While the condo lifestyle can be very appealing to a lot of people, you may eventually find yourself interested in selling your Houston condo fast. Lifestyle changes, repair or damage issues, or any other number of reasons may make you consider selling quickly. If that’s the case, it’s important to know there are some critical differences between selling a house and selling a condo. Condos come with their own unique appeals as well as challenges that certain buyers will be enticed by more than others. You can always avoid the hassles and uncertainty of the open market by selling your condo as-is to a cash buyer. However, if you want to proceed with a sale on the market, let’s take a closer look at the right steps to take when selling a condo fast in Houston, Texas.
Tips on Selling A Condo In Houston
Know When To Sell Your Houston Condo
Condos aren’t as market-dependant on typical homes, so there is a built-in benefit to owning one if you decide you want to sell. The reason that condos can sometimes sell faster is that they are smaller, have fewer costs, and include fewer maintenance costs than a larger house. That said, the housing market is still the housing market. You never quite know what the whims of buyers and the state of the market will do to your condo prospects, so make sure you’re keeping an eye on conditions before listing. If you decide to sell your Houston condo with a real estate agent, they should provide you with some insight on the market.
You also want to be cognizant of who your potential buyers are. Because your condo is located in Houston, Texas, you might want to tailor your marketing towards those looking for a second residence for vacations or looking to downsize. Perhaps the tourist season plays a role in the kind of price you can get. There are a lot of factors to consider when selling your condo in Houston and you’ll want to make sure you do your homework. Otherwise, your condo could sit on the market for months and you’re left paying for it over that entire time.
Setting the Stage in Your Houston Condo
If you’ve seen one condo, you’ve seen them all. Well, that’s not entirely true, but condos can certainly have more of a cookiecutter feel to them, especially when the furniture has been removed and it’s just empty space. That can make it harder to get your Houston condo to stand out from the crowd, especially if there are other units in your complex for sale.
Since you want to sell you condo fast, you’re going to need to make it stand out. That means you’re going to want to give it a good cleaning, potentially by a cleaning crew if you can afford it. You’re also going to want to take care of any needed repairs, like leaky faucets or cracks in the walls. And you’re going to want to do some decluttering because while you want the condo to feel lived-in, you don’t want potential buyers to only be able to see you in it.
Since condos tend to be smaller than the average house, it can get cramped if certain furniture and features are taking up too much space or are staged poorly. You want to create as much space as possible in order to make the place feel large. So you’ll want to remove anything that isn’t essential to living there or isn’t essential for a buyer to consider. Get rid of memorabilia, knick-knacks, and furnishings that don’t appeal to general sensibilities.
If you have the time and money, you can now give your condo a fresh coat of paint, clean out the grout in the bathroom, and perhaps even replace the cabinet doors in the kitchen. The point is, use this time to fix what’s essential and upgrade things that will make buyers think twice. Older furnishings and small problems can reflect larger issues to potential buyers, and since you don’t have curb appeal to wow them, you need to make sure they like the first impression they see inside.
Start Marketing Your Houston Condo
Now that your condo is in good shape and you’ve sorted out the damage or disrepair, it’s time to start marketing your condo to Houston buyers. Since your condo is likely part of a larger building or complex, you’re going to want to put some focus on the amenities and features included therein. That makes it a bit different from selling a house as you’re often focusing strictly on the house in that situation.
When it comes to selling a condo in Houston on the open market, you’re looking to connect with buyers who want a hassle-free living experience that includes lots of amenities. That means they want to know what comes with living in your complex. So if there are things like a pool, gym, co-working space, snack room, or pet area, you’re going to want to highlight these things in your marketing efforts. What is the parking situation like? Are there concierge services? Is the location convenient to shops and restaurants? Whatever the deal, spin the positives to make your condo more appealing than the one down the street.
As for the condo itself, there are certain aspects to it that you’ll want to focus your marketing efforts on as well. Does the condo have a great view? You’ll definitely want to play that up as this can be a huge difference-maker between your Houston condo and others. The floor that your condo is located on might have an impact on the way buyers see it. If you’ve recently remodeled the bathroom or kitchen you’ll want to highlight that as well. If you’re selling your condo with a real estate agent, ask them what might make your condo stand out from the crowd. They might be able to see it from a perspective you can’t.
See About Cutting Listing Costs on Your Condo
Because you’re selling your condo on the open market in Houston, you’re likely going to be using a real estate agent. Doing so comes with some costs. Specifically, the real estate agent commission fee, which is usually around five or six percent of the final sale price. You certainly could try to sell your condo on the market by yourself and pocket that extra money (which is no small amount if you’re selling a condo for $200,000 or $300,000). However, know that there are all kinds of risks and potential pitfalls that come with selling a condo by yourself on the market.
You could try to get the agent to come down on the commission fee. While they might tell you they take a six percent commission fee, don’t assume that’s set in stone. Competition can be fierce for real estate agents and some of them are open to negotiating the fee if it means they can keep your business.
Sell Your Houston Condo As-Is for Cash
With all of that said, trying to sell your condo in Houston on the open market quickly comes with a lot of costs and considerations. Even if you do everything right it’s possible that your condo will sit on the market for months, and when you do eventually sell it, a large portion of the profits goes to the real estate agent commission and other closing costs.
If you’d like to sell your condo in Houston fast but don’t want to deal with the marketplace, you can sell your condo as-is to a real estate investor like Very Fast Home Buyers. We’ll deal directly with you in a friendly and no-pressure way that makes the process of selling your condo simple.
Just contact us and tell us about your condo. We’ll reach out and get more information, potentially coming to take a tour of the property. Then, we’ll figure out the best possible offer and make it to you. If you accept, you decide when we close on the sale, often within days. Then you get paid in cash for your Houston condo and you can walk away without dealing with all the hassle and problems that can come with selling on the market.