If you’re getting ready to list your St. Louis home, there are a few things you can do to accelerate the sale. You don’t want your home sitting on the market too long, and often, buyers are eager to close the deal as speedily as possible. Rushing the sales process is never a good idea, but here are a few safe and proven methods to get your home to sell faster without cutting any corners:

Depersonalize Wherever Possible

Once you’ve made the decision to sell, it’s only natural that you’d like to do it as quickly as possible. However, before you list the property, it’s a good idea to give your home some attention before putting it on the market. One of the first things you’ll want to do is depersonalize a bit. This doesn’t mean you need to eliminate all the character and personality from your home, but you want to make it easier for prospective buyers to imagine themselves living there. Things like packing up family photos, repainting a boldly colored room, and stowing away the dog bed can all help. You want your home to retain all of its charm and warmth while leaving it more of a blank canvas that buyers can imagine themselves in.

Stage the Interior

After you’ve removed some of the personal flourishes, you’ll want to think about the other contents of your home. For sellers concerned with storage space, you want to show that your home has ample storage. Start by removing any clutter. A potential buyer won’t be able to appreciate the size of a room if it’s over-stuffed and they won’t be able to envision the spaciousness of your closets if they’re full to the brim. Hiring a professional staging company can be incredibly helpful, but it’s not in everyone’s budget. So, think like a home-stager yourself — picture an empty room and build from there with what you have. Anything that’s not necessary for the room to make sense should go.

Clean Thoroughly

While cleanliness is a strong selling point, dirt, dust, and grime can push away potential buyers. Again, you’re going for a result that let’s buyers imagine themselves in the space. A high percentage of buyers want to purchase a home they can move into right away, and cleanliness promotes that feeling. Of course, pet hair and odor need to be addressed. You should also wash the windows to let in more light, and make sure the counters in the kitchen and bathrooms are pristine. A perfectly clean space will feel good to buyers, and it can help you get a quicker sale.

Take First-Class Listing Photos

Just about every buyer today begins their house-hunting online, from the comfort of their homes. Since they have the ability to preview dozens of homes in a few minutes, your listing photos matter more than ever. How can you stand out from the competition? If you want to grab the attention of prospective buyers, you’ll need high-definition, eye-catching photos. If you have the budget, a professional can usually take the best pictures (they also likely have better equipment to take the pictures with). If you’re doing it yourself, maximize the natural light and spaciousness in each room without manipulating what it actually looks like.

Selling your home quickly doesn’t need to cost you any additional money. In fact, most of these ideas are free and the others are very inexpensive (apart from bringing in professionals). Whatever budget you’re working with, these tips are worth keeping in mind.

If you’d like to talk more about selling your home faster, or if you need a mortgage pre-approval or a recommendation for an experienced, local Realtor, please reach out. I’d be happy to help in any way I can.