How to Sell a House Fast if You Have Pets

Posted on September 27, 2019September 29, 2019 by Sell Property Fast Cash

A range of issues can affect your ability to sell a house fast — and one of them is the presence of pets. While your pet might be part of the family, it’s very presence might put prospective buyers off.

Smells, messes and general disruption are just a few of the reasons why a lot of buyers prefer properties that haven’t been home to cats or dogs.

But there are ways to mitigate these biases. You CAN sell a house fast if you have pets — and here’s how.

Keep pets out of view during viewings

Although you might not like it, keeping your pets away during property viewings is the easiest way to overcome this issue. When you have a viewing scheduled, get someone to take your pet for a while. Sometimes, the mere presence of an animal in a home puts buyers off. So remove the pet from the equation — along with its possessions.

Remove and manage smells

If you’ve lived with your pet for some years, you may have become immune to the resultant odours. And certain pet smells can be very off-putting to buyers.

The easiest way to manage smells is to avoid carpet and upholstery. If you have them, however, make sure they’re steam cleaned regularly. You might also want to restrict your pet’s access to these surfaces when you’re welcoming prospective buyers into your home.

Remove any pet-related stains from your carpets and upholstered furniture. These issues can affect how people feel about your home generally. If you can’t remove carpet stains, buyers are very unlikely to want to keep the carpet when you move out. And that damages your chances of a quick sale at the best possible price.

You can use air fresheners, but don’t overdo it. Too much can be overpowering. And buyers will wonder what you’re trying to mask.

Repair damage caused by pets

Cats and dogs love to play and explore. Unfortunately, these pets cause damage to various surfaces and items of furniture over time. A cat, for example, might have taken to sharpening its claws on your dining table legs. A dog might like to use your cushions as a toy.

Repair or replace anything that is obviously damaged. Failing that, hide the damage during viewings. They’re all things you’ll be taking with you, so you’re not being dishonest. But the damage might raise concerns among your prospective buyers.

Tidy the garden

Whether you have a cat or a dog, the chances are your pet spends a lot of time outside your home. First impressions count when it comes to selling a house fast. If that first impression involves dog mess, untidiness and chaos, your chances of securing a fast sale diminish considerably.

Clean up any mess, tidy up, repair any external damage and generally “de-pet” the exterior areas of your home.

Bypass the open property market

If your home has obvious signs of a pet’s presence, you may not have the time or money to put things right. But that’s OK, as Sell Property Fast Cash can help. We buy homes in any condition.

We work with cash buyers who are ready to proceed today. And they don’t care about cleanliness and cosmetic issues caused by household pets.

How Can I Sell My House Fast?

Posted on September 22, 2019 by Sell Property Fast Cash

The average house sale takes around three to four months to complete. But if your local property market is depressed, the process can take considerably longer.

What happens if you need to sell a house fast? Perhaps you need to stop your lender repossessing your property? Maybe you need to relocate for a new job. Whatever the reason for needing a quick sale, you need to know what one looks like before you can achieve it.

Finding a buyer

This is often the most difficult part of selling a home. It involves marketing, property viewings and price negotiations. Some buyers may make an offer, then withdraw it soon after. Others will waste a lot of your time without making any offer at all.

Even when you’ve accepted an offer, the buyer needs time to instruct a conveyancer and arrange the necessary surveys and searches. This can leave you, as the seller, feeling helpless. The lack of certainty is difficult to manage when your future hinges on a speedy and profitable sale.

Then you have to complete the various questionnaires, obtain an Energy Performance Certificate and answer any questions the buyer might have. Make no mistake: this is a lengthy process. If you can get everything done within a month, you’re doing well.

And what happens if a survey highlights some problems with your home. You may have to make repairs or alterations before selling — costing you time and money you may not have.

Exchange of contracts

Once all of the necessary checks and paperwork are complete, a date can be set for the exchange of contracts. Once you’ve done this, there’s no going back.

But what happens if your buyer’s circumstances change before the contract exchange? Their property sale might fall through, or they might lose their job. You’re at the mercy of the buyer. If you need to sell your house quickly, there’s very little you can do to move things along.

Listing your home for sale is only the first stage of a long, drawn-out and unpredictable process. Almost anything can go wrong along the way. And if your house sale is delayed by just a few days, your plans for the future could be left in tatters.

Is there a way to sell a house faster?

The best way to guarantee a fast house sale is to bypass the property market altogether. This way, you don’t have to waste time on marketing, property viewings, negotiations and lengthy conveyancing processes.

Sell my house fast — But how do you avoid the property market when selling houses? The answer is simple: you sell to a national home buyer such as Sell Property Fast Cash.

We work with partners across the UK to buy houses fast. If you accept our free, no-obligation offer, we might be able to exchange contracts with you within the week.

So, selling to a house buying company like Sell Property Fast Cash takes away a lot of the uncertainty and delay, so you can quickly sell your house. And you don’t have to worry about niggling repairs or renovations. We buy houses in any condition.

If you need a fast house sale, contact one of our property experts today. We never make promises we can’t keep, and we never reduce an initial offer at the last minute. And wherever possible, we aim to complete the purchase of a home within a month — often less.

What’s the best time to sell a house?

Posted on September 18, 2019June 21, 2020 by Sell Property Fast Cash

Several factors combine to dictate the health of the property market. But one issue that many sellers forget about is the seasonal nature of the housing sector.

