How to sell your home fast and for top dollar

If you’re going to win over a prospective buyer, you’ll have to get their attention quickly to convince them that your house is their next home. Yes, location is key. And yes, price matters. But with a few strategic preparations, you can make your property as attractive and inviting as possible. By doing so, you’ll set it up to sell sooner rather than later.

10 Ways to Prepare Your Home to Sell ASAP

Think like a buyer. It can be tempting to present your home in a way that highlights the aspects you like the most. The problem with this approach is that your favorites are just that—your favorites. Potential buyers won’t be looking at your house through the lens of nostalgia. Help them see your home as a blank slate where they can form their own identity.
Focus on curb appeal. It’s incredible what a tidy lawn and freshly mulched flower beds can do for a house. Most buyers will drive by your property before deciding whether or not to take a closer look. A house that looks welcoming from the street stands a much better chance of selling quickly.
Freshen up your front door. If curb appeal is a friendly invitation, a freshly painted front door is a cheery welcome. Every buyer who looks at your home will most likely enter through the front door, so giving it a new coat of paint can cover up any scuffs and dings that have shown up over time. This small step will help the house look livable—not lived in.
Make basic repairs. If you’ve lived in your home for any amount of time, there are probably a few problems you’ve learned to live with. Chipped paint, missing fence boards, leaky kitchen faucets, flickering lightbulbs…these are just a few of the minor inconveniences that you might overlook on a daily basis. They’re also the little details that could make your house less attractive to a buyer. Make the simple fixes. You’ll be glad you did.
Stay neutral. If you personalized your house by using vibrant colors in each room, it might be a good idea to repaint. While you might love bold colors, there’s no guarantee the next owner will. Painting the walls in neutral colors will let potential buyers observe the overall house without getting hung up on whether or not they like the colors you chose.
Make it less “you.” While we’re focused on the interior, make a special effort to remove decorations and knick-knacks that reflect your personal tastes and identity. No matter how friendly and familiar they may be, family photos will make buyers feel like their visiting someone else’s house. You want them to feel like they’re spending time in their own.
Clean and declutter. You don’t have to channel your inner Marie Kondo, but clearing clutter will not only make the house look cleaner, it will make it feel bigger. And when it comes to cleanliness, there’s no such thing as too clean. When you think things are finally clean enough, go over them once more. Buyers will notice.
Use some common scents. It goes without saying (or at least it should) that you should do your very best to eliminate offensive smells like pet, laundry, or cooking odors. If you want to increase your chances of selling your house, go a step beyond deodorizing and introduce a pleasant scent. Candles, essential oils, and fresh-baked cookies can do a wonderful job of creating a welcoming environment for house hunters.
Stage strategically. If you can’t afford to hire a professional real estate stager, you can still arrange each room to highlight your home’s top features. While each room matters, pay particular attention to the living room, the master bedroom, and the kitchen. These are the three rooms where the new owners will spend most of their time, so staging them well is a small task that can make a big difference.
Hire a real estate agent. If you want to sell your home as quickly as possible, enlisting the help of a professional is a smart way to accomplish your goal. Experienced realtors know the local market, and their expertise can help you sell your house faster and for more money. Selling a home on your own might sound like a good idea, but when you consider that a real estate agent can handle the marketing, negotiations, and legal details, their commission can be money that’s well spent.

Potential home buyers want to walk through a house that feels exciting and new. They also want it to feel like home. Following the tips listed above can help you give them exactly what they’re looking for. And the faster you make that happen, the sooner those buyers will give you what you want—a house with a SOLD sign in the yard!

The reason you look closely at why you want to sell is that your motivations play an important role in the process.

Tip No. 2:

Once you know, keep it to yourself.

Your reasons will affect how you negotiate the sale of your home, but they shouldn't be given as ammunition to the person who wants to buy it.

Tip No. 3:

Do your homework before setting a price.

Settling on an offering price shouldn't be done lightly. A market analysis plus a trend report showing prices can be used to guide you in setting your price.

Tip No. 4:

Go home shopping yourself.

The best way to get to know your competition in Brevard County , identify features that are popular and learn what turns buyers off is to check out other open houses. Let's go look at the competition..

Tip No. 5:

Know when to get an appraisal.

Sometimes you can use a good appraisal to your benefit in marketing your home. In Brevard County some homes are so unique that an appraisal is needed.

Tip No. 6:

Your tax assessment means almost nothing.

Some people look to tax assessments to assign a value. The problem here is that assessments in Brevard County may not reflect the current market.

Tip No. 7:

Find a good Realtor®.

Nearly two-thirds of the people who sell their own home say they wouldn't do it themselves again, according to research by the National Association of Realtors®. An agent that knows Brevard County and your area can help get you the best market value.

Tip No. 8:

Give yourself room to negotiate.

Make sure you leave yourself enough room in which to bargain. Stay current with the market trends by receiving frequent market updates.

Tip No. 9:

Maximize your home's sales potential.

Each year, corporate North America spends billions of dollars on product and packaging design. The lesson here is that appearance is critical—and it would be foolish to ignore this when selling your home.

