How Can I Sell My House Fast?

September 09, 2024

Sometimes you need to sell your home quickly. It could be due to an inherited estate, foreclosure, divorce or because you’ve bought another house. Maybe you scored your dream job in another city or have a desire to travel the world. Whatever reason, when time is of the essence, there’s a lot you can do to move a property fast.

In this article, we’ll share 7 steps you can follow to get your property ready for selling in a flash. And if you can’t sell your home quickly, there’s still some action you can take.

What is the quickest you can sell a house?

A fast home sale depends on a number of factors, such as:

Location and suburb: Inner city living vs suburbs
The market: Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market? This can dramatically affect what you can get for price and how quickly you can sell
Home presentation: How your home looks and is staged is a huge factor in whether or not a potential buyer will be able to picture themselves in your home (more on this below)
Asking price: Where you position your property in the market is important. Independent Property Group can help you figure out what the best starting price is based on our years of experience.

What month is the best to sell a house?

Every season is the right season to sell your home quickly. While it might appear that there are some months better than others – you can be strategic with this depending on your own timeline – we’ve found that there’s usually a hungry buyer right around the corner at any time of year. Whether you’re looking to sell in winter or spring or in the heat of summer, if you follow all the seven steps below then it will be very achievable.

How quickly do most houses sell?

Typically it can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months from when a property is listed to when it sells. In Australia, you can also access data on sold properties that tells you how long a house was on the market. This is called the ‘days on market’ (DOM) and it’s available for most suburbs. It can give you an indication of what to expect if you’re trying to sell a house fast.

To give you the best chance of selling quickly, we’ve laid out 7 steps below to sell your home quickly when you really need to move, fast!

7 Steps to Sell Your Home Fast

1. Hire an experienced local real estate agent

Local real estate agents understand the market. They can guide you through the process of a fast sale by posting listings, tapping into their networking and setting up a marketing plan customised to your property.

Not only do they have their finger on the pulse of what’s happening, but they can also tell you what’s worth your time and energy.

2. Price your home right from day one

We can’t understate how important it is to price your home right from the beginning. When you need to sell your home fast, pricing is a crucial detail. If it’s too high, you may scare off buyers, so leverage your agent’s expertise to find the sweet spot.

Start by getting a valuation of your property. Set the best price at or slightly below market value to attract those eager to buy or invest. This may also help initiate a bidding war to drive the price up, especially if you decide to go to auction, to sell your house quickly.

3. Choose the right time to sell a house fast

When you need to sell your home quickly, you may not be thinking about when the best time to list it is. So here’s the good news: houses can sell at any time of year with the right staging and marketing.

Once you have an idea of when you’d like to sell – or if you’re unsure – talk to your real estate agent to start making plans.

4. Go to auction to find as many buyers as possible

A key strategy to create a sense of urgency around your property is to take it to auction. One of the biggest benefits of this approach is that you get the security of a reserve price. This means you set the lowest price which you’d be willing to sell for. As an added bonus, the atmosphere at auction is competitive, which can help to drive up the price of your home.

When it comes to how to sell your home fast, Independent Property Group can help you set up everything you need, including understanding whether or not this is the right option for you.

5. Stage your home to sell

Home staging is an industry term that refers to getting your house ready to show to potential buyers. First impressions really do count for an open house, so it’s important to position your home in a way that people can picture themselves living in it.

Here’s a few tips to help you get ready for viewings:

Do a deep clean of every room, including the skirting boards, and don’t forget exterior windows and eaves
Depersonalise and declutter your home by removing family photos and any items that are sentimental
Address any minor or major repairs (details matter)
Rearrange furniture to create more space and flow
Improve your property’s curb appeal by mowing lawns, trimming hedges and generally making sure the landscaping is neat and tidy.

If this feels overwhelming, we can connect you with a professional stager to make your house look and feel more ‘homey’, appealing to the right type of buyers.

6. Advertise effectively

Getting your property seen by as many potential buyers and investors as possible is vital if you want to sell a house fast. Real estate marketing is an added cost but worth the spend.

Advertise online – via an online listing, social media post and on your agent’s website – as well as offline – in the local paper, via flyers and community noticeboards. We can work with you to target the right buyers to save you time and energy marketing to the wrong audiences.

Some real estate companies have a pay later option for marketing and property preparation, which can be helpful if you’re on a tight timeline and your budget is fixed.

7. Prioritise cash buyers to sell your home quicker

One thing to consider when you’re in the process of selling your home is that in the property market, cash reigns supreme! When a buyer can pay cash, you can bypass a lot of the red tape of pre-approvals and ‘subject-to-sale’ conditions that often go along with non-cash sales.

Rental landlords, investors and house flippers are the kinds of buyers who might have capital ready to go because they’re looking to build their property portfolio quickly. Prioritising cash offers is one way to speed up the sales process.

What is the quickest a house sale can go through?

There are many factors that affect how quickly a house sale can happen. If there’s no financial or legal roadblocks, you can expect at least 6–8 weeks with traditional conveyancing. If there are delays, this timelines can blow out months. This is why it’s important to work with a real estate agent you trust who can make sure you’ve got everything you need before you start your sales journey.

What happens if you don’t sell your home quickly?

As in life, sometimes things don’t go to plan when you try to sell your home quickly. You might find issues with your home that need extra attention, or your potential buyer may have an issue on their end. Don’t panic – there’s still lots of things you can do.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you’re racing the clock.

Be flexible with showing options

To sell quickly, be flexible when you show your property: the more people that view it, the higher the likelihood that it will sell. Consider times after work or evenings as well as weekends to accommodate people's varying schedules.

Take it off the market (for now)

If your property doesn’t sell as fast as you’d like, consider taking it off the market for a little while. You could also rent out your property until the market shifts. If you work with the right local real estate agents (like us) we can set up the rental and then get it ready for sale again when the time is right.

Adjust the price accordingly

When you’re trying to sell your house fast, one factor that might affect its sale is the price. This might be because there’s been a change in the market, so work with your agent to pinpoint what wiggle room you have on price and a number you feel comfortable with.

Sweeten the deal with incentives

Offering extra perks to lure hungry buyers can help seal the deal for a quick sale. You might consider offering a short settlement period, lower deposit, covering the cost of minor upgrades (like painting) or even including appliances or extras, like pool tables or pizza ovens.

To sell a house fast, you need the right real estate agent

At Independent Property Group, we can arm you with the right knowledge and step-by-step process to get your house sold quickly.

Get in touch with our team to talk through your options for how to sell your home fast.