Wondering how to sell a home fast in South Jersey? Understanding the home-selling process is key to achieving a quick sale. And if you’re in the South Jersey area in particular, there are several things you should know about the housing market.
In this in-depth, 12-step guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about successfully selling your house in South Jersey.
You’ll learn how to capitalize on your most important investment, find the best South Jersey real estate agency for your needs, reduce stress, and take control of the home selling process.
Most importantly, this free home seller guide will help you sell a home fast and for the most amount of money possible.
First, Understand Why You Want to Sell in the First Place
Your home is probably your largest asset, so deciding to sell it is one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make.
Understanding your motivation will determine how you approach the selling process. It will influence your asking price, how much time you have to sell, and how much effort you’re willing to invest in preparing your home for sale.
If you’re looking for the fastest way to sell a South Jersey home, it might mean you’re willing to sell it as-is and sacrifice a higher sale price. But if you have a bit more time, you can invest in your home’s appearance and come away with top dollar.
There are many good explanations for why you might want to sell your home in South Jersey. Of course, no seller wants their home to sit on the market too long. But there are a number of circumstances that can drive someone to sell quickly out of necessity.
Such as:
- Transferring for a job
- Trading up to a bigger house
- Downsizing
- Looking for a lower mortgage payment
- You already have an offer on another home and don’t want to potentially be stuck with two homes
- Desiring a change of location
- Needing to be closer to family or medical facilities
- Going through a divorce
Once you know why you want to sell a home, it’s important to keep the reason between you and your real estate agency or realtor. Even if it seems harmless, there’s always a chance it could deter the buyer from purchasing your home.
How Can You Sell A Home Without Deterring Home Buyers?
Wanting to sell a home fast can automatically put you at a disadvantage when it comes time to negotiate the sale price.
The buyer will know you’re under pressure to get rid of the house fast and might try to give you a lowball offer.
For this reason, if the buyer ever asks you why you’re selling your home, it’s best to keep it vague and say your housing needs have changed.
But could a home buyer really be deterred from buying your home just because you want to downsize? Isn’t that a harmless enough reason to sell?
Below, we’ll look at each reason mentioned in the section above and examine what a potential buyer might think.
Transferring for a Job
This is a valid reason for needing to sell your home fast. But as mentioned above, a new buyer will think that you’re desperate.
After all, you don’t have much choice about when you have to move, so the sale of your home has to happen in a certain amount of time. This can ultimately cause the buyer to give you a lowball offer.
Trading up to a bigger house
If an interested buyer hears you want a bigger house, they might ask themselves if your home is too small for them, too.
Your home could be too small for you for several reasons. But ultimately, the buyer doesn’t need to know them. There’s no reason why the house wouldn’t be perfect for them.
If you’re looking to move up to a bigger home, the Nancy Kowalik Group is the best real estate agency in South Jersey to help you! Check out our Moving Up Guarantee to learn how we make buying a home in South Jersey easy and risk-free.
Downsizing
Your reasons for downsizing could be that you are an empty nester or going through a divorce.
But whatever the reason, you could give the buyer the impression that the home is high-maintenance. They might think the required upkeep is too much work and decide not to buy the home.
Looking for a lower mortgage payment
Working with a real estate agency in South Jersey to figure out what your home is worth is crucial before listing it.
Potential buyers will see what you originally paid for the home. But if your home is listed close to the original price you paid, it could make the buyer think it’s overpriced.
A potential buyer will see what you paid for the home. If it’s listed similar to the price you paid, it may trick the buyer into thinking the home you are selling is overpriced.
You already have an offer on another home
This is a classic dilemma that home sellers face: do they sell first, wait to buy, and risk potentially not finding a home in time? Or do they put in an offer on another home before they’ve sold their current one and risk having two homes at once – the real estate catch 22?
If a potential buyer knows you already have an offer on a new home, they’ll know you’re facing more pressure to get your old one sold quickly.
This could lead to them putting in a low offer. Having a Guaranteed Home Sale Program, like the one offered by Nancy Kowalik, will keep this from happening to you.
Desiring a change of location
Even something as simple as saying you want to sell a home fast because you want a change of location can plant doubt in a buyer’s mind.
They may start to wonder what’s wrong with the neighborhood that is making you want to leave. They could start looking for flaws in the area, whether real or imagined, and then have second thoughts about deciding to move there.
Needing to be closer to family or medical facilities
Just like with transferring for a job, needing to move for better access to medical facilities or to be closer to family can make the buyer see you as desperate. They’ll pick up on your urgency and be more likely to give you a low offer.
Why It’s Important to Research the Value of Your Home Before Listing
Choosing the perfect listing price is crucial to selling a home fast. A South Jersey real estate agency can help you research the housing market and come up with a good price based on other listings in the area.
