When you’re ready to sell your house fast in Richardson, TX, you don’t have time to waste working to get the property sold.
But before you take the plunge, you’ll want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.
5 Common Home Seller Mistakes
Selling your house can be complicated and challenging. A lot of money is on the line, and you could end up taking a loss if you don’t play your cards right.
Fortunately, you can learn from the mistakes of others – and work to avoid them yourself!
1. Not Clearing Clutter
If you look at a lot of house listings, you’re likely to see at least a few homes with piles of laundry, stacks of boxes, children’s toys, and other items strewn about.
It’s not very attractive, is it?
Take a look around your house right now. Ask yourself: if I was walking in here for the first time, would I want to buy this place?
If the answer is ‘no’, then you’ve got some work to do! A few hours of tidying up can go a long way toward immediately improving your home’s appeal.
2. Using Poor-Quality Photos
A great picture is worth a-thousand words, right?
Gone are the days when home-sellers depended upon showings and open house days to find buyers. Virtually all buyers now do their initial browsing online.
That means photographs are the first impression any prospective buyer will get.
So, a few grainy, blurry pics snapped in a hurry on your phone probably aren’t going to cut it.
Take 15 minutes to read up on proper real estate photography techniques. Here are some basics: make sure you have plenty of bright light; take photos from many angles; and use a high-quality camera.
You don’t have to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on a DSLR camera, though. Many of the latest smartphones can take excellent images.
Another alternative: hire a professional photographer, or even a photography student at your nearest university.
3. Taking it Personally When You Get a Low Offer
We get it. Our homes are in many ways a reflection of ourselves: who we are, and where we are in life.
It’s understandable that your feelings might get hurt if a buyer underwhelms you with a low-ball offer.
Remember that selling a home is a business transaction, not an emotional one. Leave your feelings at the door, and remember that any buyer is going to try to save as much money as possible.
Just because that first offer was a low one, doesn’t mean the next offer won’t be much closer to your asking price.
4. Not Firing a Bad Agent
If your plumber fails to fix the clogged toilet, you’re not going to ask them to come back.
If your landscaper accidentally mows your flowerbeds into dirt, you’ll be looking for a new provider.
So if your real estate agent isn’t getting the job done, why would you let them stick around?
Agents don’t come cheap. Typically, they’ll take up to a 6 percent cut of the proceeds from your house sale.
So, you should hold them to a high standard!
Signs you may need to fire your real estate agent include: a lack of showings; infrequent or no updates; overpromising on the value of your home; or, if they’re being pushy / trying to force you to make a decision that goes against your gut.
5. Skipping a Pre-Listing Inspection
You don’t have to get a professional home inspection done before you sell.
An inspection can cost several hundred dollars, depending on the size of your home and its age. That’s money out of your pocket, and you might be tempted to save it.
But it’s very likely your buyer will want their own inspection – to satisfy their lender and ensure they aren’t buying a money pit with problems lurking beneath the surface.
If a buyer’s inspection finds underlying issues you didn’t know about, it can severely reduce the final offer – or scuttle the sale entirely.
Spending a few hundred bucks now can save you thousands in the long run.
Of course, you can avoid that expense and hassle if you sell as-is to a cash investor, like Local Cash Buyers.
How to Sell Your Richardson, TX House for Maximum Value
Of course, you’ll want to get as much money as possible for your home when you do finally sell it.
Here are a few things you can do to get top dollar:
Low-Cost, Minor Renovations
We’re talking about improvements, not repairs.
For just a few hundred bucks, you can make quick updates that add to your home’s appeal.
Think about opportunities around the house to renovate with materials you can find at a hardware store. Watch online videos to ensure you have the knowhow, ability, and tools for the job.
Here are a few simple projects to consider:
- Replace the kitchen sink and faucet
- Refinish or paint kitchen cabinets
- Add a fresh coat of paint to interior walls
- Install or replace ceiling fans in bedrooms and living areas
Understand Your Local Market
Real estate is all about location – and not just the address.
When you sell your house in Richardson, you’ll want to think more broadly than just your block. You’re selling in Dallas County, the most populous county in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex. DFW is the largest real estate market in Texas, and the fifth-largest metro area in the United States.
Do some basic research online and learn what’s happening with real estate across the Metroplex, as well as more locally, down to your ZIP code and subdivision or neighborhood. Items of focus should include:
- How many homes are for sale right now
- How many homes have sold in the last 30 days
- How long listed homes are staying on the market
- The median (not average) sale price for homes
Proper Pricing
Price your home too high, and buyers won’t bite. Price it too low, and they might wonder what’s wrong with it.
In both cases, a mistake in pricing can increase the amount of time it takes to finally sell your house.
Finding the sweet spot in between the two is an inexact science. It can help to start by researching final sale prices (not list prices) of homes in your neighborhood. Then, look for those that most closely match your home’s size, age, and features.
