10 Things Seniors Can Do to Sell Their Homes Fast

Even when you’re looking forward to exciting changes on the horizon, selling a house is a stressful process. Especially if you’re making a major life change like downsizing and moving to senior living, you’re likely to want to get your home sold quickly—and for top dollar.

These 10 tips will show you how to sell your house fast and maximize your profits so you can start enjoying a lower-stress retirement lifestyle right away:

1. Rely on a real estate expert. You may be tempted to bypass an agent so you can avoid paying fees and keep more of the profits. However, having someone who is trained to protect your interests is always a good idea. In addition, a professional can help protect you from scams and con artists who prey on seniors.

2. Price your home appropriately. Using information about the sales of homes similar to yours in your area, your real estate agent will give you advice about how to sell your house at a competitive price. Remember the best price is based on the market, not other variables like what you owe or how much profit you want to make.

3. Make essential repairs before listing. While you want to avoid pouring more money into the house than you have to, some problems may deter buyers, so it’s worth it to invest a little with the goal of recouping your expenses in the sale.

4. Give your home a deep clean. Buyers are most attracted to clean, tidy homes. Before you list, clean each room thoroughly (or hire a cleaning team to help). Then, do your best to keep everything tidy so you’re ready for showings.

5. Stage your home for broad appeal. Before you officially list your home, your real estate agent will likely share some staging tips and ideas for how to sell your house for more money to a wide range of potential buyers. Examples include moving furniture to make a room appear bigger, transferring clutter to a storage space, and removing heavy drapes to let in more natural light.

6. Give attention to the exterior, too. If necessary, invest some time to spruce up your entryway and the front of your home. Curb appeal is your buyers’ first impression, and you want it to be a good one.

7. Allow professional photos. You may feel a little uncomfortable having someone take photos of your personal space and all of your possessions, but these days, online listings with lots of photos are an important part of the marketing strategy for how to sell your house.

8. Decide how you’ll accommodate showings. Talk with your real estate agent about how much notice you need before a showing. The more accommodating you can be, the better, but also be realistic about how much time you need to safely leave the home. Be sure to make arrangements for any pets during showings, too.

9. Know that you can negotiate. Receiving an offer is exciting, but if it’s not a strong offer, it may not be right for you. Work with your agent to negotiate, or if necessary, decline offers that won’t meet your needs financially or otherwise, such as an extended closing date.

10. Do your part to facilitate a timely closing. If repairs or concessions are part of your final offer, be conscientious about handling these affairs efficiently so the sale goes through on time.

Is a move to senior living in your future?

At The Oaks at Denville, we offer resources to help ensure your move is seamless. Our Move Ahead program spans numerous services to simplify the process. We’ll even help with home staging and work with your real estate agent on how to sell your house quickly.

In addition, our downloadable guides can help with everything from choosing the right community and protecting your finances to downsizing your home and selecting a floor plan, like our spacious one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments.

Contact us to learn more about making The Oaks at Denville your new home.