A listing price is never set in stone– there is always the potential for negotiation. But as the seller, you want to sell for as close to the listing price as possible. So, when you set it, make sure you have an absolute minimum you’re willing to accept and a maximum you’d like to aim for.
An experienced real estate agency can help avoid an initial price that’s too high or low. Starting the list price too high comes with the risk of missing out on buyers because they don’t take your offer seriously. Pricing too low, on the other hand, means you could lose thousands in potential profits.
Knowing what recently-sold homes in your area went for will give you the knowledge you need to set the best listing price based on your location– and that’s something a South Jersey real estate agency can help you with.
If you’re wondering how to sell your house in South Jersey for top dollar, consider working with the Nancy Kowalik Group. Nancy makes it easy to protect yourself and get the most for your investment with her Seller Satisfaction guarantees.
How Do You Set a Listing Price to Sell a Home in South Jersey?
Setting an effective listing price for a South Jersey home depends on what area you live in and how you decide to sell.
For example, if your goal is to sell fast and for top dollar, it’s probably a better idea to work with a real estate agent as opposed to selling FSBO – For Sale By Owner.
Below, we’ll explore a few different scenarios and how they can impact the listing price of your home.
Subdivision Home
Living in a subdivision means it’s easy for buyers to compare your home to other properties in the area that recently sold or are currently on the market.
Based on those figures, they may assume your home is comparable to these other houses without taking into account any upgrades or differences that make your home worth more.
This could lead to them making an offer closer to the other homes rather than your initial asking price.
Older Neighborhood Home
Older neighborhoods mean there’s more potential for substantial differences between homes. For this reason, there may not be any homes that are really comparable to yours.
This only makes it more important to seek an expert real estate agent in South Jersey to help you with the pricing process.
For Sale By Owner strategy
Many people consider selling their homes on their own to save money on commission and other fees.
However, it’s worth noting that for sale by owner (FSBO) houses are more challenging to price in a way that sells fast and also gets top dollar. But if you want to go the FSBO route, the best thing you can do is check:
- What other homes in your area sold for over the past six months
- What homes currently on the market are listed for
- Any upgrades or special features your home has
It can be a good idea to attend open houses in your area to see what prices other homes are listed for and what they look like. Take note of aspects of the home like:
- Floor plans
- Overall condition
- Appearance
- Size of the lot
- Location
- Extra features
If you’re serious about selling a home in South Jersey, don’t price it higher than your neighbor’s unless you have more to offer.
You can also visit your local city hall to access public records on home sale information in your area. If you want to learn how to sell your home fast without an agent, read our report on How To Sell Your Home Without An Agent And Save The Commission!
How Do You Choose a Realtor to Sell a Home in South Jersey?
There are several realtor selection factors you should know about before interviewing a real estate agency.
Finding the perfect realtor is essential. While many people think they can sell their homes without one, it typically proves to be much more difficult than they originally thought.
In fact, The National Association of Realtors surveyed people who sold their homes independently and found that two-thirds of them said they wouldn’t do it again. The primary reasons included:
- Setting a price
- Marketing handicaps
- Liability concerns
- Time constraints
This is why choosing the right realtor to sell a home fast for the most money is so important.
But not all realtors are the same! Before you pick a realtor in South Jersey, take a look at our report on Questions Real Estate Agents Hate. You’ll learn tips for interviewing agents and asking the questions they’d prefer you didn’t ask.
Appearance is Everything if You Want to Sell a Home Fast
If you want to get your South Jersey home sold quickly, don’t ignore its appearance! A home that looks and feels nice, clean, and modern will generate an emotional response in the buyer. This will ultimately result in the house selling much more easily.
Prospective home buyers react to what they see, hear, feel, and smell. Buying a home is partly an emotional buy, so they need to be able to envision themselves living there.
Deep Clean and Make Repairs
It goes without saying that your home needs to be spotless. The best thing you can do is hire a professional deep cleaning service to get rid of dust, shampoo carpets, polish hardwood floors, and clean every corner of your home.
Likewise, repairs should also be a top priority. Whether major or minor, invest the time in taking care of anything that needs to be fixed because you never know which one of these issues could be deal-killers.
Remember, you’re not just competing with other resale homes. Buyers will also be looking at brand-new ones as well, so you’ll want to make sure your home looks as close to perfect as possible and it will pass a home inspection.
Make Sure to Get Rid of Odors
Obviously, nobody enjoys the smell of nasty odors. Odd smells like traces of food, pets, and smoke can kill deals quickly.
If you have any stubborn odors, consider replacing carpets or painting the walls to get rid of them. Don’t risk leaving any clues behind.
