Font Size

Consumer

Featured Slideshows

Hottest Celebrity Redheads

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Angie's List: Selling Your Home Fast

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

Recipient E-mail:*
- Your Name:*
- Your E-mail:*
Add a Message:
Send me a copy of this e-mail.

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

Print Share + Comments

Nov 24, 2009 9:05 am US/Eastern

Angie's List: Selling Your Home Fast

Reporting
Jim Donovan

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: CBS

Close

numSlides of totalImages

In this sluggish housing market, selling your home quickly can be a challenge.

In this week's Angie's List report, Jim Donovan shows you some things you can do to help get your home sold fast.

Taking good photos may be the first step to selling your home fast because more and more house hunters are starting their search online.

"Those photos that you put online are crucial, so be sure you are putting the best pictures possible. You might even consider hiring a professional photographer to take the pictures because pictures taken on a nice sunny day and having at least 10 pictures available online can really make your house look appealing," said Angie's List founder, Angie Hicks.

And before you show it, get rid of that clutter.

"Everyone wants more closet space, more cupboard space. So getting all of your belongings organized and even moving some of them out into storage is going to make your house, even the smallest of houses, seem bigger," said Hicks.

Don't forget, potential buyers are looking at the small stuff too.

"For example, a leaky faucet may make them start to question 'well if the faucets leaking, does the roof leak?' So fixing those little things are really going to put your house in the best position possible," said Hicks.

More advice from Angie on selling your home:

1. Screen appeal trumps curb appeal: Nearly 90 percent of homebuyers now research homes online, according to realty industry research. So it's important that the house be staged and looking its best before the photos are taken to post online. Consider hiring a professional photographer. Lots of good photos on a sunny day will make your home look larger and brighter. Buyers typically prefer up to a 10-picture slideshow so they don't waste their time touring a home that doesn't meet their requirements.

2. Look outside in: A buyer first sees what's outside your house, not in. Freshly cut grass, manicured shrubs, swept sidewalks and a power-washed driveway look inviting; sick or dead potted plants don't.

3. Clutter kills: Go through every room in your house and decide which belongings you'll need in the next six months and which you won't. Get rid of the second pile - in the trash or in storage.

4. Nothing personal: Remove all photos, degrees and other personal effects. The buyers want to imagine themselves living there and too many reminders of your family can make them almost feel like they're invading someone's home. And that's a sales turn-off.

5. Fix it: A home that's in good working order will sell faster than one that needs pricey repairs. Hire a home inspector before you put your home on the market so you know what needs fixed. It will be cheaper and faster to have repairs fixed rather than having a buyer drag out the negotiating process to accommodate any necessary work.