Selling a home can be a daunting task, but it can be exciting and rewarding if you get certain things right.  Even if you are in a super competitive real estate market, where the homes go under contract the moment they get listed, there are still major downfalls to not getting everything right.

Here are the tips for selling your home fast:

Curb appeal

First impressions are important and that is what curb appeal helps you with. Ensure that the exterior of your home is as attractive as possible. Wash the walkways and siding with a power hose, mow the lawns, plant fresh grass and flowers, wash the windows, and stain or repaint the porch floor. You can also repaint the front door if it looks outdated.  Investments into the curb appeal will insure that the first look of your home, by a potential buyer, sees a well kept, property.

Renovate the kitchen

A kitchen is an important part of any house. It can either make or break a sale. You want to ensure that it appeals to potential buyers.  A kitchen remodel can be one of the most cost effective home improvements when selling your home.  Once recent study had shown up to a 182 percent return on investment from a kitchen remodel. Of course, what you update matters in how much value you will get out of it. The most crucial renovations are to replace the counter-tops, repair the plumbing system, and buy new faucets and cabinet doors.

Go easy on the renovations

DO NOT over spend when doing the renovations because you might not recover the money from the sale.  Over upgrading can potentially loose you money.  Only complete the renovations that are necessary, such as repairing leaking pipes, repainting the walls, buying new curtains, cleaning the house thoroughly among other things.

Declutter

Having a home that is full of clutter can quickly remove your house from the homes a buyer wants to write an offer on.  A cluttered home seems smaller and not as well maintained.  Remove as much of your belonging from the house as possible. This is crucial because it will create the illusion of space. Remove half the clothes in your closet and put away your children’s toys.

Price the house correctly

Pricing plays a key role in ensuring a fast sale of a house.  Most homes that get sold, sell within the first 45 days after they get listed.  If your home hasn’t sold within the first 60 days, you have a good chance of your listing expiring without a sale.  Many people attempt to overprice a home at listing, with the intent of reducing the price later.  This is terrible strategy as most active homebuyers – are desperately seeking out the newest listings. A home gets the most buyer attention the first 2 weeks it is listed.  It is critical that your home is NOT overpriced during this critical time.

Research around and find out the market value of houses that are similar to yours and cut of about 15% when pricing your house. This strategy will make buyers to come running and they will end up biding for your home and eventually you will sell it at a higher price than you could have imagined. All in all you should avoid over pricing the house because it might end up stalling in the market which could send a wrong message to buyers because they will start to think that there is something wrong with it.

Find a good agent

Real estate agents are helpful, especially if you are selling a house for the first time. Find a real estate agent who is technology savvy and will have the mind to scour the internet and keep track of the MLS or the multiple listing service and the market value of houses. A Realtor will come in handy also when it comes to pricing the house because they have a lot of experience in the industry.

Money matters

Find out the correct value of your house on your own. You can go the extra mile and get a pre-listing appraisal. There are several sites online where you can get that information. Also find out how much it will cost you to sell the house.