Are you looking into selling a vacant home and wondering how you can ensure you get the best price, and manage to sell the house quickly and efficiently? Selling an empty house isn’t always easy, but our tips can help you to approach it in the best possible way, enabling you to get top dollar and also avoid costs related to constantly having to market the house. There are a lot of questions (and a lot of myths) out there when it comes to selling up. Does an empty house sell faster? Are people more likely to notice flaws? Are there risks involved? We get to the bottom of these issues. The house might be vacant for a number of reasons.
Potential Problems with a Vacant House
What are some of the issues that can arise when you are selling a house that is completely vacant?
- Theft. Although you might not have much left in the home to steal, some people might still try their luck. On top of that, people might even steal raw materials from your home, such as pipes.
- Vandalism is another potential issue. Depending on the area where you are living, some people might see an empty property as a canvas for vandalism.
- Problems selling. This is rare, as a vacant house is often seen as a good thing, but some people struggle to see the house as “their own” if there is nothing there when they view it. It makes it harder to visualize living there.
Selling an Empty House – Tips On a Safe Sale
The following tips can help you to ensure a fast sale and one that is trouble-free, without the financial implications of a break-in.
View this post on Instagram
Don’t let the house look fully empty
This is not always the most straightforward thing if you have taken all your belongings out of the house ready to move. Leaving the curtains drawn is not really an option as it can be a telltale sign, but a bit of clever “staging” can make the house appear as if it might still be lived in. Using some boxes to make what looks like a table or couch might seem silly, but it can be quite effective when it comes to ensuring an empty home isn’t too obvious. If your home has smart technology, you could even make lights come on for a few minutes every hour or two, just to scare potential intruders away. Other telltale signs that nobody is living there, and things that get criminals interested, include mailboxes filling up and newspapers not getting collected. It is worth ensuring that this doesn’t happen, or that you get these removed so that it isn’t obvious that there’s nobody in the house.
Contact your neighbors and local police
Before you move out, be sure to tell your neighbors that you are moving. This way, they can alert the authorities if they see anyone in your home or suspiciously checking out what they might be able to take from inside. If you do plan to come back regularly to check on the place, let your neighbors know, so they don’t mistake you collecting mail as an intruder. If you have an understanding police force, they might even be willing to take extra care when they are out and about and try to check on the property. It’s better for them to show the public that they are watching, rather than risk having to deal with lots of paperwork in the future or chasing arrests if something happens.
Discuss the process with your agent
Talk to your agent about selling an empty house. Selling an empty home is a fairly regular occurrence for them, but if you really want to sell your house quickly, there might be things you can do to try and entice buyers. Be careful with hosting an open house, or similar events, but if this is done correctly it can drum up interest in your home, which means a quicker sale and less worrying about the safety of the home itself.
Find an investor or property investment company
The best way to sell an empty home is to sell it quickly! The house is not doing you any good if it is just sitting dormant, so trying to find a buyer for a quick sale can be your answer. An investor, or property investment company, could be your ideal option. This way, you don’t have to constantly be thinking about the property or managing it from afar, which isn’t viable for everyone. In some cases, a property investment company can provide you with an offer and follow up with cash as quickly as a week or so later. They have a fund ready for buying properties, and this means they are in a position to provide you with an offer quickly. This also gives you the option to sell your house “as is”, which is ideal if you have inherited it, for instance, and you want to move it on without having to do a lot of work. Selling an empty house is awkward, but if you find a way to shift it quickly, the hassle can be greatly reduced, plus you won’t have to pay the bills or tax on a property nobody is using at that moment in time.
