By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy.

How to sell my house fast

Need to make a speedy sale? Whatever your reason for wanting to sell fast, we want to help put you in the driver’s seat of your sale.

hero

We get that there are lots of reasons why you might want to sell your house fast. Though it can feel like the speed of your sale is beyond your control (because of factors like the health of the market, and luck) there are various routes you can take which will improve the chances of a speedy sale. Your options include selling your property to a house buying company, putting it up for auction, or changing the asking price but they may have their drawbacks as we'll explain.

How fast can you sell your house?

So how fast can you sell your house? Selling to a house buying company will be your fastest bet, with most offering to buy your house in around a week - a month. BUT you'll take a chunk off your asking price. Though this is the fastest guarantee, most would be better off considering other options in order to obtain the property's value when selling. It's a balancing game between price and speed, and here are some tips for trying to manage that.

If you only recently bought the property and are looking to sell, we’ve got you covered - check out our article about how fast you can sell a home after buying it  Even if you’re not in a particular rush, a speedy sale is very desirable. Not only does it get the weight of the sale off your shoulders, you are also likely to get more cash the faster you sell – houses drop in value for every week they sit on the market unsold. So let’s work out how to get you a snappy sale.  

1) Should you sell your house for cash to a company?

If you’re in a real rush, then one option might be to sell your house to a cash house buying company. Our biggest piece of advice here is: check that they are a reputable company. Your house is probably your most valuable asset – though you want a fast sale, don’t rush the research process. Check reviews, get recommendations from friends, and use comparison sites to ensure you’re entering into a safe and reliable deal. 

How does it work? The company will buy your house for cash, in order to then sell it on themselves. This is the fastest way to sell your house, but the sale price will take a big hit. The average house buying company will offer you 75%-80% of the market value of your house. So if an estate agent recommends you go to market at £200,000, then you’d be receiving around £150,000 - £160,000, and so potentially losing out on between £40-50k of profit. Ouch.

So is it a good option? Only if you’re in a pinch, and if you go through a reputable company to avoid time wasters and scammers (which is a very real possibility).

2) Could selling your house at auction be your way to a fast sale?

Some homeowners opt to sell their house through a property auction. This is a good option if you want to sell your house quickly as completion dates are usually set for a month after the action itself. Similarly to the house buying company option, you can expect to receive about 75-85%. Unlike house buying companies though, the auction option does not guarantee a sale, instead relying on an individual or company having interest in the property.

Who might consider this option?

  • Sellers whose property needs a lot of work, or “problem properties”.

  • Unusual properties, like a pub that could be turned into a residential space. 

  • Properties with short leases, where the owner is unable or unwilling to extend the lease.

  • Properties with a defective title (which basically means issues may arise due to legal documents not being available to prove the ownership of the house).

3) How much will changing your estate agent make a difference?

If you’ve been working with an estate agent but feel that the sale is being delayed because of them (they may be trying to sell too many properties at once, haven’t managed to get enough eyes on the property through effective marketing, or they don’t have enough local expertise) then it may be time to change. Changing to a different estate agent may take some effort and time on your part, so it’s not going to be the kind of guaranteed speed of a house buying company. But if you do your research and find someone who you believe could do a better job, then it should speed up the process (and get you more money!) in the long run. This is a risk though, with some suggesting that a new estate agent would have to reduce the price to really make any difference to your sale prospect.

You may also incur some costs when changing estate agents. You will want to read the small print of your contract – if you’re tied into a “Sole Agency Agreement” then you may end up paying two lots of agents fees once the house sells. 

We don’t charge commission on our estate agency services at Strike, meaning we can sell your house for free. So if you’re unsatisfied with your current estate agent, you could switch to Strike and receive our selling skills for free. We were voted Best Online Estate Agent for the 3rd time in 2022, which we think is a pretty good marker of our success!

4) Do you need to rethink your marketing?

Is your online listing showing your house in the best possible light? You can easily overlook house photos for marketing, but they can have a vast effect on the speed of your sale, and the money you receive. Almost 100% of house searches start online, so your property pics have to stand out. Evidence suggests properties with professional photos sell 35% faster than those with a DIY jobby. It’s one of those times when you may have to spend money to make money. Another marketing technique you could talk to your estate agent about would be the platforms they’re using – as a rule, you want as many eyes on the property as possible. This may mean not only using platforms like Zoopla and Rightmove, but also using social media like local Facebook groups and even websites like Gumtree. Talk to your agent about what platforms they’re using, and if they could broaden their reach by using social media.

Almost 100% of house searches start online, so your property pics have to stand out."

5) Is it worth making some changes to the house?

Even if you're in a rush,  there are still things you can do before you take your house to market that should increase the interest in your property, and so get you a faster sale. If your property has the potential to offer someone the chance to move straight in without making too many changes, why not give them that chance.  If you don’t have much time, some smaller edits include:

  • Updating kitchens and bathrooms.

  • Fixing what’s broken.

  • Cleaning and decluttering, without removing all personality.

  • A fresh lick of paint.

Though prospective buyers have differing opinions on what makes a “good” property, there are some assumptions we can make which should improve your chances of a sale across the board. If you have a little time before you take your house to market, then why not use it to increase your chances of a quick sale?

House buyers generally look for: 

  • Low maintenance: unless they are specifically looking for a “doer-upper” (and they would expect a significantly lowered price for a house that needs a lot of work), buyers generally don’t want to feel that they’re taking on a big, “problematic” job. So - why not make sure the roof is in good condition, or let them know that the boiler has been recently installed, or get a damp specialist in to fix that bit of wall you’ve been wondering about for a while? The better nick it’s in the quicker you should be able to sell the property, for a price that works for you. 

  • Airy and light - it’s very rare that you’ll get a buyer who’s looking for something dark and dingy (maybe a vampire, but better to cater to the human market first we think). You don’t have to open up your kitchen and living room to achieve this – why not just clean the windows (inside and out), replace the lightbulbs and make sure you put a bright lamp in that dark corner. If it’s daylight, then open all the blinds before the viewers arrive. For after-dark viewings, people tend to prefer houses lit by lamps, to a bright overhead light. 

  • Kerb Appeal: this means how the house seems when passing it from the street, or on first viewing from the outside. Kerb appeal includes the roof, windows, front garden and other exterior qualities. The chart below shows which aspects of “kerb appeal” influences buyers the most:

6) Is it time to reduce the asking price?

The most obvious way to speed up the selling process is by dropping your asking price. This may mean taking it to market at a lower price or accepting an existing offer that is below what you initially expected. 

If you want to lower your asking price, your estate agent can talk you through their recommended price adjustment, but generally, you will want to reduce the price by at least 3%. Why? A drop in price by 3% or more will cause property portals like Zoopla to feature your property more, as if it’s a newly listed property. A small price adjustment may help people to reconsider your property, but it won’t necessarily turn someone’s head.

Here at Strike we always want to ensure the fastest sale, without having to sacrifice on your price. We understand there are lots of reasons why you’d prioritise speed above all, and hopefully this breakdown will help you to understand what will really get your house off ASAP.