Tip No. 10:

Rely on other people's judgment as well as your own.

The key to effective marketing is knowing your product's good and bad points. In the case of your home, accentuating the good can mean a faster sale for more money; failing to deal with the bad can mean months on the market and a lower-than-desired sales price.

Tip No. 11:

Clean like you've never cleaned before.

Pick up, straighten, uncluttered, scrub, scour, dust...well, you get the idea.

Tip No. 12:

Fix everything no matter how insignificant it may appear.

The step that squeaks, the light switch that doesn't work, the hairline crack in the bathroom mirror—they might be minor annoyances to you, but they can also be deal-killers.

Tip No. 13:

Remove all traces of you from your home.

When you toured other people's homes, you may have felt some discomfort. This probably occurred because you saw, heard or otherwise sensed something that made you feel as if you were intruding into someone's life. Smaller than a basketball pack it away.

Tip No. 14:

The little touches can make a difference.

While personal items can detract, other small touches can help make your house a home to buyers.

Tip No. 15:

Don't let a smell be your downfall.

Odd smells kill deals quickly. All traces of food, pet and smoking odors must be eliminated.

Tip No. 16:

Disclose everything.

Smart sellers proactively go above and beyond the laws to disclose all known defects to their buyers—in writing.

Tip No. 17:

The more prospects, the better.

By maximizing your home's marketability, you'll increase your chances of attracting more than one prospective buyer. Your home should be on more than 40 website to have great exposure.

Tip No. 18:

Don't get emotional during negotiations.

The extent of most people's experience in the art of negotiation begins and ends at their local auto dealership. And few of us have pleasant memories of haggling with car salesmen.

Tip No. 19:

Know your buyer.

In the negotiation process, your objective is to control the pace and set the duration. And the better you know your buyer, the more easily you can maintain control. Know if your price home is in seller's market or buyer's market.

Tip No. 20:

Find out what the buyer can pay.

As soon as possible, try to find out the mortgage amount the buyer is qualified to carry and the size of his down payment. If he makes a low offer, question his Realtor® about his client's ability to really pay what your home is worth.

Tip No. 21:

Find out when the buyer would like to close.

When a buyer would “like” to close is often when they need to close. Try to be flexible with the close date.

Tip No. 22:

Don't sign a deal on your next home until you close the deal on this one.

If circumstances conspire to force you into closing on your new home while you're still making mortgage payments on the old one, you might end up turning yourself into a seller who is eager (or desperate) for the first deal that comes along.

Tip No. 23:

Don't move out before you sell.

Studies have shown that it is more difficult to sell a home that is vacant—it looks forelorn, forgotten, simply not appealing. If you have to move leave some furniture behind.

Tip No. 24:

Don't give yourself a deadline.

Forcing yourself to sell by a certain date adds unnecessary pressure and puts you at a serious disadvantage in negotiations.

Tip No. 25:

Don't take a low offer personally.

The first offer is invariably well below what you both know the buyer will end up paying for your property.

Tip No. 26:

A really low offer may mean the buyer's not qualified.

If you feel an offer is inadequate, now would be a good time to make sure the buyer has been qualified to carry a mortgage of the size this deal would require (if you haven't learned this already)..

Tip No. 27:

Don't take a lowball offer seriously.

An unacceptably low offer should not be taken personally or seriously.

Tip No. 28:

Make sure the contract is complete.

The best way to avoid problems is to make sure that all terms, costs and responsibilities are spelled out in the contract of sale.

Tip No. 29:

Don't deviate from the contract.

Resist the temptation to diverge from the contract. For example, if the buyer requests a move-in prior to closing, just say no. Now is not the time to take any chances of the deal falling through.

What sells a house for top dollar?

Here are seven proven tips to help you get top dollar for your home:.

Stage your home. ... .

Depersonalize it. ... .

Maximize light and space. ... .

Update and repair, but don't remodel. ... .

Focus on the kitchen. ... .

Boost curb appeal. ... .

Hire the right real estate agent..

How to stage your home to sell for top dollar?

Staging Your Home to Sell for Top Dollar.

Clean & Declutter Your Home. Photo via @sharon_arny_interior_design. ... .

Remove Personal Items. ... .

Furnish Empty Spaces. ... .

Let in Natural Light. ... .

Hire a Professional Photographer. ... .

Choose the Right Paint Color for Your Walls. ... .

Spruce Up Your Curb Appeal. ... .

Upgrade Carpets & Floors..

What is the most profitable way to sell my house?

Listing on the MLS can get you top dollar for your property. All cash home buyers use the MLS to research and buy properties. This includes iBuyers like Opendoor and major franchises like We Buy Ugly Houses. According to Bright MLS, homes listed on the MLS sold faster and for 17% more than homes sold off the MLS.

What is the secret to a fast sale of a property?

One of the most effective ways to sell your home fast is to price it competitively. If you price it too high, you detract prospective buyers and price out potential bidders. In addition, it may take longer to settle the negotiation process if prospective buyers want your price to come down.