Selling your house online isn’t an easy undertaking. There’s a lot to learn and even more to do, which makes knowing where to start challenging.
If you’re tired of searching “sell my house online Maine” to get no helpful answers, we’ve assembled a guide just for you.
Read on for all the tips for selling your house online in ME.
Selling Your House Online in Maine
When you are selling a house online, there are three ways to go about it:
- Selling the house to a direct buyer
- Selling a house through a realtor
- Selling the house for sale by owner
Selling to a Direct Buyer
Selling your house to a direct buyer is an ideal option if you need to sell your house online quickly. It encompasses a variety of buyers. Some are prepared to buy your house as-is, while others look for well-maintained properties.
As with anything, there are advantages and disadvantages. The pros of selling your Maine house to a direct buyer are:
- Ability to sell your house 100% online
- It may not require a home inspection
- Selling online to a direct buyer is faster than selling your house through traditional channels
The disadvantages include:
- Difficult to negotiate a price
- May receive less than market value
Selling your house online can be daunting, especially if you’re new to the process. Companies that buy houses in Portland and wider Maine can help facilitate that process. That said, selling to a direct buyer isn’t the only option.
Selling a House Through a Realtor
Even if you’re selling your house online, it’s still possible to employ a realtor. They’ll help you navigate the process of selling your house online.
The primary advantage of a realtor is their access to multiple list sites. These sites promote your house sale to as many people as possible.
Moreover, realtors are conversant in things like market value and house valuation procedures.
So, while it may cost you more than it would to sell the house online yourself, there are significant benefits to selling online through a realtor.
Selling a House through For Sale By Owner
If you’ve researched the market value of your home and are confident it’s a valuable commodity, you can always try selling your house online for sale by the owner. This saves you the commission of a realtor, but it’s not standard procedure when selling your house.
Only 6% of house sellers sold their house through For Sale By Owner in 2020.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. Provided you’re prepared to be flexible and find creative ways to sell your house, selling it online for sale by the owner could solve your problems.
But if you’re unsure where to start, Ocean City Development can help talk you through the process to sell a house by owner.
Tips for Selling Your House As is in ME
Whether you’re selling a house online or traditionally, there are certain things that make the process easier, especially if you’re selling your house as-is.
Know the Property Market
The first step to successfully selling your house as-is in Maine is to research the property market. When you’re selling online, you encounter all kinds of buyers looking to purchase a house quickly. Many of these are investors, but that isn’t always true.
Knowing the property market will help you gauge whether the offers you receive accurately reflect the market value of your home.
And as long as you’re selling your house online, the internet is an invaluable resource. It only takes a spot of light searching to get a sense of your local house market. But you don’t have to rely entirely on real estate listings.
Other places to look when assessing the market value of your house include:
- Local news
- Community websites
- Social media
- Bloggers
All these resources offer varying perspectives on the property market and combine to give you a better-informed sense of your house’s value.
But it’s not just about the surrounding house prices. As you prepare to sell your house online, you should also consider:
- Number and quality of surrounding schools
- Local employment opportunities
- Population growth
These are all factors that contribute to the worth of your house. But they’re also cyclical, and the key to selling your house online or anywhere is to anticipate when these contributing factors will be at their peak.
Value Your House Correctly
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the property market, the next step is to ensure your house is valued correctly.
Whether you’re selling your house online, through an agent, or to a cash buyer, the valuation is still integral to the process.
Do a Bit of Spring Cleaning
Selling your house as-is doesn’t mean it shouldn’t look its best for buyers. This is true both inside and outside the house you’re selling. To help get it ready:
- Mow the lawn
- Clean surfaces
- Make beds
Selling your house as-is also presents the perfect opportunity to declutter and cut down on things you no longer need. It will present a tidier house to home buyers and save you time packing when you finally move out.
Stage Your House Perfectly
Staging your house perfectly impacts the offers you receive. Whether you’re selling a house online, for a cash offer, or traditionally through a realtor, staging can make a significant difference to the price your house sells for.
