We connect you with hungry buyers!
Cash in your bank
Experts ready to take your call
Putting your property on the market can be quite stressful, and it can be ten times worse if you are in a serious time crunch. Whether you are looking to downsize, relocate for a new job, move to a new place for new career opportunities, uproot your family for a better environment, sell an inherited property, or for financial reasons, it is safe to say that you would want to sell your home in a matter of weeks, rather than months. Obviously, selling your property quickly will not only allow you to move to your new life faster, but it also means fewer days of keeping your house in pristine condition to accommodate agents and would-be-buyers for open houses. And ultimately, this means getting better value for your home.
On average, real estate properties in Tampa, Florida, takes about 61 days to sell. And that’s actually considered a fast, hiccup-free process with smooth-sailing inspection, appraisal, and closing. However, some people can actually take just a couple of weeks, if not days, to complete the whole process. What are they doing differently? How to sell a house fast? Well, here are some tips on how to sell Tampa house fast.
Indeed, selling fast is the key. However, you should also remember that your goal is to get the most money out of your house. This is where the importance of having the right real estate agent on your team gets into the picture – they can make the home selling a hassle free process for you and your buyer and meet your target closing date.
A good real estate agent knows the local market like it’s the back of their hand, not to mention they have the sales record that proves they can sell your property fast. However, keep in mind that you will be responsible for paying the commission for both your agent and the buyers, as well as the closing costs (in some cases). In exchange for convenience, realtor fees usually charge 2 to 4% commission from the selling price.
As you choose your potential agents, pay close attention to their experience, especially in your local market. While it is good to have an agent that can work and communicate well with you, experience is the best asset to look for.
Your agent will help you throughout the whole process. He/she will oversee the work of the real estate photographer, negotiate for the best price on your behalf, write all the listings, take care of all the paperwork, schedule open houses, host showings, and more importantly, market your property to get as many attention and interest as possible. And of course, make sure you meet your closing date.
While the average realtor fee is at 2 to 3.5%, the top realtors can be so much higher than that, as their commission can go up to 5% to 7%. That sounds a lot, but if you consider how fast they can sell your house, then their services are worth every penny.
Obviously, you want to get the most money possible, right? Well, what’s the point of pricing it high if you cannot find people to at least check your property out because they are already turned off by the expensive price tag?
One of the best strategies to sell a home fast in Tampa is to price it competitively, if not aggressively. This is why you need to know the fair cash offer for your property. Note that the listing price is NOT the initial offer price. The price of your potential buyers can change anytime. Normally, this price is negotiable between you and your buyer.
Price your home too high and you can easily detract would-be buyers from the get-go. Not to mention the long time it would take to settle down on the negotiation process should potential buyers want to haggle and bring your price down.
Again, this is where having the right realtor can help you. Your real estate agent can help you find the fair price for your property based on market value (by researching comparable homes in your area, local market value, etc.).
If you really want a quick turnaround, then consider pricing your property slightly below its market value. This will quickly attract interest or even cause a bidding war (which could drive the price up).
If you have not received offers from anyone by a certain date, expect your agent to lower your selling price.
When pricing your property, consider the price points your would-be buyers set for properties in your area. For example, if you set your fair cash offer at $355,000, then you are definitely missing out on all the potential buyers who have set their prices for home searching of under $350,000. In many cases, it is not worth asking for the extra $5,000 if it means you only get fewer potential buyers to see your property.
The best strategy is to price strategically. For example, you can set the price at $348,000. This definitely has a different psychological effect on people looking to buy houses with a budget of $350,000 in mind.
If you want to sell your house fast, then you need to have as much attention and interest in it as possible. So clean it, declutter it, and depersonalize it. Basically, stage it.
You need to impress your potential buyers with the beauty of your space. Your potential buyers will not be able to picture themselves in your property if your items (and mess) are still around. So give your home a thorough clean up from top to bottom, get rid of all the personal items like photos on the wall, hide the family photos, and other things that can influence buyers’ minds negatively.
Moreover, make sure your house feels clean and smells good. Place the appropriate furniture and lighting in the right rooms and places. This can help people visualize themselves at home, watching TV, playing with their kids, cooking, sleeping, etc.
You can even add a new paint layer. This is one of the most inexpensive ways to freshen up your place. Also, clean the carpets thoroughly, powerwash the walls, and repair, if not replace any damage on the flooring.
Chances are, you don’t have the designing talent and resources. This is where a professional stager can make a huge difference, not just in how your house looks, but how it feels. Having the right assets can help showcase the best features of your home.
While they aren’t actually cheap, stagers can help you sell your house fast. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), staged homes sell about 20% more and 88% faster than non-staged houses.
Why boost the curb appeal? Well, for the obvious reason that it is the first thing that people see when they come and check out your property. First impressions last, so if you want to sell your house in Tampa fast, you need to make it attractive both from the inside and outside.
It may be too late and too big of a hassle to do some major renovations, especially if a sale is urgent. However, minor repairs, touch up, and some maintenance and yard work can make a huge difference in your curb appeal.
Slap a layer of a fresh coat of your house’s exterior paint, swap the old door handles with new ones, replace the mailbox, cut the grass, plant beautiful flowers, powerwash your porch, prune the overgrown bushes, and make the walkway actually safe to walk on.
Invest in some beautiful lighting too!
Many people who are looking to buy houses today start their research online. They look for listings and browse through different properties quickly. How can you get their attention and interest while they are on their computers or smartphones? Easy, have beautiful photos and videos in your listing.
Once your property is staged, hire a professional photographer and/or videographer to do a buyer’s eye view of your property. Their clean and crisp photos, using their skills and cameras, can highlight the best assets of your property.
Videos of your property can help potential buyers get a good glimpse of what your home has to offer. A short video can also showcase the better functions of your house and make potential buyers feel as if they are actually there, touring your house.
You can never go wrong with data; it can teach you the intricacies of your local housing market, the attitude of the home buyers, and the best time to sell your house fast.
Historically speaking, the best months to sell and buy houses in Tampa are at January, March, and December. Moreover, the worst months to close a home are July and October. Moreover, the standard home sale in Tampa, Florida takes about 3 months to close. So you might want to time your listing around those months.
If all else fails, and you really need to sell your house fast, then you might want to consider selling your house to a cash home buyers. Cash home buyers companies are like real estate investors, they buy properties so they can sell them for profits. They usually cater to distressed homes, but the good thing is, you no longer have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to prepare your house for a sale, as they buy homes as is.
Cash home buyers can save you from all the hassles and headaches of dealing with multiple things at once. Plus, they can actually help you save time, as their home selling process gets done in as fast as seven days or so.
Take your time to research the most trusted cash home buyers in your area. There are actually many trusted cash home buyers in Tampa, Florida you can choose from.