How To Sell Your Home In 1 Week For Top Dollar (Success Story)

The best things you can do to prep your home for listing is to make it look well-maintained and clean. You can do this by decluttering, painting, small updates, repairs and cleaning every inch of the home. Buyers want to purchase a home to start a fresh new chapter, and we want them to be able to picture themselves living here and not be focused on clutter and issues. They’re not eager to take on your problems/chores, so take care of the necessary items that don’t take too much time or cost too much money to make the home show well. Attention to detail is very important here.

 

Don’t wait for the ideal (or what you assume is the ideal) time to list. There are always buyers looking and we can’t predict the future. List it when you’re ready, the house is ready and create the best strategy around that. It was May long weekend when we listed this home which technically wasn’t the most ideal (in my opinion) because a lot of people are out of town. But we felt it was more important to get it on the market rather than waiting for the “best” time. 

 

Be realistic with what the home is worth in the current market and price it within the range of what homes are actually selling for. There’s no need to price it higher to leave room for negotiations or to test the market; we know what it’s worth based on the market data. Overpricing and sitting on the market too long shows buyers your house isn’t worth what you’re asking; this gives them the green light to give you a lower offer. A quick sale is in your best interest, especially if it’s vacant like this one was. Pricing it correctly right from the get-go creates urgency and encourages strong offers. This also increases your chances of creating a bidding war which gives you a lot of leverage. That's what happened in this case as we decided to price it in the middle of the value range. 

 

The right marketing strategy matters. Familiarizing yourself with the area and understanding the buyer profile for your specific property will help you communicate the features of the home and location to the right buyers. We also virtually staged this vacant home to help buyers picture the potential. Then we showed and communicated all of the best features through professional photos, a virtual tour, a video, drone footage, a floor plan, social media, and an engaging and informative write-up about the home. 

 

Lastly, enlist the help of a trustworthy and experienced real estate agent; someone who knows the market and will work overtime to get you the best results. Not just someone who holds a license and will give you a discount. Your uncle who sells three homes a year part-time may not be the best option. An agent who is proactive, stays on top of the market, communicates well, has experience with offers and negotiations, and can guide you through the process is a must. 

 

In the end, we received multiple offers in the first two days on the market. Because we got competing offers, we were offered the best price and terms without any need for negotiations. The accepted offer was $12,000 higher than the asking price, had a quick possession, short conditions and no contingencies. The selling price ended up higher than what we even expected at the top of the range. And now, no additional and unnecessary expenses will be incurred from holding onto a vacant property. 

 

Both buyers and sellers are extremely happy so I’d say our strategy worked and this was a huge success!