They say selling and moving house is one of the top three most stressful events most people go through, and selling a home remotely can heighten that stress.
Whether you’ve already relocated for your job, inherited a home on the other side of the country, or moved to help a family member, there are many reasons why you may need to sell a home while you’re elsewhere.
Regardless, you’ve already moved on with your life and all you need now is to liquidate your asset, so how do you go about successfully selling a house remotely?
How to Successfully Sell a House Remotely
Good News: There Are Systems in Place
The good news is that, if only one good thing came out of the pandemic, communicating and working with people remotely is so commonplace that anyone involved in real estate will be able to work with you from wherever you are in the world.
Take Security Precautions
Leaving a home empty is a worry for everyone; it could be burglarized or broken into and vandalized. You can take measures to minimize the risk. If you can, let the neighbors know that it’s empty and you won’t be returning regularly (if at all), to keep an eye on the house.
Research the Area
Doing a little research on what the market is like for a house like yours is always a good idea, but it’s even more important if you have not been in the area for some time. The housing market is dynamic and the market may be better or worse than you left, and if you inherited a home, you’ll want to get a good feel for what similar homes in a similar condition are selling for. Don’t forget to look at how long they take to sell as well as their listing price and final sale price, where possible.
Decide How to Sell Your Home
Your next step should be to decide how you want to sell the property. You have 3 options:
- List with a realtor
- Sell it at auction
- Sell it privately
Listing with a Realtor
Listing with a realtor is the most common way people choose to sell, and it can be the best choice if you have two things: time and a move-in-ready home. Selling via a realtor can be fast if the property garners a lot of interest, but that’s relatively fast compared to other sales via a realtor. Once you accept an offer on the property, it takes 30-45 days on average to complete the sale.
The key to having a fast sale, where you get an offer within the first 10 days or so and a fast completion time, is having a highly desirable home, and that means it needs to be move-in ready in a way the majority of people looking for homes want. That means fairly modern, with appealing decor, and no serious work needing doing to it.
Sell it at Auction
Selling at auction is another option, and has its pros and cons. We wrote a complete guide to selling homes at auction, so if you think selling at auction may be right for you, head here next. Selling at auction is often believed to be the fastest way to sell a property that may not appeal to the market at large, but that isn’t actually the case. You can expect it to take 12 weeks for all to be said and done, with the money in your pocket.
Sell it Privately
Selling privately is by far the easiest and fastest way to sell a home. When you sell privately, you sell the property to someone interested in the property without you making any serious attempt to market it, such as a friend or family member, a neighbor, a community member, or a house cash buying company.
Selling privately allows you to move quickly, and in the case of selling to a home cash buying company like us, you can sell your home–no matter its condition–in as little as two weeks. Another big advantage of selling privately is you’ll have no fees to pay in terms of realtor commissions or auctioneer fees, so you can keep that 2-5% in your pocket.
Which method of selling will be best for you will depend on the property you’re selling and your circumstances, but once you come to a decision, you can start moving forward.
Consider Making Regular Visits
While your situation may make this impossible, if you can, plan to take time out for regular trips if you choose to sell through an agent or auction house. This will give you the opportunity to check up on the house, take care of any maintenance and paperwork, and make sure everything is moving forward smoothly.
The Takeaway
Selling your home remotely can be stressful, but many do it successfully every year. Fortunately, technology has made the process much easier than it once was and with good planning, many remote house sales go smoothly. If you follow all these tips, you’ll be able to choose the right way to sell and see the sale go through smoothly.
If your home has defects, however, you may find it’s more difficult to sell, and so selling to a cash home buying company is often the best option. Cash home buying companies like us will buy your home in as-is condition, giving you the benefits of a quick sale and the freedom to move on with your next chapter.
If you live in Massachusetts, we can help solve your problem quickly, efficiently, and stress-free. We buy houses and homes in any condition for cash, and the process couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is reach out to us with the details and we’ll offer you our best cash offer up front (that means no haggling!) without an in-depth home inspection. If you decide to accept our offer, we’ll get the ball rolling and the sale can be complete in as little as 2 weeks.
To find out more or to get your no-obligation cash offer, click here.