Although open houses are still allowed in Dallas and Fort Worth, recent surges in COVID-19 cases have made homeowners and buyers understandably concerned. The last thing you want to do, of course, is to have a visitor or a family member fall sick due to avoidable exposure. If you are one of these sellers, then you are probably looking for alternative ways to sell your house, including selling your house online. Here’s a guide on how to sell your house online from our cash for houses Fort Worth agency.
What Are My Options for Selling My House Online?
There are a couple of options if you want to sell your house online, each with their pros and cons, including:
- Using a Real Estate Agent or Realtor – When you hire a real estate agent, you can choose several different ways to sell your home, including open houses and selling online. While most real estate agents today market houses online, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising demand for online marketing has made selling your home online much more rewarding than ever before. Your real estate agent can create detailed virtual tours and walkthroughs to go along with professional photographs that truly showcase your home and ensure only the most serious buyers book a viewing. However, it is important to remember that you are going to have to pay for these services – along with the real estate agent’s commission when you do sell.
- The For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Route – Of course, you can sell your home yourself. This means you pay none of the commission you’d pay to a listing agent, and you’ll have better control over your listing and the appointment schedule for viewings (including safety protocols). While the advantages are considerable, it’s not without its drawbacks, as you need the time and resources to manage this process, as well as honing your DIY skills to create the necessary marketing materials.
Our Guide – Sell Your House Online Yourself
Assuming you do choose to sell your home online yourself, here’s what you should do.
Staging Your Space
Much like you would in a traditional sales process, you should work on making your home look as appealing as possible to potential buyers. This means a combination of repairing your home and staging it to show off its best feature.
- Superficial Repairs – Fixing tiles, broken lights, damaged cabinetry and wardrobes, replacing missing shingles and damaged windows. Superficial repairs may not seem important, but they really catch the buyer’s eye and detract from the home’s appeal in a significant way, and many potential buyers feel it indicates there may be bigger problems with the property, even if there are not.
- Structural and More Serious Repairs – Every home develops the need for more serious repairs over the years, like damp, foundation or wall cracks, plumbing and water heater problems, and roof leaks. You may want to get a professional property inspection to make sure all your bases are covered – and being able to show your house is in great repair is a significant selling point.
Staging refers to presenting your house in a way that appeals to the widest range of buyers. In order to get the best results, it is recommended that homeowners do the following:
- Declutter – You want to show off your space and the features of your home by creating a neutral space for buyers to imagine themselves in, so remove all clutter including kids’ toys, magazines, photographs, extra furniture, dog beds, and extra décor. Everything should look neat, tidy and in its correct place.
- Freshen Up – A good coat of paint isn’t essential, but it is highly recommended for rooms that are painted very dark or very bold colors, or where rooms have been painted many years ago. Painting in a light, neutral color will make your space feel open, welcoming and appealing to buyers.
- Arrange Furniture – Arrange your furniture so that it shows off your space to its best advantage (home décor websites have some great tips and inspiring looks you can use). Add fresh flowers on the day of your photo shoot or virtual tour shoot (here’s a quick guide to use) to give your space that homey, fresh feel that appeals to buyers.
Now you’re ready to start creating your marketing photographs and virtual tour! Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to list on local real estate listing websites as well as your social media profiles. Remember to let potential buyers know how to get in touch with you and any safety protocols (masks, sanitizer, temperature monitoring) that they need to comply with.
Whew! Sounds Like a Lot of Work!
Clearly, it is a lot of work to sell your house – and a lot of money too, when you consider the repairs and upgrades you should do to make your home as appealing as possible. While this is a great way to sell your home and pay zero real estate commission, you still have to do a lot of work – and then wait who knows how long for a buyer. So, is there an alternative?
Sell Your House in 24 Hours to Cash House Buyers in Fort Worth – No Repairs or Staging Needed
If you’re selling as is or want to sell your house quickly, our cash for houses Fort Worth team is happy to buy it. Here’s how our process works:
- You enter your information on our website
- We’ll contact you directly to discuss an offer for your property (you can also get a free property evaluation from our website)
- You can accept or reject the offer
- You can also call us directly on 469-858-0088
Our team is compassionate and highly-motivated to offer you the best possible market-related price for your home, so you can sell your house in 24 hours. Not only does this cash go straight into your bank account as soon as the sale goes through, you also pay zero real estate agent commission.
At Shiny Key Properties, our trained consultants have years of experience in helping homeowners to get out of foreclosure or needing to sell quickly. To find out more about our cash for houses Fort Worth service or to speak to our cash house buyers directly, please contact us today and speak to one of our friendly team members.