If you’ve just listed your house for sale, you’re probably looking for tips and tricks to help you sell your home fast. Well, I recently listed the property at 3288 Long Iron Place Lawrenceville, GA for sale. And just TWO days later, this Atlanta listing was already under contract.
Exciting right?!!! It was for me as the listing agent. And it was even more exciting for the seller.
This is not typical in today’s Atlanta housing market. Technically, this isn’t a typical scenario anywhere in the US. It would be nice if all listings sold that fast. But there are methods that have been known to get escrow closed quickly.
Escrow opened on ‘3288 Long Iron Place Lawrenceville, GA’ in just 2 days!
Sell Your Home Fast with No Regrets
As a seller, you’re understandably under a lot of stress, especially when you need to sell your home as quickly as possible. According to Daily Mail, selling your home can be even more nerve-wrecking than divorce, bankruptcy, even the death of someone you love. A seller’s agent’s job is to take as much stress off of the homeowner as possible.
There are numerous reasons why sellers need to find qualified buyers quickly to get out of their homes. Some are in financial ruins and need the cash. Others need to relocate because of lucrative job opportunities. No matter what your reasons are, the pressure is definitely on to get the house listed, under contract and sold almost immediately.
But you need to be able to sell it with confidence. The last thing you want is to find out your hasty decisions led to the house falling out of escrow or the buyer backing out of the deal. You need to make informed decisions, so the overall outcome falls in place with your current goals and circumstances.
4 Methods Known to Sell an Atlanta Home Fast
You have choices when it comes to selling your home fast without having to look back with regrets. Here are four ways to get your Atlanta listing under contract quickly:
- Instant buyers offer cash for homes, often providing you with a quick and simple closing in just a matter of days
- For Sale By Owner (FSBO) allows you to run the show and find buyers you know who are prepared to buy now
- Short sale is an option if your mortgage is underwater, but requires approval from your lender(s)
- List your home using a local ATL real estate agent with a track record of selling homes fast
So, which of these options is best for you? Well, that depends on your situation. Let’s discuss each one, and their pros and cons.
1. Cash Offers from Instant Buyers
Maybe that lucrative job starts in another couple of weeks and you don’t want to spend time haggling before moving across the country. Or, your loved one needs an expensive life-saving operation and you need the money to cover the medical expenses as soon as possible.
Either way, you need cash for your home, and you need it fast!
Cash buyers aren’t interested in staged showings and multiple viewings. They are ready to buy, and they want to buy now.
However, they are in the business of investing in income property or flipping homes. So, the goal is always to buy the property quickly (just what you need), and for the lowest dollar amount possible (may or may not be a deal breaker for you).
With a cash buy, you may not get top dollar for your home. But it can sell fast.
2. For Sale By Owner for Fast Sells
In Georgia, the average real estate commission rate is 4.5% to 6% of the sale price of the home. Selling your home DIY-style saves you money, since there’s no commission to be paid out of your pocket.
However, if the buyer has an agent, that leaves you at a disadvantage. That means they have a buyer’s agent whose sole purpose is to look out for the best interests of their client… the buyer. And because they’re professionals, you may want a professional in your corner protecting you too.
Let’s say the buyer is hoping to prolong the escrow for reasons unknown to you. However, you’re in a bind and need your home’s equity converted to cash and, in your hands, fast. The buyer’s agent will do what it takes to keep that client happy, including prolonging the escrow.
The fact is, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), of all the sellers who take the FSBO route, only 41% sold to strangers. The other 59% sold their properties to buyers they already knew.
FSBOs sold to people the sellers knew received 100% of the asking price for the homes, which stayed on the market for about one week.
Yes, one week is really fast! However, unless you already have a buyer in mind who has showed interest in buying your home, the DIY home selling route may not be the quickest route for you.
3. Short Sale as a Quick Sale
When the great American housing bubble burst back in 2006 and 2007, short sales became the “go-to” real estate product for underwater homeowners. This major maneuver became a lifesaver for some owners who just needed out.
However, what many didn’t realize is that the word “short” was never about selling your home in a short period of time. It was about getting “short” money for the property. Banks allowed you to come “short” on what you owed on the mortgage loan. And the seller was “short” in the end… as most walked away with nothing.
For the record, short sales actually take much longer to close than regular home sales. That’s because there’s a lot of negotiating (and pleading) with the bank to accept the offers. And in most cases, they don’t. In the meantime, you’re facing foreclosure as you deal with the emergencies in life causing you the need to have to sell your home fast.
Most short sales take months to finalize. Many have been known to go on for years.
4. Local Real Estate Agents with ‘Fast Sales’ Reputations
Atlanta REALTORS help you sell your home fast.
Selling a home can be a complicated process if real estate transactions aren’t your niche. Hiring a local real estate agent means having someone in your corner fighting for what’s best for you. Your agent acts as a guide to help you get through all the hundreds of mundane documents involved with selling property.
This also means having a professional on your team who knows the local area and maneuvers well through your community. It’s that local networking that brings in buyers’ agents and qualified buyers to get your listing off the market with swiftness.
Your agent’s goal is to work hard to get the best sale price possible for your home. In fact, according to a NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report for 2016, homes with listing agents sold for a median 98% of the final listing price. Those are pretty awesome stats!
A real estate agent is also responsible for acting as your advocate. This means dealing with delays and taking necessary steps to prevent mishaps and mistakes. That way, no time is wasted backtracking to complete or correct steps during escrow. So, escrow closes faster.
Choose an Agent Who Sells Homes in Atlanta Fast
Trying to meet a tight deadline to sell your home adds even more stress to an already tense situation. The pressure of having to get rid of your property because you’re in dire need of cash or just need out of the home quickly for one reason or another can be overwhelming, to say the least.
But if you work with the right local Atlanta real estate agent, you can find a qualified buyer prepared to close escrow fast. It’s just a matter of teaming up with an agent with the right local network to get the job done.
Kereen Henry is a local Atlanta REALTOR who proved she can sell your home fast.
Note from Atlanta Realtor Kereen Henry
I was already proud of my track record for getting listings sold fairly quickly. But 3288 Long Iron Place Lawrenceville, GA brings me true pride and joy. To get a listing under contract in just TWO DAYS took a lot of preparation, dedication and networking.
As the seller’s agent, using my network of local Atlanta brokers, agents, investors and potential buyers, it wasn’t hard to find someone qualified to act fast and buy now. I can’t promise all ATL sellers the same results. But I would love to work with other homeowners in the ATL, helping them sell as quickly as possible too.
Ready to find out what the Atlanta Real Estate Gurus can do to get your home sold fast? Talk to an expert agent you can trust. Call me, Kereen Henry, at (404) 210-1674. Or, click here to contact me online now.
