So you’re in a position where you need to sell your home quickly. Maybe it’s a divorce or a job layoff or that you just want to get the hassle over with as soon as possible. Whatever the reason, you need to sell fast. You can’t, of course, just sit and hope the perfect buyer strolls up and makes you an unbelievable offer. Hope is not a strategy. What can you do though?
Implement These 4 Tips to Answer the Question “How Can I Sell My Home Fast in Chicago?”
1. Price It Right
It is no secret that having a realistic asking price is key to selling your house quickly. However, many sellers have a difficult time separating their emotional attachment from the home when determining a sale price. It may be tempting to “test the market” by starting with a higher asking price and reducing the price later on if required but this will scare away a lot of potential buyers after they see how long it has sat on the market.
In most cases it becomes more difficult to sell a house the longer it sits on the market.
Buyers will begin to think the reason your property has been sitting on the market for so long is because there is something wrong with it. Many buyers will remove it from their list because they don’t believe the house will pass the inspection. Starting with the right price out of the gate will put in the best position to have a successful sale of the property.
2. Improve the Curb Appeal
Without a doubt, first impressions matter immensely. The first thing potential buyers see when they pull up to your home is the yard and the home’s exterior. So if you’ve been wondering, “How can I sell my home fast in Chicago?” improving the curb appeal is one of the best things you can do to speed up the sale.
And it really doesn’t take a lot of effort or money. A little raking, mowing, and landscaping, along with touching up paint, doing minor roof repairs, and dressing windows, will work wonders for your home’s curb appeal.
3. Remove Your Personality Fingerprints
None of us wants to own something – but especially a home – that has another person’s personality stamped obviously all over it. For a quick sale, then, depersonalizing is important.
You could start by removing weird and idiosyncratic art and knick-knacks, taking down family photos, and painting over colors that probably won’t appeal to other people. It’s more than just decluttering – although that’s a big part of it, and renting a storage unit might be a good idea. The goal is to remove your personality fingerprints in order to neutralize your home to make it appear as a model home.
What you’re trying to do is present what was obviously your home as now a blank slate. It should seem to potential buyers as a place where they can envision their life dreams playing out.
4. Offer Add-ons and Extras
It’s always a good idea to sweeten the deal with add-ons and extras. It’s the old principle of reciprocity at work. A buyer will be more inclined to give you what you want (your sale price) if she perceives that she is getting something from you.
You could, for example, offer to pay a portion (or all) of the closing costs. That would be a pretty attractive offer for a buyer. Or you could offer a transferable home warranty to cover major appliances and HVAC systems. This would put the buyer’s mind at ease and likely speed up the deal.
These 4 vital tips, then, are a good starting point if you’ve been asking this common question: “How can I sell my home fast in Chicago?” Still, though, there’s, even more, you can do to expedite the sale.