Find out why we're Houston's most trusted home buyers.
How Long Will It Take to Sell My House?
Most people who want to sell a Houston house do so quickly. However, there is no way to predict how much time it’ll take to sell your home. Every case is different. This isn’t good news for homeowners who are trying to plan a relocation.
Still, there are different factors you can evaluate which will help you make an educated guess about the future of your home. From there, you can take steps to sell your home faster if you need to.
Current Averages
In general, you should start with current home sale averages. These can change rapidly in response to the economy, the local home inventory, and other unpredictable issues. It will take longer if you’re selling your home in winter, but you may luck out if you’re selling during the ultra-short “golden period” (May 1 to May 15).
Currently, homes stay on the market for an average of 65 days. In some markets, that average could plunge to 21 days. In others, the time can rise to as many as 120 days, or even 190 days.
In Dallas the current average is 39. In Houston, it’s 55 days. This isn’t great news if you need to sell in a hurry.
Factors Influencing the Average
There are a lot of factors that will influence whether you sell faster or slower than average.
The first is the home price. If you overprice the home you could be waiting a long time to get it sold. The truth is you may not sell your home for as much as you bought it for.
The second factor is the condition of your home.
Homes that are in top-notch condition usually sell faster than homes which need a lot of work. Most buyers will want you to fix the problems before they agree to purchase the home, which means you could be paying a lot of money out of pocket before you see a single dime from the sale.
The fourth factor is the home’s location, which you can’t help. If you’re in a desirable neighborhood then you can expect to sell faster.
If the neighborhood has deteriorated (or just been upstaged by cooler, hipper neighborhoods) since you first moved in then you may have a problem on your hands. Neighborhood trends change from year-to-year, so there’s no way to know where you’ll stand until you are truly ready to sell.
The fifth factor is completely out of your control. Sometimes selling your home quickly boils down to luck!
How to Sell Faster
You have two options:
- One option is to make the home as attractive as possible by fixing everything that’s wrong with it before you contact a realtor. You’ll then want to take the time to get it staged like a showroom. Finally, you’ll want to make the price as attractive as possible, which may mean pricing it a bit lower than the other homes in the neighborhood…a move which may sting quite a bit after you’ve poured all that money into making it sparkle and shine.
- The other option is to contact a reputable real estate investor who will give you an “as-is” option in cash. This is the best option for people who are truly in a hurry to sell, since we can often get the deal done in as little as 7 days. You won’t even have to clean your home if you don’t want to. You’ll get a cash offer in 24 hours, and have plenty of time to move out of your home.
If you’ve taken a look at the market and you’ve already determined that the average time to sell is much longer than your own timeline then it’s one of the easiest ways to solve your problem. And when you work with very good real estate investors you can be sure that your offer will be a fair one.
Want to see what we can offer for your home? Contact us today to get this process rolling. You could have your home sold in no time.
