If you are about to put your house on the market for sale in Seattle, one thing you may have working in your favor is that this market is in high demand. The Seattle housing marking is scorching hot! So you may sell your house fast and be able to walk away with offers upwards of half a million to a million over asking. The good news is that most of your job is already done. Putting your house on the market alone will almost sell the house itself. But just as with any traditional real estate translation, there are some things you should do to ensure that you don’t lose money when you’re trying to sell your home. Here’s how you can successfully navigate the selling process in Seattle.
Table of Contents
Start With a Good Agent
Seattle consistently ranks high as one of the top ten places people want to live in the U.S. There are numerous great jobs and universities located here, public transit is outstanding, food is excellent, and there is so much to do. So it should be no surprise that buyers competing for your house will come from your local neighborhood and from far and wide. The competition is fierce, so it may be tempting to sell your home yourself since your property will be in high demand. While this is a respectable decision, without experience, you could lose out on an enormous amount of money. Hiring a top agent in Seattle would ensure that you get the best offer on your home. After all, the variations in price over asking could range from $500,000 to a million or more. Wouldn’t you rest easy knowing that you sold your house for the highest price over asking within that range?
Price Your House Right
Before you put your for sale sign in your yard, it is a good idea to get accurate about what your house is worth. If you just want to take a peek at the value of your home, numerous sites can give you a ballpark on the value of your home. Sites like Homelight provide a home value estimator on their site that’s free and easy to use. Tools like this can give you an idea of how much your home is worth.
Unfortunately, home value estimator sites aren’t the most accurate way to discover how much your home is worth. Some can be off by several thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you are serious about selling and want to get a more accurate estimate of your home’s worth, it’s better to seek a top agent in Seattle and get a comparative market analysis. This is a detailed report that will give you a more accurate picture of what you should sell your house for based on the homes like yours that recently sold in the area. Working with a great real estate agent is a sure-fire way to price your house competitively so that it won’t sit on the market too long or lose money when it comes time to sell.
Curb Appeal In Seattle is Huge
The exterior of your home can make or break your home sale. This is especially true in Seattle. Even though houses are selling like hotcakes, it is still a good idea to make your house appealing so it can move as fast as possible. On average, homes in Seattle may sit on the market for about 42 days before selling. But if you enhance exterior features and even stage the interior well, you could get buyers to make quicker decisions, possibly in as little as over a week. One way to do this is to make sure you lure them inside in the first place by amping up your curb appeal.
Something as simple as freshly cut lawns and great landscaping can increase your ROI (return on investment) by over 100 percent. Spreading fresh mulch, adding pops of color with plants native to the area, and making sure your lawn is well-manicured can do a lot to attract buyers. Another important exterior update is to ensure that the house’s exterior is clean or has a fresh coat of paint. Having a professional pressure washer to wash exterior surfaces, including the house, the driveway, and other critical areas, can make a significant difference. Also, adding a refreshing coat of paint will help. According to a popular Seattle house painting company, some popular exterior paint choices include greiges, browns, whites, soft yellows, greens, and blues. After deciding which shade is best for your home, give it a fresh coat to make it pop.
Make These Home Improvements
Curb appeal is a big deal. But in Seattle, you may want to hone in on these key home improvements to bring in an enormous amount of interested buyers. Remember, you’re not only appealing to only a local pool of buyers but potentially national and international customers. So play up the things on your property that make people love Seattle.
Deck Out Your Dock, Terraces, and Balconies
Let’s face it. Many people move to Seattle for outdoor living. And boating is one of these activities that some potential buyers want. So, if you have a great dock on your property, make sure it is in tip-top condition. Also, upgrade your terraces and balconies. The more beautifully decorated these are the more interest from buyers.
Play Up Your Indoor-Outdoor Room
Many may refer to such rooms as a sunroom. But whatever you call it, make sure it is refreshing. Sometimes Seattleites just want to take in the beauty of nature instead of being out in it. In these instances, having an indoor-outdoor room allows potential buyers to enjoy the aesthetic natural beauty of Seattle.
Make Your Garage Irresistible
A garage may be a place to park a car in most other cities in the U.S. But in Seattle, it is the bridge to exploration. Adventurous and outdoorsy types love just to grab their gear and go. And if you can make it easy to do this by creating a clutter-free garage, complete with unique compartments to store outdoor gear, you could quickly garner a lot of attention for your home.
Opt to Sell Your House For Cash
Although homes are moving relatively quickly in Seattle, this wait time may not be quick enough for some. If you need to relocate quickly for a job or your home is in disrepair, and you can’t afford the fixes, selling your home the traditional way may not be an option. In these situations, you may want to choose a local home investor company to help you get cash for your house fast and at a fair price in Seattle.
Seattle is a great market for selling a home. So you shouldn’t have too many issues selling your house fast in this market. But if the average time of 42 days on the market doesn’t appeal to you, these choices in this guide can help you garner more interest in your property and speed up the process. And if the process doesn’t move fast enough for you, selling as-is is an alternative.