To effectively stage your house:
- Remove personal items
- Treat and remove strong odors
- Clean or replace appliances
- Paint rooms neutral color
However, it’s vital to understand that staging your house perfectly is not the same as decorating. When you decorate, you personalize your house. You’re making it habitable for you. Staging a house does the opposite. You want to de-emphasize the personal as much as possible so that prospective homebuyers can readily visualize themselves there.
This is equally true when selling a house online, perhaps more so, because the pictures posted with your house listing are responsible for the buyer’s first impression. First impressions are hard to undo. So when selling your house online, staging it to look its best is crucial.
Staging is also a way to mitigate potential problems in the house. While you’ll still have to disclose anything serious, neither are you obligated to undertake massive repairs before selling your house.
Bear in mind that when you’re selling a house buyers deduct money for every potential repair, so staging your house to de-emphasize the problems is critical.
Instead, when staging a house, give special attention to:
- Kitchen
- Living room
- Bathrooms
- Bedrooms
Make Necessary Repairs
When you sell your house as-is, it doesn’t obligate you to undertake every repair the house may need. That said, you still have to disclose the condition of the house you’re selling. It’s true that some homebuyers enjoy the prospect of a house they can fix up. But the vast majority are thinking of light repair work.
That’s because few people can afford to completely gut and restore an as-is house in dire need of renovation. Usually, if they can, they’re investors looking to profit from selling the house.
Accordingly, some repairs to consider when selling your house are:
- Fixing broken doors
- Mending leaking pipes
- Freshly painting walls
- Putting in new carpeting
While none of these are strictly necessary for selling a house online, it’s worth noting that home buyers may offer less for a home in need of excessive repairs. Much as you want a return on your investments, they need to balance the cost of buying your house as-is against the cost of necessary repairs.
Use Multiple Listing Sites
If you’re trying to sell a house quickly, multiple listing sites are invaluable. It allows as many people as possible to see and virtually view your house as efficiently as possible.
However, multiple listing sites are only available to realtors. That means that to get your house listed you’ll either need to sell through a realtor with access to the site or pay a flat rate to gain access yourself. If you want to avoid negotiating with a realtor, paying the flat rate to access multiple listing sites and promote your house sale online can be worth it.
Sell Your House Through Social Media
Another way to sell your house online in Maine is through social media sites. The algorithms developed by social networking sites allow you to target a more specific audience than you could by going through normal channels.
This is a tremendous asset when you’re selling a house online because it gives you the ability to target people by location. That means if you are selling a house online in ME, homebuyers in Maine will be the first to see your advertisement. That can significantly speed up the selling process.
Consider Selling to a Cash Home Buyer
Finally, don’t discount the possibility of selling to a cash home buyer or through quick cash offer websites.
These offers are helpful if you are looking to sell your house quickly. There are a variety of reasons you might find yourself in this situation including:
- You cannot afford the house
- You have required a job that requires a fast move somewhere far away
- You need the capital
Whatever your reason, cash home buyers in Auburn can simplify the house selling process and reduce the cost of selling your house by saving you the money you would otherwise spend on a realtor. What’s more, selling online to a cash home buyer gives you complete control of your listing.
Be aware that cash home buyers often offer a price that is under market value. Knowing your property value and performing rudimentary repairs will put you in a position to negotiate a better offer. But if you need to sell the house quickly, you may not have that luxury.
Ocean City Development can help. We buy houses in Maine without commission or hidden fees. We’ll let you close on your own terms, and you won’t need to make the repairs you’re dreading, either. So get in touch, and find out how we can help.
Conclusion
When you set out to sell your house online, there are various options to consider. You can:
- Sell your house online to a direct buyer
- Sell your house online to a realtor
- Sell your house online for sale by owner
Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you’ll want to weigh these carefully before making your decision.
Moreover, irrespective of how you sell your house online, you’ll want to ensure:
- You know the property value
- You have your house correctly valued
And don’t forget the importance of:
- Staging
- Necessary repairs
- Spring cleaning
Because you’re selling your house online, it’s important that the online listing show your house at its best.
Finally, there’s always the option of a cash home buyer. They may not give you full market value, but if you’re looking to sell your house online quickly, this can be an excellent option. And if selling your house online in Maine becomes overwhelming, don’t hesitate to reach out to Ocean City Development.
Our expertise and advice can help you through the process of selling a house online.