I Need to Sell My House Fast, What Are My Options?

Suddenly you need to move to a new home — whether it’s for work reasons, an expanding family, or another major life event — and that means you need to sell your current home fast. How can you get your house ready to sell as soon as possible and what are the options for getting the job done? Here are some tips to keep in mind with guidance from the real estate experts at HomeLight. 

Update your home with what buyers want

Getting your home in shape to appeal to buyers is one way to ensure that you can sell your home ASAP. A recent survey of insights from top agents across the country reveals the areas of your home to update that will best reflect what buyers are looking for. Some of the updates to consider are outdated home features to fix up before selling, such as carpet in the bathroom, popcorn ceilings, shag carpet, wood wall panels, linoleum, vinyl flooring, and bold paint color schemes. Going for neutral tones for paint, carpets, and other flooring can be the best way to get on track to sell fast. 

Work with an expert

This might seem obvious, but working with an agent who has experience selling homes quickly is one of the best tips for a quick home sale. In this situation not just any agent will do. When trying to find the right match, ask potential candidates about their history with sales and their average timelines, as well as their knowledge about selling in your specific neighborhood. Having facts can help you pick the best person to get the job done quickly. 

Auction sale

If you want to sell your home fast, an auction may be the way to go, while keeping a few considerations in mind. According to Forbes, auctioned homes take an average of 45 to 60 days from listing to close. But this type of sale could be risky because you have limited control over the final sale price — it’s possible that your home could sell around 10 to 15 percent lower than the market value. It’s best to consult with an agent to consider all options.

Cash offers

Some agents recommend that the best way to sell a house quickly is to accept a cash offer. Not all cash buyers are the same: You might be working with buy-and-hold investors that purchase rental properties; fix-and-flippers; or high-tech, venture capital-backed companies called iBuyers that purchase homes in good to fair condition, make light repairs, and typically turn over a high volume of homes with thin profit margins. Accepting a cash offer can take time as you work with a professional — such as using HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform — to request a cash offer and find the highest bidder.

If you need to sell you home fast, there are many options and ways to get the job done. The strategy you pick will depend on many factors, such as your home’s condition, your neighborhood, and just how fast you need to sell. Working with a professional to guide you will ensure that you are on track to success. 

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Cash Doesn’t Grow On Trees: Expanding Your Home Business In A Budget Friendly Way

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Large companies looking to expand have a luxury of being able to throw money at certain problems when growing. A smaller home-based business usually cannot do this due to cash flow and the need for a cost-efficient expansion. The good news is that expanding can be done with very little spending if done in a clever manner. The advantage a smaller company has is there are not multiple approvals that need to be received before starting out on a growth project. As the founder of your home business you can grow as quickly or slowly as you deem necessary with regards to the business’ health. Below are tactics that will help keep costs low when expanding so cash flow of the business is not decimated. 

Create Content Daily 

Creating content daily for social media accounts, the company blog, and offsite publications is important. Being able to rank higher on the search engines can be something that increases leads and sales immensely. If you are running some sort of drop shipping business then you understand how important online marketing is to generate sales. 

On social media you should be promoting content that is created as well as engage with followers. Not only engage with followers but also related social media accounts as this can generate followers in the company’s target demographic. Replying to customers about comments or complaints can also be quite useful. Salvaging a customer simply by acknowledging they might not have been happy with a product or service is at times enough. 

The company blog should be used to educate website visitors as well as be used as a resource by others in the industry. This can also host content like that of podcast, video, or a piece of interactive media. This is not the place to write up clickbait type articles as it is just a waste of time and money if you are paying a writer. 

Offsite publications can be a great way to increase brand awareness and showcase the knowledge of the company in an article. This is going to take outreach for a publication to accept a topic that you will write. Most publications are willing to give you a link in the article or in the author bio. Increasing your search engine presence as a company will end up helping with growth immensely. 

