It’s absolutely possible to sell a property fast if you’re well prepared, and if you take all the steps you can to attract buyers.

Should you decide to go through a quick home buyer, the sale can actually complete in as little as 7 days (with a 1-day exchange and cash advances available through firms like Property Solvers).

However, if you plan to sell via an estate agent, or if you’re putting your property up for auction, you’ll need to attract interest from house hunters to help the process move faster.

So – how do you prepare to sell your house in a week? In this article, we provide a few vital tips to help you get an offer fast.

Selling Your House in a Week – Getting Started

Depending on the method of house sale you are planning, there are a number of different ways to begin.

You may need to find a suitable estate agent or get in touch with an auction house, for example. You’ll almost always need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor (unless you’re going down the quick homebuying route).

Another key step is to arrange a valuation. Estate agencies and auction houses often use their own surveyors to inspect your property.  Most sellers go for 3 valuations.

It's Common for House Sellers to Obtain 3 Estate Agent Valuation

However, you may decide to arrange your own valuation checks independently as well. This second opinion may allow for a greater level of accuracy.

The results of your valuation will reveal any major maintenance issues and should give a clear idea of your property’s current value.  Remember to do your own research (there are plenty of free resources online for you to check).

How to Get My House Ready to Sell in The Next 7 Days

Once you’ve undertaken the above preparations, it’s time to find out how to get your house ready to sell in the next 7 days.

Here are some of the steps you can take to make your property easily discoverable and attractive to buyers:

1. Deep Clean and De-Clutter

A messy and disorganised property does not say “I am ready to sell my house this week”. It also makes it much more difficult for potential buyers to picture their belongings placed comfortably in each space.

Before you make your home available for viewings, you need to clear away all bric-a-brac and carefully clean each room. Try to clear out your storage areas as much as you can too.

2. Fix and Update

If any of your spaces or their fixtures look a little worn, you should spruce them up a little. Give your walls a fresh coat of paint, sand any chips in wooden furniture, tighten screws and give everything a good polish.

Complete any maintenance jobs you’ve let fall by the wayside and generally try to make the place look like new.

You should also tend to your garden and any outbuildings or external features to improve your curb appeal.

3. Stage Your Property

If you’ve already moved out and emptied your house, you can add to its appeal with a little “property staging”.

This technique is becoming ever more popular. It involves “dressing” or furnishing a house for sale to make it appear as attractive and desirable as possible. There are even companies that specialise in furniture hire for this specific purpose.

Staging can be very powerful, as it makes a home look stylish and comfortable without having the current owner’s personal effects on display. This will help viewers to imagine it as their own home instead of someone else’s.

Tips on How You Can Get Your House Ready to Sell in 7 DaysTips on How You Can Get Your House Ready to Sell in 7 Days

4. Take Great Pictures

While most estate agencies will create images of your property on your behalf, it’s also possible to do this yourself. After all, you know your home better than anyone and will have more opportunity to capture it looking its best.

Try to choose a bright and sunny day, and let in as much natural light as possible. Make sure every room looks neat and clean, then go around taking pictures room by room. If you have a good camera, so much the better – but high quality phone images may also be acceptable.

Never use filters or special lenses, as savvy house hunters will see that you’re trying to enhance your spaces artificially. Instead, choose a corner of each room from which you can capture as much as possible.

You should also include images of unique or period features – and a picture of the best view from the property. Finally, you should always take a picture of the home’s façade from the road. An accurate floor plan and the home’s energy rating should also be displayed with your images.

5. Promote Your Property

Once your its listing goes live, there’s a great deal you can do to sell your house quickly. One great approach is to promote it on social media. Share the link to your home’s description on all platforms, using the right hashtags and handles. Don’t forget to name the local area.

6. Be Available and Responsive

If you’re happy to accept viewings at any time, you’ll be more likely to receive an offer fast. Try to be as flexible as you can.

You should also be ready to respond to estate agent or solicitor questions and send all required paperwork as quickly and efficiently as possible. This removes any hold-up at your end of the process.

7. Remove the Chain

If you can move out of your property and into rental accommodation, or even your new place, there will be no “chain” at your end. This means you won’t be delayed in moving out once you’ve accepted an offer.

Fast Home Buying Services

The above guidance is extremely handy if you wish to know how to sell your house as quickly as possible via traditional routes.

Of course, if you choose live auction as the method of sale, there will be a set date upon which all bidding will take place. As long as there is interest in your home, you’ll be able to enter into a legally binding contract of sale on that date, but not before.

This means you won’t be able to get your home sold any faster than the auction house allows.

You can certainly influence the speed at which your property sells via an estate agent, but there is always the risk that the process may take up to six months – or even more – from putting your home on the market to exchanging contracts.

What if you really only have a week to sell your house?

The Quickest Option

In instances of this kind, you might prefer to use a fast home buying company such as Property Solvers. Our agents will provide you with a no obligation, up front cash offer of up to 75% of your home’s fair market value.

If you’re happy to accept, we’ll purchase your property from you there and then, closing in as few as seven days. Because we’ll be the ones buying your house, there will be no chain on – and you won’t have to wait around for viewers to express interest. There will also be no risk of the buyer dropping out, and you won’t have any estate agency or solicitor fees to pay.

The above tips on how to sell your house in one week should help you get your sale out of the way and offer you peace of mind moving forward.

If you’d like any further information about Property Solvers’ services, or further advice on how to quickly sell your house, simply contact us today. We’ll be happy to assist you.