The average time taken to complete a house sale in Bradford is now a lengthy 19 weeks. But – if you know how – there is a way of selling your house and getting the cash in your bank account in as little as 7 days.
Here we’ll look at the different methods of selling your house whether you’re willing to wait 3-12 months and get full market value or if you would like to get the quickest sale possible and like to sell it in just a few days from now.
First up we’ll look at easy fixes that can help you sell your house quickly if you’re already on the market for sale.
Next, we’ll look at the method of sale and actual solutions to get your house sold and quickly.
First things first …. price correctly
Getting your asking price correct is a delicate balancing act. If you want to get the highest price it will likely take longer. If you price keenly you’ll likely sell quicker. A good approach is to get valuations from several different places. Then take account of how quickly – or how slowly – each method is likely to take to find a buyer.
Next, is your house 'sale ready'?
According to Zoopla around a quarter of people decide to buy a house within ten minutes or less!
Some things to think about include: Tidying the garden, especially the front. Maybe adding some seasonal plants or shrubs in tubs. Dealing with those maintenance jobs you’ve been putting off, like flaking paint or a sticking front door. Depersonalise and declutter, to make your house look bigger. Keep your house sparkling clean at all times so you’re always ready for viewers.
Make sure your listing is top notch
Make sure your listing mentions every possible feature your house offers. Plus, add some extra information about the area and why you like living there. This adds personality to bare listings of rooms and their measurements and helps your listing stand out.
Which is the best and fastest way to sell?
While pricing and getting your house sales ready will help, it is the method of sale that will decide how quickly your house sells at the end of the day. So let’s look more closely at the pros and cons of the different ways of selling your house:
1/ Estate agents
Likely time to sell: 2-6 months+ – no upper limit
How long your house takes to sell, and how much you get for it, could depend on how much your estate agent wants to sell it (or not) – and not on how quickly you want to sell it. The extra snag is, you won’t find out how good (or bad) they are until it actually sells!
Assuming, that is, that they sell it at all: This critical report claimed that in 2016 online agent Purplebricks only sold around half of its properties within 10 months.
2/ Selling your house at auction
Likely time to sell: 1-2 months
The big advantage of selling your house this way is that once the hammer falls you are guaranteed that the sale will go through after a specified period – this is normally 28 days after the auction. (Although remember, you might have to wait a month or two for the next sale to come round.)
Downsides to consider with auctions are that you’re gambling with your sales price to some extent. You can never be sure what bidders will pay, or even if anyone will bid at all on the day. There will also be auctioneer’s fees to deduct from the hammer price.
3/ Part exchanging your house
Likely time to sell: 3-12 months
Also, as part-exchange is normally only offered with new build houses you might have to wait some time until the new one is built and the sale goes through.
Quick sale house buying services
Likely time to sell: From as little as 7 days
Other advantages of using quick sale house buying services are that you don’t need to get your house ‘sale ready’. Most house buying companies aren’t bothered if your house needs repairs or redecoration. You don’t have to put up with viewings (and viewers who don’t turn up). It’s completely confidential – no one will even know you’re selling, not even the nosey neighbours. The buying company might also be able to include settling your costs and fees within the deal.
With quick sale house buying companies, you can choose what works best for you.