It has been a little over a year since we moved out of our old house and into our new one. Looking back, I realize how blessed we were to be able to sell our old home so quickly. We had our first showing within one day of listing and had an offer within two days after that. Incredible! We were thrilled!
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
We loved our home – it was our very first home together as a married couple. And it was our daughter’s first home! But when we found out we were expecting our second child, we knew that we were quickly outgrowing the two bedroom/two bathroom condo. My husband and I quickly put a plan in place and worked toward the end goal of selling the house before Baby #2 made their arrival. We listed in the very beginning of September and knew we were nearing the end of the busy season for real estate sales. Pat and I crossed our fingers (and prayed!) that everything would work out!
If you want to learn how to sell your house fast – check out what we did to sell our home faster than we could have ever imagined!
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.
5 Tips on how to sell your house fast:
1. Get a Storage Unit
Even if you home has a ton of storage space, I still recommend getting a storage unit. Nothing turns off a potential buyer more than clutter or the feeling that their things may not be able to fit into the space. Before we even got close to listing our home, a good 6 months before listing, we got a storage unit. We used a U Haul Storage Facility since it was close to our home, but any facility will do. The key is to have one close to home to make trips back and forth quick and easy.
Every weekend I would pack up a few things and send my husband off to the storage unit. We started with the big things like baby swings and portable cribs and things that took up a lot of space. Next, we moved to emptying out the closets and our crawlspace attic. Even though an attic is meant for storage, we didn’t want to pack it to the ceiling. We wanted to make sure that when a potential buyer peeked in that they could see how much storage space there actually was. Then we moved to packing away large kitchen supplies that we barely used (waffle irons, panini presses, etc!)
The easiest part about having the storage unit was that we filled it gradually every weekend so it never seemed like a lot of work. And then on moving day (we definitely hired movers!) and after they emptied out the house, we made a stop at the storage facility and they emptied that all out too before going to the new house!
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
2. De-Personalize
I’m sure you heard this one before, but seriously do it and do it 100%. Nobody wants to know who was living in the house before them – they want to picture themselves there. We took down EVERY personal picture we had in the house and either packed the frames away or replaced the picture with something else. For example, I went to Etsy and purchased downloadable printables that said things like “Home Sweet Home” or “Welcome” to put in existing frames. Here’s a few of the ones I purchased if you want to check them out!
- “Home Sweet Home” Printable from HeartOfLifeDesign on Etsy – this one was my favorite purchase and I still have it hanging in a frame in our new house now!
- Chef’s Kitchen Utensils From TypeSecret on Etsy – I printed this one and then pinned it onto a small pin board and hung it in the kitchen from kitchen twine!
- Sweet Home Alabama Quotes from HeartOfLife Design on Etsy – “Why Would You Wanna Marry Me Anyhow?” And, “So I can Kiss You Anytime I Want.” I printed these large at 11×14 and put them in frames that I had taken our wedding photos out of.
- “Happy Girls are the Prettiest” from PantonAndBloom on Etsy – we put this one in a 5×7 frame in our daughter’s bedroom.
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
3. Professional Cleaning
Even if you never used a cleaning service before, I recommend getting one right before you move. I was 6 months pregnant around the time we listed our home and didn’t want to be around chemicals. It was also a huge help so I didn’t have to get on my hands and knees to scrub bathtubs! Getting someone else to clean your home can take some of the stress away. Your house will also get a deep clean so your house sparkles for those first showings.
In addition to the professional cleaning, I made sure to straighten up the house every night before bed. You never know when someone may call for a showing and I didn’t want to be caught off guard. I also never wanted to turn down a request for a showing for any reason, including if the house was cluttered. A missed showing could be a missed opportunity!
There was literally a time when I got a phone call saying that someone wanted to see the house at 12:15pm and it was 12:00pm! Luckily I was able to grab my napping toddler out of her crib and run out the door at a moment’s notice. (By the way, I totally miss her sweet little nursery below).
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
4. Hire a Home Stager
The changes a home stager will make may be small and subtle but they will make all the difference! We hired Jennifer of Jennifer Smith Designs. Jen initially came over about a month before listing. She gave us an easy-to-do list with things from removing bath rugs and trash cans in bathrooms to inexpensive updates like changing out some light fixtures. She then came out again the day before our photographer came and did some furniture re-arranging and added in some of her own accessories. Jen was new set of eyes on the space. She pointed out things we weren’t able to see or weren’t thinking about. I think it made such a positive difference!
(Jen also previously helped us design our daughter’s nursery in the above picture. Sadly, she didn’t stay in it long because we moved, but we loved it! And I think it helped with resale value as we added new carpets and the built in shelving.)
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
5. Hire a Professional Photographer
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I agree! If something doesn’t look good in pictures, a buyer may not come to see it in person. And for me, lighting is huge! If a home doesn’t look like it has a lot of natural light, I’m not interested. I knew from the beginning I wanted to hire a professional photographer to take pictures of our home. It was a super minimal investment that I feel totally paid off in the end!
We hired Delaney Dobson Photography, who Jennifer Smith Designs actually referred to us! Delaney has the light and airy style of photography that I was looking for (check out her instagram feed and you will see what I mean!). She typically specializes in newborn and family photography as well as wedding photography, but was willing to take on our little project! She did an awesome job capturing not only the light, but also had great angles on the room and was able to show the height and detail of our wood-planked ceilings. Her turn around time was amazing and we were able to get the pictures to our realtor in no time.
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
Our Results?
As I shared, we had our first showing within one day of listing. Then, we had an offer within two days after the first showing. But did I mention the offer came in 1.5K OVER asking price? We accepted immediately.
We were able to get on track early on by getting the storage unit and de-personalizing. And we were less stressed when it was time to actually list the house. Then bringing in the professional cleaners, home stager, and photographer tied everything up in a pretty little bow!
We sold our home before Baby #2 came which was the ultimate goal. Then we started hunting for a new home right away! We moved into our new home exactly a month before our second little girl arrived! Truly perfect timing!
Photo Credit: Delaney Dobson Photography
Have you been researching how to sell your house fast? Or have you had fast results in selling your home? What are some of your tips? I’d love to hear from you! And please let me know if you have any questions on our process!
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