Want to Sell Your House Fast? Here Are 8 Expert Tips
Expert tips | Sell to cash buyer | Sell to iBuyer | Sell with an agent
Whether you're relocating, have inherited a property, or are dealing with job loss or foreclosure, selling your home quickly might be a priority. A long process isn’t ideal when time is of the essence. But it's still important to weigh your options carefully to avoid leaving money on the table.
Finding a cash buyer or an iBuyer is a viable option. Yet for most homeowners with a bit more time, listing their home on the MLS can attract motivated buyers while still helping them get a higher sale price than a typical cash offer.
Whatever route you choose, here are tips for how to sell your house fast and advice on how to maximize your profit on a quick home sale.
If you want to sell your home quickly and get the best price, Clever Offers 7-Day Sold program could be a great fit. Clever markets your home on the open market for just 7 days, attracting serious buyers—many offering cash—who are ready to close quickly. Get your cash offers today!
8 expert tips for selling your house fast on the market
Whether you’re facing a tight timeline or just want to simplify the process, the right strategies can help you attract serious cash buyers and close quickly.
Follow these tips if you list on the open market and aim to attract cash buyers.
1. Get your home move-in-ready
“Declutter like your in-laws are visiting and deep clean like your life depends on it. First impressions are everything, and buyers need to walk in and feel like it’s already home. A little paint, fresh flowers, and great lighting go a long way!” says Heather Herr, the founder and CEO of Private Real Estate Collection.
Many real estate experts agree with her advice. Adding a fresh coat of paint and decluttering are two of the most common advice we received when asking industry experts “how to sell my house fast.”
Here are some pointers on what to focus on when preparing your house for sale:
- Make necessary repairs, like fixing plumbing or roof leaks
- Enhance its curb appeal: trim your lawn, plant fresh flowers, paint the front door, and update exterior lighting
- Deep clean your home, including windows, carpets, and ceiling fans
- Declutter as much as you can to create a more spacious, inviting home
- Remove photographs and personal items
2. Invest in staging
When you want to sell your home fast, it may feel counterintuitive to invest additional time (and money) in staging. But plenty of seasoned real estate experts swear by it as one of the top strategies for a quick sale.
“...We’ve seen for ourselves two very similar homes — one staged and the other not prepared for sale as well, and the staged one always sells more quickly at a better price,” shares Sean Woolley, the founder and director of leading real estate agency Cloud Nine Spain.
“How you live in a home and how you stage a home to market it are two different things,” adds Jo Ann Bauer, an associate broker and realtor.
To make the most impact, aim to make your home seem as neutral as possible so buyers can easily imagine their life in it.
3. Take professional photos
As with staging, professional photos can be an investment that pays dividends when selling your house quickly. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 66% of buyers rank photos as the most important feature when searching for properties.
“Many buyers start their property purchase journey online, and good photography makes your property stand head and shoulders ahead of the rest. Investing in professional photography is probably the single most important thing you can do to sell your home,” notes Woolley.
Many of his peers agree and share from their experience that well-lit professional photos of a clean, decluttered home will help sell a property faster.
4. Set the right price
Even if you want to sell your home fast, it doesn’t mean you have to lower the price significantly to find the first interested buyer. In fact, experts have many tricks under their belts to ensure a home sells quickly without sacrificing a homeowner’s return.
Jo Ann Bauer shared her approach to creating interest among buyers, saying that “pricing your home just under market value can generate multiple offers and a potential bidding war – not only promoting a quick sale, but possibly a more lucrative one as well.”
Getting the number right is another tricky piece of the process that comes with expertise and market knowledge.
“A buyer looks in increments of $25,000 until they reach $400,000. Once past $400,000, it’s more like $50,000 increments. Therefore, a home with a probable price of $460,000 needs to be priced at $449,000 because no one stops their search at $460,000,“ says Jeff Lichtenstein, a broker and owner of Echo Fine Properties.
“I'd say half the homes on the market are priced improperly and thus not found by the buyer’s agent or the end buyer on the web.”
A local agent can be invaluable in helping you set the right price. Connect with an experienced agent today through Clever for a professional comparative market analysis, which can guide your pricing and help maximize your return. Fill out this short quiz to get started.
5. Be flexible
Flexibility can pay off when trying to sell a home fast, especially if you can be more accommodating when scheduling open houses and are open to price negotiations.
“Each showing presents an opportunity to attract potential buyers. Instead of declining a request for a showing at an inconvenient time, it's better to suggest alternative times that work for you,” recommends David Schulz, a broker and owner of Schulz Realty.
6. Offer perks for buyers
Flexibility also means being ready to sweeten the deal for buyers during your negotiations. In some cases, this cherry on top, combined with your thoughtfulness, will convince a buyer to close on your home.
For example, you can offer to cover the costs of small issues found during the home inspection, closing costs, or even an interest rate buydown. Add that to incentives such as a quick-close bonus or cash offer discount, and you’ll likely find more interested qualified buyers.
7. Highlight your home’s unique qualities
Remember what attracted you to your home when you first saw it? Maybe it’s the renovations or upgrades that you use and enjoy every day. Selling is the best time to draw attention to these unique features.
“Sellers should share the reasons why they were attracted to the property, as well as the benefits that a buyer can enjoy. Today, buyers are particularly interested in homes that offer specific orientations, appealing views, energy-efficient appliances, and smart home technology,” says Schulz.
