In 2025, selling houses faster is more important than ever. However, this involves putting in more effort, such as hiring the right agent and carefully researching your market.
With only 2.8% of homes sold this year, the U.S. housing market is experiencing unprecedented stagnation. To get prospective buyers interested, you’ll need to generate as much buzz as possible. Of course, if you need to sell a house fast in Pennsylvania, listing it on the market may not be the ideal way to go.
What Is the Fastest Way to Sell Your House?
In most situations, the fastest path to closing is getting a cash offer from a trusted buyer. The typical process of selling a home includes:
- Preparing the home for sale
- Listing the home on the market
- Scheduling home showings
- Receiving and accepting an offer
- Waiting for home inspections
- Negotiating the price
- Closing the deal
Even in an ideal scenario, this process will likely take months. This is particularly true if you receive an offer from a financed buyer. Now you’re dealing with extra steps, such as processing their loan and ensuring they’re qualified.
If you’re selling to a cash buyer, you won’t have to deal with any of that. Once you contact them, they’ll likely have a cash offer ready in a few days. Oftentimes, you’ll be able to close the deal within a week.
The only downside of this method is that your offer will likely be lower than you’d get from a financed buyer. However, you also eliminate home prep costs and agent fees, allowing you to walk away with a meaningful sum.
What Should I Not Say When Selling a House?
When trying to sell a house fast, many sellers are too forthcoming with certain details, such as revealing why they’re selling. If you mention you’re relocating, for example, it can indicate urgency and a willingness to lower the price.
You should also be careful during price negotiations. Never disclose the lowest price you’ll accept or how much you paid for the house. Similarly, be cautious not to agree to repairs for issues that may be a matter of buyer preference.
How Long Does It Take to Prepare Your House to Sell?
Preparing a house for sale can take anywhere from two weeks to six months. The key factor here is the house’s condition. If you’re looking to sell a house in good shape quickly, it’s enough to focus on decluttering and minor fixes.
If your house needs major repairs or renovations, expect things to take a while. For people looking to sell fast, this may be a good time to consider selling the house as-is and skipping the lengthy repair process.
How Do I Get My House Ready to Sell Fast?
Let’s say you want to maximize your home’s worth while still selling it reasonably quickly. Here are some fast house-selling tips that you may find helpful.
1. Maximize Exposure
The best way to sell your home fast and for the most money is to list it on a Multiple Listing Service (MLS). An MLS is a database that real estate agents use to share listings. MLSs are also used by real estate sites such as:
- Zillow
- Redfin
- Trulia
- Realtor.com
These factors help your listing get the most visibility possible, especially with qualified buyers. Studies show that homes listed on an MLS sell 17.5% more often than private listings, which are only available to select professionals.
2. Consider Repainting
If your interior walls are looking a little faded or chipped, you may want to touch them up. Repainting a room is a relatively cheap DIY project, and it can make a big difference when it comes to boosting a home’s appeal.
Once you decide to tackle this project, it’s best to opt for neutral colors. A neutral tone is easy on the eye and helps the buyers envision a home as theirs. Warm beige and grey colors tend to be nice fits for most rooms in the house.
3. Highlight the Right Features
It’s no secret that putting your home’s best foot forward can help it sell better. The key thing is knowing what potential buyers are interested in. For example, some home features that are likely to catch their eye include:
- Bluestone patios
- Outdoor showers
- Open floor plans
- Energy efficiency
- Unique architecture
- Smart lighting
If you have popular features, don’t forget to include them in your listing. Don’t assume that all potential buyers will scour your photos and videos for details. The more you can make your home stand out, the easier it will be to sell it.
4. Work With an Experienced Agent
Hiring an agent who’s an expert in local market conditions can do wonders for selling a home quickly. They’ll help you develop the right timeline, determine which repairs and investments are worth the bother, and much more.
Make sure to interview several candidates before hiring one. Take a look at their references and ask them about the general strategy for selling your property fast. Don’t forget to discuss their plans for marketing and pricing your home.
5. Improve Your Curb Appeal
There’s a reason all quick home sale strategies talk about curb appeal. Your exterior must seem inviting because it’s the first thing your buyers will see. Put yourself in a buyer’s shoes and look at your home as if you’re seeing it for the first time.
In general, all sellers can do a few things to improve their curb appeal. For starters, get rid of any eyesores, such as trash cans, before taking photos for your listing. Here are some other things you can do:
- Remove dead plants.
- Cut back overgrown trees.
- Pressure wash the walkways and siding.
- Add window boxes with flowers.
6. Price the Listing Correctly
One way to sell property quickly is to price it correctly right away. This involves looking at comparable sales (comps) in your area. It’s also important to factor in your home’s specifics and understand the market conditions.