The UK property market experiences periods of high and low activity. The good news is that there’s a pattern involved. By delaying or bringing forward your house sale, you might be able to sell the property fast and for a premium.

But what’s the best time of year to sell a house in the UK? While there are always exceptions to every rule, the facts are pretty clear.

The summer is a relatively slow time for the property market

We all have different priorities in our lives. But there are times of the year when we’re more distracted than usual. Take the summer months of July and August, for example. This is when a lot of people go on holiday or spend lots of time with family.

As well as being distracted, people tend to be a little short on cash at this time of year. Why? Because they’re spending a greater proportion of their income on leisure activities. Saving for a deposit or all the various costs of house selling is rarely a priority.

Another reason for the house sale slump during the summer months is the school holiday. Children are at home for anything between five and eight weeks at this time of year. This means parents are too busy supervising their kids and keeping them occupied to worry about buying a new home.

The Christmas period is also a slow month for the property market

From around the middle of November, a huge number of homeowners in the UK start planning their Christmas. This takes the focus away from buying property. And it changes people’s spending priorities. Let’s face it: would you want to move into a new house just a week or two before Christmas?

And don’t expect things to pick up immediately after New Year. Buyers are counting the cost of the festive period. They’re hunkering down in their existing homes, waiting for spring. All in all, the Christmas period and the first six weeks or so of the new year aren’t great times to sell a house fast.

But there is an upside to selling during the winter months. Homes are usually at their cosiest and most homely when they’re lit up and warm. You can create a refuge from the winter winds that might prove very appealing at this time of year.

What is the best time of year for a fast house sale?

A good time of year for selling houses is autumn. Summer holidays and leisure activities are finished, and children are back to school. With Christmas still some way off, people have space (and money) in their lives for buying a new home.

But the best time of year to list a house for sale in the UK is early spring. Why? Because people are planning new beginnings. The kids are in school, the days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and Christmas is a distant memory. Also, a lot of buyers want to be in their new home well in advance of summer.

Of course, there’s little evidence to suggest homes are worth more in the spring than they are in the winter. However, there are times of the year when buyers are more numerous. And when that’s the case, you can engineer bidding contests to drive up the sale price.

Unfortunately, we can’t always sell our home at the best time of the year. If you need a quick house sale now, SellPropertyFastCash can help. We buy homes directly from owners throughout the UK, and we take care of all the legal stuff on your behalf. You get to sidestep the marketing and negotiating stages of the process — saving you time, fees and a great deal of stress.

Can I avoid gazumping?

Posted on September 17, 2019June 21, 2020 by Sell Property Fast Cash

Gazumping is when a house seller accepts a higher offer after they have accepted an offer from another buyer. The original buyer is left “gazumped”, often after paying for surveys, searches and legal work.

The phenomenon became popular during the 1980s. And although it’s in decline in England and Wales, it’s still a problem. According to Emoov.co.uk, a quarter of the people who bought a home in 2018 were gazumped. The previous year, more than a quarter of would-be buyers befell the same fate.

While legislation might solve the problem in the future, there are a few things you can do to avoid being gazumped.

Organise your finances

The best way to avoid being gazumped is to get your finances and legal issues organised in advance. If you can minimise the time between agreeing on a sale and the exchange of contracts, the chances of being gazumped reduce dramatically.

The measures you can take to avoid gazumping include:

Secure your mortgage “agreement in principle” before you make an offer
Appoint a solicitor or conveyancer
Make sure you have all the relevant ID and paperwork ready
Get your property on the market early
Price your property for a reasonably quick sale
Where possible, wait until an offer is made on your home before you put in your offer

Insist that the property is taken off the market

As soon as your offer is accepted, stress that it’s on the proviso that the property is taken off the market immediately. And get this in writing. This should give you some legal protection if the seller accepts a higher offer at the last minute.

Ask for the “For Sale” signs to be removed, along with property listings in shops, local publications and the Internet. But remember: the seller doesn’t have to do any of this. If they refuse, proceed with caution.

Keep the process moving swiftly

It’s vitally important that you’re always available to answer questions and sign paperwork. Any delays can increase the chances of being gazumped before contracts are exchanged. Stay in regular contact with your solicitor and mortgage lender. They won’t be as keen to protect your interests as you are.

Strike up a rapport with the sellers

There’s always the chance the homeowner will suddenly accept a significantly higher offer. And, right now, there isn’t much you can do about it. But if you’re on first-name terms with the owners, they’re more likely to regard you as people rather than faceless buyers. Offer a hand of friendship. Strike up a few conversations. Above all, make friends with them.

Get insurance

While you might be confident of the deal going through, you should never take chances. Buying a house costs several hundred — sometimes thousand — pounds. If you get gazumped, you stand to lose almost everything you’ve spent until that point.

Just in case the worst happens, take out specialist home buyers protection insurance. This will cover your loss of upfront expenses, which include mortgage costs, surveys and conveyancing fees.

Buy at auction

If money or time is tight, consider buying your next home at auction. While this route presents its risks, gazumping isn’t one of them. Once your offer is accepted, you sign the initial paperwork and pay the deposit almost immediately.

Sell your home to a national homebuyer

A delay in the sale of your house increases the risk of being gazumped. To speed up the process, sell your property to a national homebuyer such as Sell Property Fast Cash. This negates the need for marketing, negotiations and protracted conveyancing processes. You’ll get up to 100 per cent of your home’s market value, and the quick sale you need to minimise the chances of being gazumped on your next purchase.

Tag: selling a home