8. Work with an experienced agent
A qualified agent knows many tips and tricks for selling a house quickly, which is helpful when you’re in a rush to sell. Alexandra Gupta, a broker from the Corcoran Group, used many of the best practices we discussed earlier to achieve success for her client.
“The house was on the market for several months without much interest," says Gupta. "The owners were relocating and needed to sell fast, so I knew we had to make some strategic changes."
Gupta recommended that the seller adjust the price slightly below similar homes in the area to generate interest and create a sense of urgency. She also arranged professional staging and photos to showcase the house online.
“Within just a few days, we had multiple offers, and after a few rounds of negotiations, the house was sold for a price that exceeded the owners' expectations," she says.
Options for selling your house fast
Cash buyers
Best for: Homeowners who need to sell quickly and who are willing to trade some potential profit for speed and convenience. However, this approach often comes with risks, such as lower offers than selling on the open market.
A cash buyer is an individual or a company that can buy a property without applying for a mortgage. Cash buyers can be professional investors, people who are downsizing and have money from the sale of a previous home, or buyers who can leverage their retirement or line of credit.
There are also cash offer networks — platforms that connect homeowners with willing individual buyers.
For example, Clever Offers connects home sellers with local and national cash buyers. You can receive multiple cash offers in just a few days and close on the deal in as little as one to two weeks.
How to find and compare cash buyers
Buying homes for cash has become quite common in the last few years. In fact, 26% of homebuyers paid all cash, according to NAR’s 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.[1] If your goal is to sell a home fast for cash, there are a few approaches to finding a buyer:
- Cash offer networks connect you with a few buyers. You will often be able to compare offers and choose the most attractive one. Compare cash offers with Clever today — fill out this quick quiz to get started!
- Cash buyer franchises include companies like We Buy Ugly Houses, which may buy houses in any condition quickly. However, they usually offer no more than 70% of the home’s market value and may not be flexible with price negotiations.
- Real estate agents can help you find a cash buyer and sell fast. Many of them have a vast network and can give you guidance to ensure you get a fair deal.
Do your research when choosing a cash buyer. For larger franchises, it’s important to check customer reviews from the area where you are selling, as the service can differ significantly depending on the branch.
Selling your house fast to an iBuyer
Best for: Those looking to sell a home quickly for a price closer to the fair market value. iBuyers purchase properties that are in good condition and do not need many repairs. They do not typically deal with houses that have tenants or those that have gone into foreclosure.
An iBuyer (also called an instant buyer) is a company that purchases houses from homeowners to resell them for profit. They earn some profit on the home sale and through service fees, and they also often offer title and mortgage services, which provide another source of company income.
Unlike cash buyers, iBuyers use algorithms and machine learning to value properties and are backed by venture capital firms.
One of the first and largest iBuyers on the market is Opendoor, currently available in more than 50 markets nationwide.[2] The company offers sellers the choice between selling for cash to Opendoor or listing with their agent and using their cash offer as a backup.
How to find and compare iBuyers
- Online research — look into the largest and most reputable iBuyers on the market and see whether they operate in your area. Don’t forget to look for reviews of clients selling homes near your location!
- Local billboards and “for sale” signs — sometimes you can discover iBuyers working in your area by seeing the signs from the houses already on the market.
- Real estate agents — talk to a local realtor and ask them for recommendations and any advice on working with an iBuyer.
Selling your house fast with an agent
Best for: Those who want to maximize their profit from selling their homes quickly and are willing to put some work into staging and showings.
On average, it took 58 days to sell a home from listing to closing in October 2024 for sellers who chose a traditional route.[3] Every situation is unique, and if you’re looking to sell your home fast, you can discuss your goals with your realtor to prioritize speeding up the process.
How much does it cost to use a real estate agent?
On average, realtors charge around 5-6% of the purchase price, split between the seller’s and buyer’s agents. The exact number will vary depending on the agent, your state, and the scope of work.
» Check the average real estate agent’s commission in your state here
For example, if your home sells for $400,000, you can expect to pay $24,000 in agent’s fees ($12,000 per agent). A seller does not have to cover the commission for the buyer’s realtor, but in many markets, sellers do pay the buyer’s agent commission; you could offer to pay the buyer’s agent as an incentive.
Clever can match you with top local real estate agents who charge only 1.5%. Clever pre-negotiates the commission rate so you get the best terms!
How to find and compare agents
- Services like Clever — these platforms can help you find low commission agents in your area, and some can help you save money thanks to pre-negotiated commission discounts. Take a short quiz and start talking to agents today.
- Ask for referrals — check with friends, family, or neighbors to see if they have any real estate agents to recommend.
- Online — Google and Yelp could be a great help in finding an agent and also in seeing the reviews of their previous clients. Additionally, you can check out real estate-focused websites, like Zillow or Realtor.com, to do more research on your potential agent.
The bottom line
The fastest way to sell your house with no additional effort would be by selling to a cash buyer or iBuyer. However, convenience and speed come with a price. Using this approach, sellers typically get only 70-85% of their home’s fair market value.
If you need to sell a home quickly but want the best deal and don’t mind a bit of work, working with a low-commission realtor and selling on the open market might be an excellent option. You'll save costs while getting expert support and the best price for your house.