If you're ready to sell your house, you may have cause to want to sell it quickly—like a new job that's starting soon in another area. How are you creating interest in your house? The more potential customers you can draw, the higher your chances of selling at a decent price. Whatever your reasons for selling, here are six ways to sell your home easily, even in a slow market.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• It's competitively priced to sell your home quickly. And be prepared to lower the price if you don't have a bid by a certain date.
• Clean the entire house, eliminate the clutter, and cover personal objects so that the buyers can see themselves in the space.
• Boost the brake appeal to make the right first impression. Clear the cobwebs, paint the front door, and plant the flowers.
• Offer provisions that could make the transaction simpler for buyers—such as covering half of the closing costs.

1. Find the Right Real Estate Agent

If you want to sell your home quickly, the first step is to employ a real estate agent. The perfect individual would know the local market and have a sales record that shows that they know how to sell.

Bear in mind that a real estate agent will assist with the whole process, from hiring a skilled photographer who takes top-notch pictures of your home to negotiating for the best price. They will also write down a real estate listing that sells, schedules and host shows, and advertise the property to see it.

2. Price It to Sell

One of the most successful ways to sell your home quickly is to price it competitively. If you get too high a price, your home will spend more time on the market. Also, if your home is overpriced, you could end up selling it for less—just it's going to take a lot longer.

Your real estate agent will study comparable properties (such as "comps") in your region to set a fair price. If you just need to sell quickly, consider selling your home a little lower to draw attention (and maybe even spark a bidding war). If you haven't received any offers by a certain date, please lower the price.

It's also helpful to think about the price points that buyers are looking for in your market. For eg, if you list your home for $302,000, you'll miss out on any potential buyers searching for homes under $300,000. It's probably not worth asking for an additional $2,000 if it means less buyers are going to see the house.

3. Clean, Declutter, and Depersonalize

Buyers ought to be able to take an image of themselves in space, and they won't be able to do that if your house is a mess. Give your home a thorough cleanup from top to bottom, get rid of the clutter, and cover family pictures and other personal objects.

While you're at it, rearrange the furniture to make your home look appealing and encourage buyers to walk around your home without bumping into something. Put bulky objects in storage if necessary. A packed room looks like a little room.

Consider hiring a stage to help you showcase the best assets of your house, attract prospective customers, and sell them quickly at the best possible price. Staging is not inexpensive, but the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that, on average, staging homes sell 88 per cent faster and 20 per cent more than non-staged homes1.

4. Boost Your Curb Appeal

If you want to sell quickly, you need to make a strong first impression. And the first thing the buyer sees is the exterior of the house and how it blends with the surrounding community. To raise the appeal of your home:

• Paint the front door of the door
• Flowers of the plant
• Sweep away any spider webs and debris from walls, blinds, and porches.
• Wash the windows
• Fix faulty lighting fixtures and mailboxes
• Make sure the leaves, the shrubs and the lawn are well manicured.

Bear in mind that not only does the clean exterior look great, it also signals potential buyers that you've taken good care of the place.

5. Take Care of Quick Repairs

You're not going to have time for any big renovations, so concentrate on fast fixes to deal with items that might discourage potential buyers. Survey your house and take care of the simple fixes:

• Fix your loose tiles
• Tighten leaky sockets
• Touch up the paint
• Tighten the door knobs and handles
• Delete the folder stains

Depending on how much time and money you want to spend getting home ready, you may also want to upgrade fixtures, purchase new appliances, add new hardware on the cabinets, and give the interior a fresh coat of (neutral) paint.

6. Sweeten the Deal

Another way to make your home and deal more appealing is to deliver something to sweeten the pot. For example, you might agree to cover some or all of the closing costs. Especially in the downtown market, buyers are looking for a bargain, so do your best to make them feel like they're getting one.

Another tip is to provide a transferable home warranty that offers discounted maintenance and replacement services for household appliances and systems. A prospective buyer could feel more at ease knowing that the home is safe, which may make the home more desirable than a competing home.

The Bottom Line

Selling a house fast can be difficult, and even more so if you're on a tight schedule. Luckily, if you need to sell quickly because of a new career, a life event (e.g. divorce), or financial reasons, there are ways to speed up the process.

If you don't have a big budget to get your home ready for sale, concentrate on that first impression. Buyers will make a decision in a matter of seconds—a few from the sidewalk and a few when they step through the front door. Make those seconds count with a tidy yard, a sparkling house, and, if you can swing, a fresh coat of paint.