How to Sell Your Home Fast

By Stephen Bucaro

If you're a home seller, you’re probably reminiscing about the housing market last year when buyers were lined up competing to see who could make the highest bid and get the house. Well the housing market has cooled down a bit since then, but by following the steps in this article you can still sell your house quickly and for a good price.

“ Based on the phycology of colors, that bright red wall idea you got from a TV decorating show gives people an uncomfortable feeling of imminent danger ”

1. Hire a home inspector. One of the first things a serious buyer will do is hire a home inspector. A home inspector may find problems with your home that you didn't know existed. Knowledge of a defect gives the buyer a great advantage in price negotiation. Hire your own home inspector so you can devise a plan to deal with any defects before a potential buyer surprises you with them.

  You not feel it worth the investment to actually repair a defect. In that case your plan might be to explain to a potential buyer that you have already adjusted the price of the house to compensate for the defect, and it's a good value.

2. Hire a handy man. When someone sells a car, it's common practice to "detail", it before putting it on the market. Detailing involves more than just cleaning. Detailing involves touching up the paint, replacing any missing knobs etc. and fixing any cosmetic defects. When you live in a house, you tend to take minor blemishes for granted. But potential buyers don't live in your house, and they're going to notice every blemish. Hire a handy man to make those minor repairs that you have been meaning to get to.

3. Paint. Real estate agents find that sellerss recoup three dollars for every dollar spent on paint. When you paint, you may want to change some colors. That bright red wall idea you got from a TV decorating show might be appealing to your taste, but potential buyers have their own taste.

  Based on the phycology of colors, bright red gives people an uncomfortable feeling of imminent danger. Other unusual colors may have undesirable phycological effects. Paint over any "loud" colors with neutral colors like as beige.

4. Place some furniture in storage. You may have some large or unappealing pieces of furniture. Large pieces of furniture make a room look small. Unappealing pieces of furniture make it difficult for a potential buyer to visualize your house with their favorite furniture pieces in it. Place any large or unappealing pieces of furniture in storage.

5. Unclutter your house. Piles of books, magazines, paperwork, half finished projects, and other clutter make rooms look smaller and makes your house look messy. Move unnecessary clutter into storage.

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