How To Sell Your Home Fast!


Are you looking for a quick sale?

There are some simple things you can do to speed up the sale of your house. In this article, I will be giving you some tips that will help you get your home sold faster.

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How do I sell my home fast?

When it comes to selling your Kirtland OH home, place yourself in the shoes of the potential buyer. What will your home’s first impression look like to a buyer? In real estate, a prospective buyer will have made up his or her mind before even walking through your front door.

Your first impression is essential in getting your house sold fast. The key is to think like a buyer and see your home through their eyes. Walk down the street and take a critical look at your property. If you want unbiased answers, ask a couple of friends to look at your home and ask for their opinion. This might be the perfect time to accomplish the maintenance work that you have been planning to do.

Take a look at this video that explains the importance of first impressions when selling your home

Remember that curb appeal is everything. The exterior of your home is the first thing a buyer will see on listing sites and in person. If your home doesn’t have curb appeal,  many prospective homebuyers will not want to walk through the front door to see the inside.

Before putting that “For Sale” sign on your front lawn, make sure to tidy up your yard by trimming and shaping hedges, edging the lawn, and refreshing the mulch. You can also boost your home’s curb appeal by pressure washing your walkways and driveway.

Make sure to also brighten up your home with natural and artificial light. A dark or poorly lit home feels depressing and is a major buyer turn-off. Don’t forget  when you leave for showings to walk around and turn  the lights on and open the curtains and blinds before you leave.

Another strategy that can help sell your home fast is getting a storage unit. Don’t try shoving everything into the closets to make your home look clutter-free. Potential buyers who tour your home are definitely going to check out the storage spaces.  

If buyers see disorganized and overstuffed closets, they might get the impression that your home is lacking the space they need. A good solution is to get a storage unit to house the stuff you won’t need while your home is on the market.  It will be worth the expense because it will help your house show better and sell faster.

Create a master list so that you can keep track of potential home repairs and other tasks. With all that you have to do, putting them down on paper can help you stay on top of everything.

Knowing your home’s selling points is another crucial point to consider in getting your house sold in the fastest time possible. This will be really helpful in marketing your home to potential buyers. Identify what makes your home stand out from the rest of the neighborhood.

If you have difficulty in pinpointing your home’s selling points, you can ask for your real estate agent’s help.

we all know that selling a home can be surprisingly complex. There are many things to consider such as the logistics of listing and marketing your home. Having a professional agent by your side will help you deal with the intricacies of the home selling process and will help streamline and optimize the experience.

How do I prepare my house for sale?

Make your home sparkle by cleaning out the cobwebs, and polishing chrome faucets and mirrors. You can also rent a pressure washer and spray down sidewalks. Wax the floor and dust the furniture, clean the ceiling fan blades, and light fixtures. Replace worn rugs and hang up fresh towels. Clean and air out any musty smelling areas because odors are a major buyer turn off.

How do I price my home right?

Setting the right price for a home isn’t a “set-and-forget” process. There are many factors that can come into play so you have to remain flexible. React quickly and decisively to changing market conditions or new information.

How do you market a house?


Once you have established the price for your home, the next step is to work with your agent to market your property so that it will sell fast for top dollar.


Your real estate agent should share a marketing plan with you, and the more you know about the process of selling your home the easier it will be for you to support your agent’s efforts.


The video below will give you an idea on what an agent usually does before listing your home:

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  1. Ensure your home is clean and odor-free while it is on the market. This should go beyond the usual weekly or day-to-day cleaning job. Leave no stone unturned in cleaning your home to make it market-ready. You can also hire a professional cleaning service. Remember that you only have one chance to make a great first impression to buyers and if that impression is not a good one, you risk them losing interest and moving on to the next home.
  2. Make your home available to possible buyers. Offer timing that works for you. If possible, stretch your availability into as many time slots as possible to accommodate buyers. Keep in mind that your home won’t sell if no one can see it. The more flexibility you provide for showings, the more opportunity you’ll have to get an offer.
  3. Leave the house when potential buyers are present. Many buyers feel uncomfortable when viewing a home while the owner is also around. Buyers want the opportunity to look at your home objectively. Home sellers can easily sabotage their own sale by staying in the home during a showing. 

