There are various reasons someone might want to sell a house quickly, such as financial distress, urgent relocation, inheritance, divorce, or avoiding foreclosure. The need for immediate liquidity or a swift change in living circumstances can drive the desire for a fast home sale.
So, you’ve decided you are selling your house – well, here are our top tips on how to sell it as quickly as you can but firstly, make sure that you’ve checked out our guide on how quickly you can sell a house after purchasing it.
Make sure you take the following considerations into account when aiming for a quick property sale
Some of the main considerations when wanting a speedy sale include the following factors:
Short chains
When selling your property, try to keep the chain as short as possible. If you possibly can, move out into alternative accommodation so you don’t have a chain above you and choose your buyer wisely to ensure that their chain is short and that they have the finances to purchase your property.
Experienced solicitors
Choose an experienced and competent solicitor. It is often tempting to go for cheaper online conveyancers, but they are likely to have a large caseload so won’t be able to commit lots of time to your sale.
Price your property appropriately
Quite often the wrong pricing strategy will put off buyers. If you price too high, then it might exclude certain buyers as the price takes them into a new stamp duty category or it might simply be too expensive for their budget or just not competitive in the market. It is ironic, though, that under pricing can also put people off as they worry about what is wrong with the property.
Documents
Make sure that you have all your documents ready to give to your solicitor when they need them and be responsive to any requests from your solicitor. It is amazing how much time can be lost on basic administrative tasks and waiting for answers to queries.
The market isn’t always buoyant as we all know and there are some tricks on how to sell a house fast in a slow market.
Stand out from the crowd
People love unique properties or something that requires very little work. Making your property stand out will help it to sell when the market is slow. Sort out that curb appeal and do those maintenance jobs you’ve been putting off. A lick of paint won’t hurt at all.
Which houses sell the quickest?
According to a November 2023 report, Zoopla states that only two bedroom terraced houses sell within a month. Two bedroom terraced houses have traditionally been one of the fastest selling property types. It stayed this way throughout the pandemic as well.
And while their average time to sell has slowed this year, they’re still the fastest selling property type – and the only one to sell in less than a month.
Two bedroom houses remain in hot demand because high mortgage rates are encouraging buyers to be more value-conscious. They’re also relatively rare, making up only 1 in 12 homes on the market in recent months. Strong demand and limited supply mean this type of property is selling fast across the UK.
Which houses sell the slowest?
Detached houses with four bedrooms or more are currently experiencing a slower rate of sale within the United Kingdom. On average, it requires 47 days to receive an offer on properties of this kind, translating to just under seven weeks.
This stance is very different to the trends observed during the pandemic, where spacious detached homes were favored by those seeking more room, while the demand for flats was comparatively lower.
The reason it is now taking longer to sell bigger homes is because of ongoing high living costs and more expensive borrowing. These affordability issues have caused fewer people to look for new homes, making buyer demand about one-fifth lower than it was at this time last year.
Need help getting your house sold quickly?
Get in touch with the team at Belvoir today. We really know our stuff about getting your house sold quickly – and we’re always happy for you to pop by the office for a coffee and a chat.
To find out more about selling your home, take a look at our expert guides. Whether you’re a first time seller or a seasoned professional, our tips and tricks will help you get the maximum from your sale.