Sell Your Richardson House in 3 Easy Steps
Once you’ve decided to sell, there are three basic steps you can take to get it out the door. Keep in mind, the amount of time and money it takes to sell will vary greatly, depending on your circumstances.
- Get the House in Showing Shape. This is perhaps the most-important step: ensure that everything is clean, from top to bottom. Landscape the front yard; power-wash the walls and driveway; clean up clutter; and thoroughly clean and disinfect every surface, from kitchen counters to toilets. Have your carpet and hard floors professionally cleaned as well, or rent a floor cleaning machine and do it yourself.
- Decide Your Sales Method. For many sellers, this path will lead to hiring a real estate agent, and letting them take care of marketing. Or, you can choose to do it yourself. Either way, you’ll want to consider when and how to list; make sure to get lots of great photos; and advertise the listing to attract buyers.
- Solicit Offers and Choose the Best One. If everything goes smoothly in steps 1 and 2, the bids will start rolling in. Now comes the hard part: selecting the winner. You won’t always want the highest offer; it may come with contingencies, like the buyer selling their current house first.
4 Questions to Ask Before Selling Your Richardson, TX House
Before you put your home up for sale, ask yourself these four questions:
1. What is My Home Worth?
This can be a tough one to answer, but it’s essential to selling your house fast while getting maximum value.
Every home’s sale price is determined by a variety of factors, including its location, size, age, features, and local market conditions.
The easiest way to get a general idea of your home’s value is to check the final prices of recent home sales in your neighborhood and ZIP code. (Ignore list prices; those show what sellers want to get, but not necessarily what they actually sell for.)
2. How Much Time Do I Have to Sell?
Some sellers can take their time and wait for the right offer.
For others, time is of the essence and they need to sell quickly.
Come up with an ideal timeline for yourself: when do you want or need to be in your next home? How long can you cover the costs of upkeep on the house if you move out before it sells? Are you willing to wait weeks or months to complete the sale, or are you in a hurry?
3. Do I Need an Agent?
Real estate brokers will assure you that yes, you absolutely need an agent to help guide you through the sales process and get the maximum sale price.
Of course, hiring a real estate agent is not free. Agents will typically take a cut of about 6% from the sale price. For a $250,000 sale, that’s $15,000 you can deduct to pay for their services.
If you’re very busy or just averse to dealing with the hassle of listing your house, showing it to buyers, and soliciting offers, hiring an agent might be worth it.
But if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, do some research, and put in the effort, selling on your own can save you a lot of money and keep you in control.
4. When is the Right Time to Sell?
If the real estate market in your area is surging, you might feel an urge to cash out and strike while the iron is hot.
Conversely, if market conditions are cooler and buyers are being more selective, it might make more sense to wait.
The time of year comes into play as well. Winter is typically the slowest time for home sales, especially between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Sales often peak in the mid-to-late spring.
Ultimately, your personal circumstances will ultimately determine when is the right time to sell. When you need to relocate for a new job, are going through a divorce, or are trying to unload inherited property, timing is everything.
A cash sale makes sense by saving you time and effort when you’re in a hurry.
No Waiting for Payment
In a cash sale, you’ll see the payment in a matter of days or weeks instead of waiting for months on end. You’ll have access to that money on a much more accelerated timeline than if you sell the traditional way by putting your house on the market and waiting for an offer. If you’re facing foreclosure or divorce, this is an advantage you can’t ignore.
The Process is Simpler
From start to finish, the process of putting a house on the market, evaluating offers, and finally closing is complicated and tends to drag on. You can skip much of the paperwork when you sell for cash, because the terms of the sale are much simpler. The buyer often quickly makes an offer that you can either reject and move on from, or accept and sell. Needless to say, a cash sale results is less stress and less headaches.
Sell Your House As-Is
This might be one of the most crucial points for a seller. Selling your home the old-fashioned way requires making sell-ready repairs, cleaning, painting, and generally getting the property ready for showings. Selling your house for cash doesn’t require any of that work! Instead, you can sell your house as-is, without wasting time, effort, and money on fixing up a house you’re just trying to get out of.
Are you ready to sell your Richardson, TX home for cash now? Local Cash Buyers can help. We’ll make a written cash offer within 24 hours of our first visit to the property, and close in as little as 7 days. Give us a call at 469-250-0018 or fill out an online form so we can get the FREE, no-obligation process started today!
Richardson, TX Real Estate Market at a Glance
The latest data show houses in Richardson stay on the market for about 33 days. Your home could take longer or sell more quickly, depending on a number of factors.
The median sale price of Richardson houses is about $345,000. Sale prices can be higher or lower depending on the house’s age, condition, size, neighborhood, amenities, and many other criteria.
We buy houses in these Richardson ZIP codes: 75083, 75085, 75080, 75081, and 75082.