How to sell a house fast in a slow market?

Selling a home is no easy feat. It is a challenging process, and the challenge is inevitably prolonged when the market is slow. Being impatient will only work against you. Stay flexible and avoid showing any signs of desperation. Remember to use the right resources. Be assured that at the end of the day, there is always a buyer for every property.

What does it mean to stage your home?

When you decide to sell your home, you have to remember that your property is competing with the other houses in your neighborhood. If you want to sell your home fast, you need to show it in its best light.


This is where home staging comes in.

Statistics show that staged homes sell faster and for more money than those that are unstaged.


Home staging is more than just packing up and preparing the house for sale. It’s what you do after you’ve cleaned, decluttered, and made minor repairs. It’s about creating an inviting space to inspire buyers.


With home staging, your property is being staged to look like a model home. Potential buyers have to see that your home is cozy, comfortable, and inviting.


Watch the video below and see the difference home staging can make:

What home improvements add the most value?

Garages can add both utility and lasting long-term value to your home. It can increase the amount of storage space available on your property and that is one of the most important features that can attract potential buyers.

When is the best time to sell my home?


How to sell your home fast and for top dollar?


Selling a home is no easy feat. There are things that you need to consider like maximizing your profits, maintaining control, and reducing your stress while you are in the home-selling process. If you want to sell your house quickly, you must be prepared prior to putting your house on the market.

First, you need to look for a real estate agent who will work for you. You need a professional who will assure you that everything in the sales process is in your best interest.

Take a look at the video below about the benefits of having a real estate agent when selling your home:

When it comes to setting the price make sure that the pricing is not too high or too low. Always remember that the average buyer is looking at 15-20 homes and at the same time they are considering yours.


Place yourself in the shoes of the buyers. Knowing what they are looking for will surely give you the advantage of gaining the buyer’s attention. This will give your house the edge over the competition and will make the selling process faster, more enjoyable, and more profitable.


Be practical when it comes to selling by giving the buyers exactly what they are looking for. Some buyers are not into any marketing strategies or persuading words from the seller. Sometimes, what they need are  quality and convenience.


Don’t forget to offer some benefits to the buyers such as incentives. Motivate them to take action and buy your house through offering them incentives like prepaying internet services for a year, golf club membership, or providing allowances or credits for home upgrades.

How much do you pay in closing costs when you sell your house?


In a real estate transaction, closing costs refer to the expenses over and above the price of the property. Closing costs occur when the title of the property is transferred from the seller to the buyer. This may be paid by either party.

Closing costs for sellers vary according to location, but typically, sellers can expect to pay anywhere from 6 percent to 10 percent of the home’s sales price at settlement.

The closing costs won’t be cash out of your pocket. It will be deducted from the profit on your property. You may need to bring a little cash to the table if your are selling your home with very low equity.


Seller costs

The commission for the real estate agents involved in the sale of your home is one of the larger closing costs for seller at settlement. A typical commission is 6 percent of the sales price of the home split between the listing agent and the buyer’s agent. However, commissions are negotiable and may vary by market.


Loan payoff costs

Because of prorated interest, the loan payoff will often be a little higher than the remaining balance on your loan. There are also cases where you may have to pay a prepayment penalty for paying off your loan before the end of the term. The home equity loan or line of credit must also be paid in full at settlement.


Transfer taxes or recording fees

Transfer taxes are imposed by the state or local government to transfer the title from one owner to another.


Title insurance fees

Sellers typically pay the owner's title insurance premium.


Attorney fees

In some areas, both the buyers and sellers have their own attorneys. For others, it’s more common to have one settlement attorney for the real estate transaction. In some areas the buyer pays the attorney fees, while in others the seller pays.