Sales Materials Mailed Can Increase ROI

Getting sales materials into the hands of a client with a custom proposal is important to say the least. Your company could be in competition with others that might be able to meet the client in person due to their proximity. To even the playing field getting sales materials to the client and trying to close a deal quickly can help salvage a sale that could have been lost to a competitor. Mailing 5X7 envelopes to “invite” the potential client to work with your company can be a touch that helps close the sale. Small details can make all of the difference so investing in print sales materials and the right custom envelopes will deliver on ROI. A sales prospect receiving sales materials the next day after a call will also feel like their business is valued which can be positive for your business. This type of diligence will have a potential client thinking that even if you do run a small company, the company will deliver high quality work. 

Ask Your Current Customers For Referrals

Incentivizing customers to refer your business to others can prove quite fruitful as far as sales go. Those that are proficient at sales just need an introduction from the right person to instantly have rapport with the sales prospect. If you feel uncomfortable asking current customers then asking former colleagues or reaching out to a former client that has moved on in their career can be effective. Reaching out on LinkedIn is a wise approach but not everyone monitors this platform so an email or direct call will get the job done in a faster fashion. 

Have Other Companies White Label Your Services 

The chances are that if you run a home based business is that your prices are lower than larger competitors due to having little to no overhead costs. Having a company sell your services as their own or white labeling them will not have an impact on your margins. Larger companies will set prices on your services to make sure they are earning without having to do any work besides sell the services. Hitting deadlines is far more important in these cases as the company selling your services has to worry about their reputation if a deadline is missed. 

Growing your small home based online business can be done without a large financial expenditure on your part. Track the ROI on all money spent as you might find putting money into a certain area yields great results. Grow your business without impacting your quality of product or service as this healthy growth ensures future success. 

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Net Worth: Why You Should Track it closely for Financial Success

A person’s net worth is the ultimate determinant of their sum wealth. The net worth is the result of deducting liabilities from the assets. Calculating the net worth gives one a clear picture of the total cost and earned and spent in a lifetime. Tracking the net worth helps one keep their goals and perspective in check. For example, if a person’s total amount of assets amounts to $200,000 and liabilities equals $300,000, the individual will have a negative net worth of -$100,000. It is crucial to establish the financial status of a person or an enterprise so as not to accrue a deluded sense of net worth and fail to achieve success.

Reasons why it is imperative to track the net worth 

1. Considering that net worth is the honest reflection of a person’s wealth, it is a perfect way to determine if one is making positive or negative financial progress. Bob Berger of Forbes.com, states that a constant or increasing net worth is a sign that investments are bringing positive returns. A declining net worth means that one should deduce which activity is draining the money and work towards adjusting the situation.

2. A clear picture of the net worth eliminates the notion that income is equal to one’s wealth status. A person earning $500,000 per year with liabilities amounting to $200,000 in a year is worth $300,000. The same result applies to an individual making $350,000 with liabilities amounting to $ 50,000 annually. With this concept in mind, it is easier for one to plan the steps towards realizing financial success by reducing liabilities to increase the net worth. Besides, considering the assets only when establishing net value, such as a home or a successful investment, is a misguided way to achieve success. The difference between the property and the liabilities like debt determines the exact net worth.

3. When applying for a loan, most banks and lending firms will evaluate the borrower’s sum net worth to determine credibility. A bad credit loan automatically disqualifies one from receiving the cash. Keeping a positive net worth helps one acquire a higher credit limit that can be helpful in expanding one’s investments and ultimately reach goals.

4. A good net worth is essential in keeping the debt status in perspective. A significant amount of loan offsets a lot of people. However, if one’s net value exceed the amount, then it is clear that the debt level is not extreme. A loan that exceeds the net worth means that one should probably cut down on the amount borrowed and live within affordable ways to amass wealth. A low net value to loan ratio is also a great motivation for one to find means to realize a higher rate that translates to increased prosperity.

According to Investopedia.com, the net worth is bound to experience fluctuations just like the financial health of any other industry. As a result, the net worth will reflect the status of the financial health of the various assets and liabilities. It can be difficult to establish one’s long term goals and short term goals without a clear picture of the money owed and money earned. Determining the ultimate net worth with the help of a financial analyst, or a convenient net worth determining software application will save one the stress that comes from tapping into savings and investments, and accumulating unwarranted debt.

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