Many parents experience a shift when their children are in their late teens, and start to imagine a life without them living at home. When (or if - we’re looking at you millennials) that day eventually comes, it’s normal that you would want to get on with the next stage of your life as quickly as possible. Working out how to sell your home fast becomes top priority and even though selling a property does involve a lot of preparation and attention, it can be fast tracked if you know the secrets to selling your home fast after the kids move out.
1. Preparation is key
There are a number of things you can do after the kids move out to sell your home fast, but there is a very important strategy to put in place even before they leave – which may even help to nudge them out the door quicker. Selling a home requires preparation and there is nothing that will move an adult/child out of home faster than the sound of constant maintenance and renovations. As soon as you know you want to sell, your ambush campaign should begin. Pump up the music early in the morning and start to scrub the entire house. Recruit them to pull down curtains and wash walls. Find all the jobs that need really loud power tools and get them underway at the most inconvenient times of the day. Not only will this get your house in great condition for when it hits the market, you will also get some return on all that parenting you’ve done by cashing in on free labour. It won’t be long before they get the hint and will be begging you for some boxes to start packing up their room.
2. Outsmart the competition
As soon as you know you want to sell, start researching the market and look for opportunities to swim against the tide. Identifying other properties similar to yours will help you understand your competition and make better decisions about improvements you can make to your property to make it better than all of the others. Most buyers are up bright and early, enthusiastic to go shopping so get a sense of the hottest times for open homes and schedule yours just before or just after. Pricing is a key tool if you want to know how to sell your home fast. Consider dropping your price slightly to be more competitive than properties similar to yours. If a buyer has a particular home in mind and a few homes tick most of the boxes, the one with the best price is always going to come rise up as the most appealing.
3. The best it’s ever looked
Now that the weird undefinable aroma of teenagers has left the house, you can make it look (and smell) its absolute best – for the appraisal, the photo shoots, the open inspections and the auction. Obviously everything should be clean, repaired and organised, but this is the moment when your home should look the best it ever has. This may mean some rooms need a fresh coat of paint, or maybe you need a home stager to come in and help you with the design and presentation. Clean light fittings and windows to make sure all possible light sources are being maximised and keep things simple yet inviting, avoiding clichés. Making your home look its best will not only get buyers in the door to see it, it will make them never want to leave when they come to inspect – which ideally will make them want to buy it and move in immediately.
4. Grab their attention
Once buyers have been looking for a few months they start to get fatigued by browsing more of the same listings. Use your creativity and the wonders of technology to create a listing that will grab their attention in an otherwise dull newsfeed. An intriguing headline, some powerful copy and great photography is essential of course. However throw in some innovation such as aerial images of the entire property, or some drone footage of the house, the land and the surrounding areas. If the property is near the city or the beach this gives buyers a more contextualised sense of its positioning and entices them with dazzling imagery. A short video if the interior of the property with some great music that evokes a certain lifestyle can also be powerful.
The advantage of selling as soon as the kids move out is that you have time before they leave to prepare the house for sale. One of the greatest secrets to selling your home fast after the kids move out is that throwing yourself into the process not only fuels the potential for the house to be sold faster, it also distracts you from the fact that your tiny babies are all grown up and have moved away.
Read more:
Downsizing your life now that the nest is empty
Thinking of selling
Let us show you how to sell for the Best Possible Price in the shortest possible time
DISCLAIMER
The following advice is of a general nature only and intended as a broad guide. The advice should not be regarded as legal, financial or real estate advice. You should make your own inquiries and obtain independent professional advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making any legal, financial or real estate decisions.