Getting ready to sell your home can be daunting. Sure, a well-kept home will probably sell faster, but do you ever feel like you’re forgetting some critical bit of maintenance? Do you know what price point you should list at? What’s more important — curb appeal or staging?

While there is no exact science to making your home sell in record time every time, there are a few key steps you can focus on to make your best sale happen on your time. Here are 5 secrets to selling your home faster in Northeast Ohio.

Get the Price Right

The first step to setting the right price is getting an accurate home valuation. While it is best to contact your Realtor for an in-depth quote, many homebuyers will be using tools like Zillow’s Zestimate feature to gauge how competitive your home is. However, Zillow’s Zestimate tool is not always very accurate. We suggest allowing your Realtor to do this legwork for you to understand your home’s actual value.

From there, you may want to think about setting your listing anywhere from 10-20% below value. When your listing is below your home value, you encourage more buyers to bid. A bidding war should drive up the selling price of your home while the buyer still feels in control. Still, your Realtor will know best, and your strategy could change depending on the real estate market conditions. Your Realtor will advocate for you and do what is best for your home’s listing price.

Lighting is Key

Without doing any physical maintenance or staging, making sure your rooms are well-lit will automatically make a space more inviting. Swap out the old bulbs with newer, brighter ones and open up windows. This tweak can alter perceptions in a big way — brighter rooms feel larger, more inviting, and can even make you feel happier!

It All Starts Online

Have you ever spent an evening on the couch browsing home listings on your phone or laptop? You’re not alone! At any point in time, at least half of the millions of active users on sites like Realtor.com and Zillow are actively shopping for a new home.

In 2019, the majority of home sales are starting online, so it’s important that your listing can be found on homebuyers’ phones and laptops. Make sure that your Realtor knows about the latest digital tools for home sales. If they don’t take advantage of online channels, your home will probably take a lot longer to sell.

Don’t Take It Personally

Pictures of your family, your favorite artwork, and your comfy recliner are all beautiful features that make your house a home. However, if you want to sell a home quickly, those personal and sentimental touches should be stowed away.

As much as one-third of your personal belongings need to be taken out of the home prior to selling. This can even include family pets — sorry Princess Kitty, you’re going to be taking quite a few car rides this month!

Curb Appeal Comes First

The first picture in almost any home listing is from the front yard. That is the first impression homebuyers will have of your house, so it is important that your curb-side has a positive impact.

Before you invest in staging or interior upgrades, focus on making the best possible first impression by keeping your yard tidy and investing in basic exterior upgrades. You can always sell shoppers on the interior of your home with the help of a good real estate agent, but you’ll never be able to change that first impression.