How to actually sell your house fast for market value (an insider's guide)

The 6 key things you need to get right to secure a fast sale

While the property market is back with a boom after the COVID pandemic, the huge levels of buyer demand that have hit the market since have further highlighted the issues surrounding the archaic home selling process in England & Wales.

To help our readers fight the hold-ups we've looked at some of the most common issues that delay property sales, how you can best plan to avoid them.

1. Get your Asking Price right

It’s understandable that selling a house can spur a wide range of emotions, but all too often we let these cloud our judgement when selling.

This can cause initial delays to the selling process, particularly when it comes to setting your asking price. Be realistic, research the market and set a price that will attract buyers.

Pricing too high because you feel your home is worth more will only see your house sit on the market with no interest for weeks, if not months on end.

2. Quality over cost: Choosing the right partners

You get what you pay for in life. And this is no truer than when choosing your estate agent and solicitor.

Choosing your estate agent

It can be tempting to go for the cheapest agent, particularly with the rise of online agents such as Purple Bricks.

It can also be tempting to go for the one that values your home the highest, but this is an immediate indicator that they could be desperate for business and ineffective when it comes to selling.

Opt for the agent that values your home properly, and has the best reviews, or the quickest selling times or that achieves the highest percentage of asking price.

Our team can help with this research for free:

• Find the best Estate Agent for your home.

Choosing your solicitor

The same goes for solicitors. Cheap quotes will often mean poor practice or overworked due to high demand.

Take recommendations from your agent with a pinch of salt, as they will often have a vested interest.

The legal stage can often be the most protracted part of a sale so paying for a quality solicitor will pay for itself further down the line.

Many home sellers wait until they've found a buyer to get their solicitor in place - but this can introduce up to 2-3 weeks of delays later on. Don't let it. Get your solicitor in place at the start of the process.

Again, judge them based on word of mouth and online reviews. The speed at which they respond to your initial enquiry can also provide a good initial litmus test.

• Find the best Conveyancing Solicitor

3. Get your documents straight

Gas certificates, electrical completion certificates, warranties, EPCs, the list of documents you need when selling a house is endless.

More often than not, sellers wait until these documents are requested before trying to dig them out. This can delay the process in itself but if you can’t find them, replacing them can also set you back by days, even weeks.

The sooner they’re sorted the sooner you can concentrate on other areas of a sale, so getting them together before you start is a smart move to prevent delays.

4. Sales progression: Be extremely proactive

Once an offer has been accepted, all too often sellers fail to stay on top of their sale.

Sometimes this is due to a busy work or home life, sometimes a rude agent or solicitor can put you off, others simply don’t want to pester. But remember: You are the one selling and the one who will ultimately pay the fee.

So don’t be afraid to chase your agent or solicitor on at least a weekly basis, and don’t allow them to fob you off without answering your questions.

It will keep you front of mind and ensure that they are, at least, trying to progress things on a weekly basis.

5. Not all buyers are equal: Pick the right one

The biggest thing that causes delays in a sale is the chain. A long chain with multiple buyers means you are essentially at the mercy of numerous different agents, solicitors and more. This often means each part of the chain works at different speeds. While your agent or solicitor may be outstanding, your buyer’s buyer may have opted for the cheapest ones, which pretty much means you have as well.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to speed up a chain-hindered sale other than ensuring you have supplied everything you need to and your agent is working hard to get you to completion.

However, you can minimise the risk by opting for the right buyer.

First-time or chain-free buyers are the best way of avoiding the dreaded chain. The downside is that they will often know this and so you may have to take a hit on the price you accept for your property.

That said, adjusting your asking price expectations by that extra few thousand pounds is often well worth it for a quicker, less stressful selling process, particularly if you need to sell within a certain time frame.

6. Beware of broken chains

The worst thing that can happen during your sale is for the chain to break. This can happen for a number of reasons but it’s usually down to one of the sales in the chain falling through.

There’s nothing you can do but wait it out or start again from square one, with home sellers at the mercy of the chain gods right up until they complete.

How to fix a broken chain quickly

If your sale falls through and you simply have to sell, then home buying platforms such as ours could provide the lifeline you’re looking for. We can complete on your sale in a matter of days, removing the stress of the process and allowing you to focus on the important matter of moving house.

It's worth knowing up-front though that much like opting for a chain-free buyer, Yes Homebuyers will offer you a lower price than current market value. Having said that, it's often the case that other parties in the chain will be just as disappointed as you, and you may be able to spread the "reduced price" across several parties, so your price

• Sell your house fast to Yes Homebuyers

Summary

With the market buckling under the pressure of a huge influx of buyer demand in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, and spurred on by the current stamp duty holiday, many home sellers will currently be experiencing lengthy delays while trying to complete.

Good news

The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to help speed up your sale such as choosing the right estate agent and solicitor, organising your paperwork in advance, keeping on top of your agent and solicitor and committing yourself to the process.

Bad news

Unfortunately, the bad news is that’s all you can really do, and beyond that you’re at the mercy of an archaic, backwards selling process that can see third parties beyond your buyer scupper your sale, costing you time and money.

The important thing is to not lose faith and keep at it.

If you really need to sell, there are other options that can help circumvent the dangers of a lengthy chain and the current market backlog, but unfortunately they'll always come at a cost.

Key links: 

• Get the best estate agent
• Get the best solicitor
• Sell your home quickly to Yes Homebuyers instead of waiting.