Online estimates can be a good starting point, but you’ll want to go deeper. This is where having a professional opinion can come in handy. An agent can provide a comparative market analysis (CMA) and come up with a solid pricing strategy.
7. Invest in a Pre-Inspection
When you’re not in a seller’s market, you can expect that any buyers who make an offer will also have your home inspected. In many cases, this inspection will be what determines whether the sale will go through or not.
With this in mind, it’s often a good idea to pay for a pre-inspection of your home before listing it for sale. Doing so will give you a heads-up on any potential issues and help you make a more informed decision regarding the home’s price.
8. Boost Online Screen Appeal
Screen appeal is a term often used synonymously with curb appeal, but this isn’t entirely true. What this term describes is your home’s aesthetic appeal when viewed online, such as through high-quality photos and virtual tours.
These days, having a strong screen appeal is essential for a speedy real estate sale. Creating a positive first impression encourages many buyers to schedule an in-person showing. Some things you can do to boost screen appeal are:
- Take professional, high-resolution photos.
- Offer a 3D 360° video tour of the home.
- Have interactive floor plans.
9. List the Home in Spring
Even in a slow housing market, some periods are slower than others. In general, late fall and winter are fairly quiet due to holiday distractions. Late summer is also not a great period for sales, as many people are on vacation.
In Pennsylvania, the best time to list a house is in the spring, specifically late May. Homes tend to sell faster and for more money during this time of the year, thanks to pleasant weather and schools on summer break.
10. Declutter and Deep Clean
As far as home-selling advice goes, decluttering is always a big help. The goal here is to depersonalize your home and help potential buyers imagine themselves in it. Along with junk, you should remove any personal items, such as:
- Family photos
- Sports memorabilia
- Religious symbols
A deep cleaning is also well worth the effort, even when trying to sell fast. Start from the ceiling and work your way down to vacuuming your floors. Once you’re done, consider staging your home to improve your first impressions.
11. Accommodate Showing Requests
Constant showings can be a hassle, especially if you have children or pets. That said, flexibility counts for a lot when looking for buyers. Some of them may work odd hours or have childcare problems of their own.
Ideally, you should keep your home show-ready at all times. Stay in touch with your agent so they can text you about unplanned showings. Have a designated storage area for quickly stashing anything that should be out of sight.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Decreases Property Value the Most?
The two things that decrease property value the most are major structural and maintenance issues. Structural issues affect the home’s safety and integrity, whereas deferring maintenance can lead to extensive damage over time.
Condition and presentation issues play a key role as well. This is particularly true when it comes to the kitchen and bathroom. These are key selling points in most homes, and a lack of upgrades will give many buyers second thoughts.
How Many Showings Do Homes Need to Sell?
The average home will sell after 10-25 showings. The main factor influencing this number is the home’s price. An overpriced home will usually generate few showings, whereas competitively priced homes will see plenty of interest.
Keep in mind that most homes see the most showings right after the listing goes live, particularly if they’re priced correctly. After this initial rush, expect to get one to two showings a week until receiving an offer.
Which Home Improvements Are Worth It?
Improving a home you’re looking to sell may not seem to make much sense, but it can be a crucial part of your strategy. The key is to invest in high-return projects or repairs that address major issues with your property. Examples include:
- Kitchen and bathroom remodels
- Smart home technology
- Garage door replacement
- Fresh coat of paint
Projects that increase usable space can also be a major boost to a home’s value. For example, finishing an unfinished attic to create an extra bedroom often plays well with potential buyers.
How Do You Make a Compelling Listing Description?
A good listing description can be the difference between your home languishing on the market and generating showings every day. Your goal here is to paint a picture of your home that’s as warm and inviting as possible.
For best results, skip the basic details, such as the square footage, which the MLS will load into its data fields anyway. Instead, focus on the best features of your home and neighborhood, including the nearby amenities.
When Should You Lower the Price?
Lowering the home’s price is never an easy decision for sellers. That said, this may be a necessary step if you’re looking to sell fast. In general, homes that receive little interest in the first two to four weeks on the market are overpriced.
As for how much you should lower the price, one significant reduction often makes more sense than many small cuts. The letter may make you seem desperate, encouraging potential buyers to make lowball offers.
Need to Sell a House Fast? We’re Buying!
Selling a home can be a tough task, even if you’re not in a hurry. If you do need to sell a house fast, you may have to make compromises. Working with the right people can net you a good offer.
At First Choice Home Buyers, we buy houses as-is in and around Pennsylvania. We’re a BBB-accredited business dedicated to transparency. On average, we pay 15% more than our competitors and close in as little as 48 hours!
We’ll donate part of the proceeds to families in need. Contact us here to receive your cash offer as soon as possible!
