA Franchise Systems LLC, based upon a discount of the home’s appraised value. Additionally, a second home must be purchased through a broker within 6 months of the close date of the SSP property designated by ERA Franchise Systems LLC. Call your local participating ERA professional to review details. Not available in all areas.