Understand the Buyer’s Motivation
If you know why a potential buyer is buying, you’ll be able to better control the pace and duration of the negotiation process and ensure you get a desirable outcome.
For example, does your buyer need to move quickly? If so, you can use that information to give you leverage at the negotiation table. Knowing what motivates them enables you to get the highest possible price. And ultimately, you’ll be in a better position to sell your home fast in South Jersey and come away with top dollar.
Know How Much They Can Afford
Understanding how much your buyer can afford, as well as their closing timeline, will give you an edge in negotiations.
For example, try to find out how much money the buyer is qualified to borrow and how much of a down payment they can afford to make.
Then, if they try to make you a low offer during negotiations, you can ask their real estate agent about their ability to pay what your home is worth.
When it comes to a time frame to close the deal, home buyers often like to close on their terms. Knowledge of their ideal deadline gives you another negotiating advantage for selling your house fast.
Selling your home in your time frame with no risk can make the negotiation process much easier.
What Should You Do if You Get a Low Offer on Your Home?
It’s common for the first offer on your home to be lower than the listing price. Typically, it’s below what you and the buyer both know they’ll end up paying. If you get a low offer, there are a couple of tips you should keep in mind.
Evaluate the Offer Objectively
If your first offer is low, the last thing you want to do is to panic or take it personally. Instead, take the time to evaluate the offer objectively as you would do with any other offer, rather than just dismissing it straight off the bat. Consider whether:
- It clearly spells out the offering price
- There’s a sufficient deposit on the down payment
- What the mortgage amount is
- There’s a proposed closing date
- If there are any special requests
This will provide a starting point from which you can negotiate.
Be Prepared to Turn it Around
You can turn that low offer around with a counter offer. Negotiate a new offer that’s just under your asking price. This lets the buyer know that you’re not taking their first offer seriously and there isn’t much room for negotiation around the original listing price.
Sticking as close to the original listing price will ensure you’re only spending time at the negotiation table with serious home buyers. And when you’re dealing with serious buyers, you’ll have a much better chance of selling your home fast.
Of course, if for some reason your home still does not sell, your real estate agency can give you a hand. If you’re selling a home in the South Jersey area, reach out to Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Nancy Kowalik Group for the guidance you need to sell your house fast.
How to Calculate Your Listing Price to Sell a Home Fast
Anyone who’s sold a home before knows that calculating a reasonable listing price is not a flippant choice– it depends on a variety of market factors.
This is where finding a real estate agency in South Jersey is a critical step. Realtors have access to exclusive information on the housing market in your area that helps them come up with a reasonable listing price.
For example, realtors use the Multiple Listing Services (MLS) database, which is a unique source of information only available to realtors. This is why working with your realtor to help you calculate the sale price of your home is the fastest way to get it to sell.
Should You Sell a Home For Cash?
Selling a home for cash is a great way to sell it fast and get top dollar. It also means you can buy a new home without taking on any new debt. However, many sellers wonder where they can find cash home buyers in the first place.
Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Nancy Kowalik Group has the ability to find a pool of cash home buyers ready to buy your home. We can match your home up to our buyers instantly.
Our marketing systems and consumer programs automatically find the most qualified prospects for your home. We won’t ask you to leave your home until we find a pre-qualified cash home buyer who is genuinely interested in your home and is ready to buy it now!
The Nancy Kowalik Group is the Best Real Estate Agency to Sell a Home in South Jersey
The Nancy Kowalik Group is an award-winning real estate team in South Jersey. Nancy and her team have years of professional experience serving the Blackwood and Mullica Hill housing markets.
They have a proven track record for selling homes fast and for top dollar. Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Nancy Kowalik Group is consistently ranked at the best realtors in South Jersey.
That’s not an empty promise– it’s a fact based on the numbers. Whether the market is hot or cold, Nancy’s ability to sell homes is legendary.
- The team sells houses 70% faster than average agents
- Their database of pre-qualified buyers has thousands of people looking for a home like yours
- They may even sell your home before listing it on the market
You can’t sell a home any faster than that. If you want to get started, the best thing to do is to use Nancy’s home evaluation tool free of charge. This will give you an accurate estimate of your home’s value that you can use as you start planning the sale of your home.
Don’t take our word for it, here are two very happy clients.
Reach Out to Us to Sell Your Home Fast in South Jersey
Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Nancy Kowalik Group is the best realtor in South Jersey to sell your home. Call us at (856) 478-6562 or email us at Nancy@NancyKowalik.com.
Or, if you would like more information on how to sell your home fast, just fill out the form below to have our professional team go over the process with you step-by-step.
We look forward to working with you on your home selling journey!