The first step to increasing your chances of a quick sale is ensuring that your home is appealing to potential buyers. You can read more about how to make your home buyer friendly on the Argyle Estate Agents blog.
However, if you have already done all you can to your home and it’s still not selling as fast as you’d like, there are more options available to you.
Pros: Fast sale, control of the sale is down to you
Cons: Likely to get a lot less than market value, you won’t get any assistance that you would with an estate agent
There are a lot of companies online that claim they will buy your home no matter what the condition. These can be a good option if you are in desperate need for a very quick sale, or a guaranteed sale. But don’t take the first online offer available. The online value calculators are often wildly inaccurate so it’s worth shopping around and contacting the companies directly in order to get a proper quote for your home.
When using a house selling company, don’t rely on online reviews. Many reviews can be bought in order to inflate the ratings. Best tip is to check the country where the review is coming from. For example, if you are using a UK company, you shouldn’t see lots of reviews from Europe or the USA.
Also, if the reviews are on Trustpilot, or similar multi-review sites, check to see if the reviewer has left other reviews for different companies. If there are lots of reviews coming from people who have only ever left one review, chances are that they are paid for and not trustworthy.
You can read more about what to look for when using a quick buy company at The Advisory.
Pros: More chance of viewings, generates competition
Cons: Have to manage multiple agents and viewings, fees may rise
If you are looking to sell in a hurry, then using multiple agents could be the best option for you. Because they are competing against each other for your business, it generates competition between them to be the one to achieve the sale.
You will also cover more potential buyers as estate agents often have lists of interested parties waiting for the right property.
Be aware though, you need to be upfront about using multiple agents, and check any contracts you sign carefully. What you don’t want is to sign up with lots of different agents, but then end up paying all of them when your house sells.
If you’d like to use different agents but only one at a time, ensure you get signed up for a short contract time period - about 8-12 weeks - so you can move on quickly if your chosen agent doesn’t sell in time.
Pros: Quick sale once the hammer falls, good for homes that need work
Cons: Less than market value, sale not guaranteed
If you are fortunate to sell your house at auction, you can expect a fairly quick process to complete the sale. This is great for homeowners looking to quickly sell a property that needs a lot of work. You’ll find that landlords and those interested in getting a property portfolio started will be eager to purchase low cost homes that need a bit of labour involved.
A big problem with auctions is that if your house fails to sell, it will negatively affect the value of the property moving forward. Once a house has failed to sell at auction, it is unlikely you will be able to sell it for market value after that.
Pros: Great if you want to swap an older house for a newer one
Cons: Restricted to only buying a new build, you have to be ‘trading up’ to qualify, and you will have to be eligible
Some schemes are available that allow you to put the value of your home up against the price of a new one. The biggest advantage of this method is that there are no chains to consider. Once you have agreed on a price for your home, you can move into your new build home relatively quickly.
The downside of this system is similar to the house buying company option; you are likely to end up getting less for your home than you would via traditional sales.
There are also a number of qualification criteria that your current home will have to meet in order to be eligible. Not every house will qualify so this won’t be an option for everyone.
While the above options can help you sell your home faster, these should only really be considered as a last resort. With the right estate agent, you can still get a quick sale for your home under the right circumstances. It’s always worth going via a reputable agent before you explore the alternatives.
If you are looking to sell your home, contact the experts at Argyle Estate Agents to see how they can help you.