Additional closing costs for sellers

Additional closing costs for sellers may include liens or judgments against the property, unpaid homeowner association dues, prorated property taxes, and homeowner association dues included up to the settlement date.


Depending on your contract, closing costs may also include termite inspection and remediation, home warranty premiums and repair bills or a credit for repairs for items found during a home inspection.


Always remember to estimate some of the closing costs associated with preparing to sell, such as cosmetic repairs or improvements to make your home more attractive to buyers.


Those costs may be returned with a higher sales price, but you should still include them in your calculations.


What do real estate agents do for me?

Although it is possible to sell your home without a real estate agent, the advantages of having one on your side  has a lot more benefits. If you are not good at marketing and negotiating  prices, then you should not try to sell your home on your own. Work with a real estate agent who has complete knowledge of taking the deal to the final stages and closing it successfully.


An experienced real estate agent will know how to maximize your home value so you can receive top dollar for your property. He/She will be able to identify which upgrades you should make to increase the amount your house sells for. In addition, he/she will also be able to recommend service providers like an inspector, a handyman, a painter, a professional house cleaner, a landscaper, and a home stager.


Your real estate agent will also be your ultimate guide in pricing your home. An excellent agent will price your home using his/her training, understanding of the market, and comparable homes for sale.


He/She will create a comparative market analysis (CMA) to review comparable homes nearby that are currently on the market, pending, or have recently sold. Understanding how to price a home is one of an agent’s most valuable skills.


Your agent should also be an expert in marketing your home to buyers looking for homes for sale in Kirtland OH. He/She should take great pictures that will highlight your home’s feature. If necessary, your agent will hire a professional photographer because he/she knows that pictures of your home are an essential element in selling your home fast.


Remember that buyers usually begin their home search online. If your home pictures are lousy or puts your home in a bad light, you will lose out on a significant amount of traffic.  


Make sure that you are going to work with an agent who is well versed on how to get the word out using all available marketing channels. Aside from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), your real estate agent should also have a website that draws traffic and showcases the homes for sale.


Your agent should also know how to take advantage of social media like Facebook, Google+, Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest, and other platforms to market your home.


Another thing that a real estate agent does is to make sure that buyers are pre-approved and not just pre-qualified. There is a huge difference between mortgage pre-qualification and pre-approval. You want buyers who have already submitted all information, including a credit report and been given the go-ahead for a loan.


During the home inspection, the real estate agent attends to represent the seller. Doing so helps allows him/her to hear all the feedback from the home inspector and see what exactly the issues are.


He/She can keep things in perspective should the buyer ask for concession based on the results of the inspection and can protect you from unreasonable requests.


Your agent will advocate for you and will find ways to get you the best terms and conditions. This, after all, is what an agent is paid to do. Your agent should possess the negotiation skills to get the job done right.


A good agent will help you set the right price, market the home professionally, qualify the buyers, and expertly negotiate and finalize the deal. Without one, your home might languish on the market for months.


Look for an agent who can use technology with ease. The 21st-century real estate is completely different from how things were done before. Today, agents who embrace cutting edge technology get results.


Honesty and Integrity


When interviewing potential agents, pay attention not only to their local knowledge, experience, and technical skill but also to their personality. How does the agent make you feel? Do you feel comfortable around him/her? If so, chances are that buyers will too.


Avoid agents who are evasive during the interview or says “yes” to most questions without backing up their answers. You need someone trustworthy to represent your best interests.


I am Christine Pappas, your REALTOR® from Ohio. If you’re looking to sell your home, you can count on me to make your experience easier!


I have been in this field for 18 years and that’s why you can be sure that all of your real estate needs are not only accounted for, but also considered the main priority always.


I can help you manage things easier by answering your concerns and taking care of real-estate related problems. Together, we can successfully sell your home.


Call me now at 216-956-7635 and let’s get started!


Call me today at 216-956-7635



Christine Pappas: The Rooted Real Estate Agent - 5900 Som Center Road #12-244 Willoughby, OH, 44094