How to sell your house in 5 days?
It's a great question because who wouldn’t want to sell their house in five days and have the process wrapped up without all that anxious waiting around?
But is it really possible?
Fast talking agents: A cause for concern
There has been talk on the internet about selling houses quickly, with real estate agents making all sorts of promises.
In previous articles, I’ve cautioned sellers about engaging an agent who makes claims they can’t substantiate about how long it will take to sell a property.
If, however, you really must sell urgently, an experienced local agent can help you to do so in five days, provided you are willing to follow their advice.
How to sell your house in 5 days: Be informed
The time it takes to sell any house depends on multiple factors:
- the state of the local real estate market—a cold market, also known as a buyer’s market, puts the seller in a hurry at a disadvantage; conversely, a hot market (or seller’s market) will work in your favour
- the number of other houses for sale in your area with which yours will compete
- the desirability of your home relative to those others—its proximity to transport, shops, employment and schools; its size, age, condition, land size and special features
- and, above all, the price of your house relative to its competition.
When you need to sell in a hurry, choose an agent you can trust as soon as possible, to conduct a professional appraisal of your home (see this article for help with choosing an agent).
They will perform a comparative market analysis against properties sold recently in your area to come up with a realistic asking price given your timeframe.
Your agent can also inform you about the market situation in terms of the five points above.
How to sell your house in 5 days: Be pragmatic
The people who have succeeded in selling their houses in five days had one thing in common—they were prepared to be pragmatic and compromise on one or more of the conditions under which the sale of their house would have gone through in a more normal timeframe.
Naturally enough, price is the first thing that buyers will ask you to compromise on.
That’s why it’s so important to have a reliable appraisal from a local expert, so you can be confident your price is realistic in the prevailing market.
Other concessions you could make to sweeten a deal include adding to the contract items like artworks, window coverings, indoor and outdoor furniture, a pool table, satellite dish or yard equipment, especially if they were purchased specifically to suit the property.
That said, the fact remains that if you have no choice but to sell your house in your five-day timeframe, you will most probably have to compromise on your ideal sale price.
How to sell your house in 5 days: Be with the best
When you’ve been successfully selling property in the western and coastal suburbs of Adelaide for 45 years, you have amassed an enormous amount of local and industry knowledge.
As a client of McGrath Real Estate you benefit from that knowledge, which is just what you need when the clock is against you.
If you need to sell your house in five days, or ten, or … contact us now for a prompt property appraisal.