Looking to sell your San Diego house for less? Whether you’re a homeowner trying to avoid hefty agent commissions or an investor aiming to keep more of your profits, cutting costs is absolutely possible without cutting corners. If you’re thinking about how to sell a house by owner in San Diego or just want to avoid unnecessary fees, you’ve got more options than you might think.
To sell your house quickly, skip the traditional agent route and work directly with a professional home buyer, list your property as an ‘FSBO’ (for sale by owner), or use low-cost marketing strategies like social media. By avoiding repairs, agent commissions, and long time-on-market expenses, sellers can dramatically reduce out-of-pocket costs and still get their home sold quickly.
Work With a Direct Buyer
Working with a direct buyer will help you avoid all costs you would typically encounter when selling your house with an agent. By avoiding the MLS, you save on all kinds of expenses typically associated with a property listing.
Of course, not all buyers are the same, but if you choose to work with a buyer such as Trusted House Buyers, you will be able to avoid commissions, repairs, and even closing costs. Some of the other home buying companies don’t offer this type of savings.
Also, we won’t ask you to clean up or even show the house to a bunch of people trampling through your home. We can usually get it all wrapped up in one or two brief visits.
There are no marketing costs to factor in or other selling expenses to worry about. Plus, by selling quickly, you will no longer have to pay ownership and maintenance costs such as the monthly utilities, property taxes, or homeowners insurance.
Sell Your House on Your Own
Selling the house on your own via an FSBO listing can help you avoid the commission costs you would typically pay a real estate agent. To sell your house as a ‘for sale by owner’ property, it is important to have some real estate knowledge under your belt.
You should know the local market, have a realistic asking price, and be able to professionally show the house as needed. This can require many hours of work, and typically, FSBO’s take longer to sell than working with an agent or selling via a direct sale to a professional buyer.
Clean Thoroughly
Should you decide to list, the house should be cleaned up thoroughly. You will want to go beyond just a standard cleaning, taking it to the next level by cleaning things such as the ceiling fans, the tops of cabinets, and stains from the carpets.
Many people choose to hire a team of professionals for a true deep cleaning of the home. Keep in mind that when you list, you will need to keep the house in this clean state for as long as the property is on the market and tidy up when anyone decides to have a walk-through.
Choose the Right Repairs and Upgrades
When making repairs and upgrades to a house you wish to sell, it’s important to choose the right ones. You don’t want to make large renovations or repairs that are going to break the bank. Instead, focus on smaller things and projects you can quickly handle on your own and that will quickly improve your home’s appeal.
Two great areas to focus on are the front yard and the entryway. These two areas provide first impressions and set the tone for the rest of the showing.
You are looking for things you can do for a low cost that provide a big impact. You will want to stay away from knocking down walls or doing a kitchen renovation, for example.
Sell Your House in ‘As-Is’ Condition
When you choose to sell your house as-is, you will avoid any repair costs that come up when selling the house. Trusted House Buyers will buy your house as-is, or you could choose to advertise it in a listing as such. The trouble is that you may not be getting it in front of the right buyers should you put it on the MLS.
Most people looking on the MLS want a house that they can immediately move into. We’ve seen a number of homes fall in and out of escrow before the owner comes back to us because a buyer has done a thorough inspection and was scared away by what they found.
Know Your Buyers and Market Accordingly
When you know who is buying in the area, it makes it easier to market to them. Families are looking for different things than college students are. Empty nesters might be wanting something slightly different than young singles.
Take a look at the demographics of buyers and renters in the area and market your San Diego house accordingly. By attracting the right people to your house, you will have a much easier time selling it.
Utilize Free and Low-Cost Marketing
While many listing sites charge an arm and a leg, you can use social media sites to advertise your property for free or for a very small charge. People are visiting these sites, anyway, so you’ll be getting the house in front of many people without even trying too hard.
You could advertise your property for sale on Facebook and in local real estate groups (some of them will require a paid membership, so choose the right ones), or you could use great photography and advertise the property on Instagram with the proper hashtags or like Trusted House Buyers.
Do you want to learn more about how to save money and sell your house for a fraction of the cost in San Diego? We are here to help! Contact us today to learn more!
