It’s a complex scenario — you have a home that needs to be sold quickly, yet at the same time, you want to do it right. Ideally, you’d like to sell fast and get a good price. You may even be trying to sell privately. However, you don’t have a lot of time to put into fixing up the house, and you’ve got no idea how to advertise it or deal with buyers.
Here’s where an experienced real estate agent is so important. They have the marketing and negotiating skills to get your house sold and make the experience a win-win for all concerned.
Paul Rushforth gives his expert advice on how to sell a home fast in Ottawa today.
5 Tips To Selling Your Home Fast
- Work with the right agent, the right team, and the right company. Because they know the current Ottawa market, they are equipped to give you excellent professional guidance.
- Make sure, no matter what kind of market you’re in, that the company has a solid marketing and advertising plan and an excellent reputation.
- Declutter. You don’t need to do huge renovations, but decluttering is a must. It adds eye appeal and will make your house show bigger.
- Price it right. If you want to sell in a hurry, overpricing your home is the biggest mistake. You don’t have to underprice, but you do have to find the right price that’s going to sell your house in Ottawa fast for top dollar.
- In a buyer’s market, even if you want to close ASAP, you still have to get your house looking great. When there is a lot of competition, you’ll stand out by making your home look the best. The second way to sell fast in a buyer’s market is to be very competitive in your pricing.
How Fast Can My Home Sell?
The entire process of selling a house in Ottawa, from start to closing, should take about 4 months max. Here’s a timeline:
First 1-2 Weeks
The seller prepares to sell the house based on the agent’s recommendations. Those directions may include decluttering, adding curb appeal (e.g., mowing the lawn and tidying the yard), painting rooms, making minor repairs, and changing light fixtures throughout the home.
The agent comes in, determines what your home is worth, sets up the marketing plan, and starts marketing to all their database and other agents in the city. They’ll also get the professional photographer in there once you have completed your repairs, cleaning up, and decluttering.
Next 1-2 Weeks
The Paul Rushforth team can get your house sold in 1-2 weeks after putting it on the market if it’s properly prepared and strategically priced.
Next 30-90 Days
Usually, buyers are looking for a 30, 60, or 90-day closing date. Make sure to get your closing costs. As the home seller, if you want to close and be out in 30 days, you’re probably going to have to concede a little bit on money. But if you can give the buyers the possession date they’d like, you might get a higher price. It depends on how flexible you’re ready to be.
Why You Need A Real Estate Agent
An excellent real estate agent is your best ally in getting your home sold fast. Why? Your realtor has up-to-the-minute knowledge of the local market and will do two important jobs for you:
Marketing. Your real estate agent will advise you on the right marketing strategy and strategic pricing to sell your house quickly. Just as important, they have the expertise and professional network to reach out to many potential buyers.
Negotiating. The agent’s job is to negotiate on your behalf. And obviously, they’re looking to get you the best price and the best terms. But in the end, of course, a great realtor wants everybody to win on the deal.
Sell Your Home Fast vs. Taking Your Time
Some of our clients ask us why they should try to sell their home quickly. They may think that it’s better to list their home a little higher than market value to see if someone will pay a premium for it.
In today’s fast paced housing market, the buyer is equipped with information at their fingertips. Listing your home at a higher market value to find the ‘needle in the haystack’ buyer who will pay a premium for your house actually doesn’t work and in fact, often leads to a lower market value over time. Let me explain why.
When your home is first listed, it’s considered the bride on the market. After being listed for three weeks – it becomes the bridesmaid. Buyers are waiting for the newest listings to pop up in their inboxes, and will book appointments with their agents to see them right away. Price, condition, and location are all key factors to sell a home fast.
Most buyers searching for homes in Ottawa have hired a Realtor who is actively sourcing homes in the buyers budget and preferred area.
Whether the buyer is searching for a home in Kemptville, Dunrobin, or Alta Vista, the buyer’s market knowledge is acute.
They have access to the sales in the area and have become market savvy by viewing similar homes in their area of choice.
It’s the buyers who set the sale price of all homes purchased. Let me repeat myself, the buyers set the sale price of all homes purchased.
What does this mean? It means that if the buyer is not willing to pay a certain price, the seller will not have a sale. Final say is the buyer with their bid.
This is why the seller will attain more money in the shortest period of time as the buyer will not hesitate to make an offer if the home is priced to the market.
Think about shopping for a car. The salesman shows you a well-priced clean car with low mileage. You decide you need to think about it, and go home without purchasing it. The next day when you have decided that you do in fact want the car, it’s already been bought by another buyer who saw the value in the car the same day and didn’t hesitate to purchase it.
When shipping for a home, the realtor who is representing the buyer will show the buyer recent comparables (if under a buyer agency contract), and will further solidify the buyers knowledge that the house they have viewed is priced to the market and ready for an offer, and so they decide to make an offer to purchase.
If the home has been on the market for less than seven days, do you think a buyer will have much negotiation room? The simple answer is “NO”. If the home has been on the market for over 30 days, do you think the same buyer would have some negotiation room? The simple answer is “YES”.
How many needles in a haystack do you think you can find where the buyers are educated, have access to sales in your market area, and have a Realtor who is working on behalf of the buyer to find them well-priced homes to purchase?
Trying to sell your home fast is something you should definitely think about before listing with a reputable Realtor. Reputable Realtors want to list your home where the buyer will find value immediately which in turn will leave them with less negotiation room.
“We Sold Fast” — A Client’s Experience
“The Paul Rushforth team was fantastic to work with. The team was very responsive and professional. Dora Bejaoui was a great help from pricing to staging and negotiations. Once we signed on, Dora took all the stress away, and in the end, we sold fast and over asking. I would recommend the Rushforth team to anyone buying or selling.” Chris M, posted on Google Reviews
We can achieve fantastic results for you, too. Choose an agent at Paul Rushforth Real Estate, and you’ll be working with a savvy real estate professional who’s motivated to sell your house fast and put the most money in your pocket.
Call 613-788-2122 or Contact our real estate team online today!
