selling house

How to get more money when selling your house

Ian Mutuli
Updated on
Ian Mutuli

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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Are you in the process of trying to sell your house and want to get as much for it as you possibly can? Are you struggling to sell your house because no one will offer your asking price?

The idea of moving to a new house can be very exciting and is a chance to start over. But before you even get around to moving, you will probably need to sell your current house for as much as you can possibly get, in order to be able to pay for the new one. This may sound simple because people are constantly looking for new houses on the market and there is always someone who is wanting to move somewhere. However, if your house doesn’t have what people want, it may take a very long time to sell, or you may not get the  offers you are expecting.

If it is your first time selling a house, you may not know exactly what to do. If you are looking for assistance, here is how to get more money when selling your house.

Know the market

When it comes to selling your house, knowing the market if one of the most important factors. If you are in a place where there are more homes for sale, the price will usually drop quite a bit as sellers compete for buyers. This could also mean that at the current point in time, there isn’t a huge demand for houses in that area and that you should maybe wait a bit until the houses sell. If you don’t have time to do all of the reading, or are overwhelmed, a real estate agent, like the ones recommended by Top10RealEstateAgent, could easily help you to determine the best time and price to sell your house.  

Knowing the market also includes looking at home price appreciation, which shows you the rise and fall in house prices on the market. When you see a steep increase in the home price appreciation, it can be assumed that buyers are probably paying for houses than before.  Looking at the trends should help you decide the most appropriate price for you house in that current time.

Expecting to get what you ask for

Majority of the time, when selling your house, you will not get offers that are the asking price or more. Even though your asking price may be reasonable and well within the rage and variety that other houses in the area are selling for, people will always shoot their shot and aim for a much lower price. It is crucial to choose an asking price that is fair and reasonable but maybe slightly more than expected in order to end up with as close to expected amount as possible. Just don’t set the price too high as this will drive buyers away and discourage them from looking at your property.

If you keep waiting around for someone to put an offer on the house at your asking price, you may just end up never selling or waiting forever to sell.

Repair what is necessary

No one wants to buy a house at an expensive price if they are going to have to end up fixing a whole bunch of things after the purchase. Most people would prefer to purchase a fully functioning and well-designed house that does not need any further repairs, unless they are looking for a fixer upper and planning on transforming the whole house anyway.

My making small necessary repairs, like fixing cracks, repainting the walls, ensuring that the house meets health and safety standards, and other small projects around the house, you can increase the value of the property immensely.

Sell at the right time

Choosing the best time to sell is essential to when it comes to getting the maximum amount for your house, and also in order to sell your house relatively quickly and not leave you hanging around to months or even years on end. The market is always fluctuating, and so is the economy. This means that selling your house during a recession might be particularly difficult and you might not end up getting as much for your house if you are even able to sell it in the first place. The best time to sell your house is said to be around spring time as most people prefer to move in the warmer months of the year or when their children are out of school.

Ian Mutuli

About the author

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.