Finding a low-cost way to sell your home doesn’t have to be painful. Selling your home quickly lets you get on with the next phase of your life. It also gives you the peace of mind to know that you aren’t wasting time. With a little inside knowledge about how to sell your house fast in Grand Rapids, you’ll be able to get a great price for your home too.
Who buys houses in Grand Rapids?
The city of Grand Rapids is located in Kent County, Michigan. It’s a burgeoning city that’s the center of manufacturing and culture in West Michigan. Local universities are a big draw here too, with Kendall College of Art and Design nearby. Grand Valley State University, Aquinas College, and Thomas M. Cooley Law School are all close by. In the surrounding areas, there are more than a dozen colleges and universities. It’s the second-largest city in Michigan, just behind Detroit.
Families who come to this city the traditional way often find a professional service that specializes in helping homeowners who relocate to buy houses in Grand Rapids. The entire process can be overwhelming when an individual is dealing with moving a family member and changing jobs. Though a property address might seem like it’s a great neighborhood, when the family attends open houses they could find that the realtor commissions cost more money than they anticipated. On the other side, property owners who are dealing with burdensome houses are also in search of real estate solutions.
Choose the right selling strategy
You might be able to sell your home fast in this seller’s market. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as putting a sign in your yard. The key to selling your house fast in Grand Rapids is to pick the right selling strategy for your home and your financial situation.
The FSBO (for sale by owner) strategy is a great way to go if you have extra time in your life right now to put the work in. There’s a real satisfaction to doing it all yourself, from staging your home to weeding out potential buyers. Maybe you want to gain some life experience and like to get into the weeds. Lots of families are willing to buy houses in Grand Rapids from individual owners. Grand Rapids house owners who go this route can also sell to an investment firm to potentially get a fair offer for the house as is.
A real estate agent is a great option if you want a turnkey experience. It also works if you are willing to pay for it in real estate commissions and increased closing costs. An agent will take a hefty commission on the sale of your house. They’ll take their time matching you with a buyer, and you’ll be able to have a hands-off home sale. For home sellers in Michigan who don’t need a fast transaction and can sacrifice some of the profit from the home sale, a Grand Rapids real estate agent is the way to go.
Working with a cash home buyer is the third selling option for home sellers in Grand Rapids, MI. We buy houses companies offer a fast turnaround and a fair all cash offer. The closing date can come fast and closing costs are reduced if you do this to sell your Grand Rapids house. The process here is quick, from the initial consultation to the final sale. If you’re selling a home in Grand Rapids, this is a fantastic way for you to get in and out of the home selling process.
Clean your home thoroughly
No matter what selling strategy you choose, you’ll want to have a clean house to get market value. This not only allows potential buyers to see what the house really looks like, it also helps you to get ready for the upcoming move.
Image by Kari Shea via Unsplash
It can be challenging to know what to do in terms of cleaning and staging your home for sale, but here are the high notes of places you’ll want to clean.
- Declutter & box up items. Store them in the garage, basement, or a spare room
- Bathrooms – counters, tubs, and toilets
- Clear off kitchen counters
- Straighten the basement and garage
- Clean windows, both inside and out
- Straighten the inside of closets
- Steam clean carpets and scrub floors
If any of this is left unchanged from its current state, the whole process could be slowed down. To get top dollar for your house fast, the property needs to be in as good a condition as possible. People who are looking to buy houses in Grand Rapids need to be able to see the bones of the home. Problem solvers can pay someone a fair price to do repairs and clean the house thoroughly.
During the time that your home is on the market, it should always be presentable for potential buyers. This is a challenge for Michigan families with young children and busy professionals, so consider hiring a Grand Rapids home cleaning company to do the heavy lifting or even maintenance. It’s money well spent.
Though there are lots of homebuyers who will buy your Grand Rapids home as-is. Cleanliness will always help you get a fair cash price for your house, no matter the property address.
Improve the curb appeal of your home
The outside appearance of your home matters. This is one of the top things that you should consider when you’re selling your home in Grand Rapids because a first impression can mean a difference in the sale price and the quickness of the sale.
Image by Frankie via Unsplash
This can be as simple as new house numbers, clearing brush, pressure washing siding, and painting the front door. Potential buyers will absolutely factor in the way the front of your home looks, and they’ll pass by during both the day and in the evening. Leave outside lights on and clear away as much outside clutter as possible during the time your home is on the market.
A quick tip if you’re trying to sell your house fast in Grand Rapids is to take pictures during the winter. Michigan snow storms can leave a pristine look to your home. If you happen to be putting your house on the market in the winter, take advantage of how beautiful it looks with snow-covered trees! The lake effect snow from nearby Lake Michigan can make your home look even more beautiful to sellers.
Understand real estate timing
The top time of year to list your house for sale is in June and July in most places. For all of the hype about putting your house on the market during this time, it’s a bit of an overrated idea that timing is the ruler of all in real estate sales. Summer is absolutely a time of higher prices and faster sales, from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Charlotte, North Carolina, to Phoenix, Arizona, and everywhere in between.
The price of your home and the amount of time it takes to sell has a lot less to do with when you put your house on the market and a whole lot more to do with other factors. No matter when you list your home for sale, it’s critically important that you think about what’s going on in the market at the time of sale.
If you want to sell your Grand Rapids property address, whether you’re facing foreclosure or short-form problems, don’t hassle yourself about the timing. People are ready to pay homeowners who need to get rid of burdensome houses fast.
Sell your house fast in Grand Rapids in a “seller’s market”
A seller’s market is a time when homes are staying for sale for a shorter period of time and going for higher prices than would be expected. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the real estate market has exploded due to low supply and high demand.
Selling a home for cash during this climate is straightforward and there are lots of people ready to buy your home in Grand Rapids, whether it’s a cash buyer or a traditional real estate agent. For the last two years, through 2020 and 2021, more than eighty percent of homes have sold in less than a month. That’s extraordinary no matter which way you slice it.
It’s not just the high rate of sale of homes that’s a big deal right now. The average price of a home has increased almost fifteen percent in the last eighteen months.
Think about your next steps
Image credit: Troy Spoelma via Unsplash
The flip side of the seller’s market is the reality of buying a home to replace your current residence. The real estate market in Michigan is highly competitive. Families who want to get into a new home are at a disadvantage, even as they get a high price for their existing home.
Rising home prices coupled with a low inventory is a great combination for families selling their homes in Michigan.
