Thinking about listing your home this fall? Between high interest rates and the importance of staging, it’s essential to connect with a local expert. We’re here to impart the insights and advice you need to get your DC home sold before the last leaf falls. Keep reading for the keys to selling success in DC today!

At The Jenn Smira Team, we’ve helped sellers like you navigate every kind of market — and we’ve got the results to prove it, too.

How Long Will It Take to Sell My Home?

In today’s market, the average time until contract is between 20-30 days. This is mainly due to high interest rates. As rates tick below 7%, we are seeing the market accelerate, while rates above 7% typically hasten buyer momentum. Once rates dip back down, we anticipate bidding wars and heightened competition — although no one can predict exactly when that scene will transpire.

Our advice in the meantime for those looking to sell this fall? List your home early and set expectations that it might take a bit longer to sell. If that’s the case, remember that there’s nothing wrong with your home — it’s just a matter of price, presentation, and patience in this type of market.

About to sell your home? Check out these other blog posts for other tips!

• How Long Should You Wait to Sell Your DC Home?
• How to Sell a Tenant-Occupied Property
• Home Selling Mistakes to Avoid

How to Speed Up Your Sale

#1 Hire An Experienced Agent: When time is of the essence, you can’t afford to take a chance on an inexperienced housing professional. Instead, you’ll want to work with a real estate agent who knows your market and has advised sellers in your shoes before.

#2 Set A Competitive Price: No matter which type of market you’re selling in, pricing is everything. Your agent will use a comparative market analysis to see what homes like yours in the same area have sold for recently. From there, they will help calculate the price per square foot for these comparable sales, and together, you can come up with a sales price that works for everyone.

#3 Stage To Perfection: After you’ve cleaned and decluttered, you can make it even easier for buyers to envision themselves in your home with professional home staging.

Depending on your budget and moving timeline, stagers can work with what you have or supply rented furniture and decor. While it’s possible to stage a home yourself, professionals will have experience with layout and design, and they know the tricks that can win buyers over — so it might be worth the investment if you need to sell your home in a hurry.

In case you were wondering, agents say that buyers find the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen to be the most important areas to stage, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

#4 Heighten Curb Appeal: These days, the look and feel of a home’s outdoor spaces are more important than ever before. Whether it’s a charming front porch, an idyllic backyard patio, a cozy fire pit, or lush landscaping, attention paid to the al fresco spaces on your property can only enhance your home’s demand in the eyes of prospective buyers.

Looking for more tips on speeding up your home sale? Check out these other blog posts for helpful advice.

• What to Ask Your Realtor Before Selling
• Tips For Selling an Older House
• Why Marketing Matters as a Home Seller

#5 Follow Through On Repairs: If something needs to be repaired, fix it. Chances are you’ve become accustomed to your home’s flaws, but a home buyer will be less likely to overlook imperfections. Improve safety by fixing uneven or badly cracked cement on the front walk, repairing loose railings, and replacing broken windows and panes, which can raise security issues. Owner neglect will only lower the asking price or lengthen the time required to sell your house.

#6 Be Flexible With Showing Times: It can be a challenge balancing showing your home alongside a busy work and family schedule. However, if you can make your home available to see at any time for two weeks, there is a greater chance of it moving off the market.

Not yet sure if it’s the right time to make moves? Click here to learn how long you should wait to list your DC home.

Hoping to sell your DC area home? We can turn your dreams into a reality. Get in touch with us directly by calling 202.280.2060 or emailing us at jsmira@jennsmira.com today!