I Need to Sell My House Fast in Texas: What Are My Options?

Option 2: Work with a top agent to sell fast in Texas

Working with a top agent in Texas can be a good option for sellers who would like to sell faster than average but who have some time to devote to a traditional sale vs. an instant cash offer. Top agents who know the local area can add value in the following ways:

• Offer expertise in pricing so your home sells fast
• Prioritize repairs and upgrades that increase home value
• Provide staging tips to make your home appeal to more buyers
• Apply various marketing techniques to bring in a larger pool of buyers
• Use local expertise for skillful negotiation

HomeLight data shows that top agents sell homes faster than most agents, and the top 5% of agents sell homes for up to 10% more than average agents. Working with a top agent can lead to a speedy sale for top dollar to help you move past a divorce, sell a loved one’s estate, or get out of debt.

How fast are homes selling in Texas?

Local market conditions can determine how quickly or slowly your house sells in Texas. With affordable housing, a strong economy, and a low cost of living with no state income tax, Texas is drawing in a surge of new residents.

“Affordable housing draws buyers from [out of state] to relocate here,” says Jacobe Kendrick, a top-performing agent who works with over 85% more single-family homes than the average Midland, Texas agent.

“We’ve got a lot of people moving out of some of the western states, California, Washington, and Nevada,” he says.

Kendrick mentioned a recent conversation with a veterinarian who relocated from Oregon. The discussion centered around the significant difference in housing costs between their old and new home in Texas. His client said that they could “buy four houses [in Texas] for what they could buy with the one house they had in Oregon.”

Job growth draws young professionals and young families to Texas

With the natural gas industry and technology companies relocating to Texas, young professionals and families are moving into the state for job relocations or to kickstart their careers.

“I’m seeing folks move here because the area has a lot of jobs,” Kendrick says, citing Tesla’s new automotive manufacturing facility in Austin as an example.

Texas real estate conditions and trends

Here is a snapshot of current real estate conditions in Texas:

*Does not include time for buyer to close the loan 

Data source(s): Texas Real Estate Research Center, Ice Mortgage Technology  

8 strategies to sell a house fast in Texas

Top agents have an arsenal of successful strategies that attract buyers and make homes sell faster.

“Buyers aren’t looking to do renovations; they’re looking for homes that are ready to go,” Kendrick says. “They don’t want to have to change the carpet, paint walls, or do any of that stuff; they want a home that’s move-in ready,” he explains. Kendrick recommends the following strategies and tips for sellers to help sell their homes more quickly.

1. Set your price competitively

“If you price your home where it should be priced in the market, as people come in to look at your house, they have a mindset, ‘If I don’t, someone else will,’ and that’s actually how you get a higher price on your house,” says Kendrick. When people list their house high and slowly lower the price “they’re guaranteed to get a lower offer,” says Kendrick.

An experienced top agent will perform a comparative market analysis (CMA) to help you set the best price to sell a house fast in your market.

If you’re curious about your home’s current value, try HomeLight’s Home Value Estimator. While it shouldn’t dictate your final pricing strategy, an online home value estimate can give you a ballpark price range. You can get a preliminary estimate in less than two minutes.

2. Consider a pre-listing inspection

Home inspections can often hold up a sale. With a pre-listing inspection, you’ll know repair issues in advance and let the buyer know about issues before they make an offer, which saves time.

3. Use the best technology to market your home

Using advanced technology to market your home will help buyers imagine themselves living there. One way to achieve this is with drone photography and 3D virtual reality technology, such as the 3D data platform Matterport that Kendrick uses to attract more buyers. “The buyer can actually walk through the house before they go and see it; you click a button, and it’ll take you forward three steps so you can have a 360-degree view of the house,” says Kendrick.

4. Paint, stain, and pressure wash

To make your home stand out from other properties, Kendrick recommends repairing the sidewalks, staining the fence, pressure washing, and touching up the paint interior and exterior. “Painting is one of the cheapest things you can do to get the most bang for your buck,” explains Kendrick.

5. Showcase your outdoor area

Texas home shoppers love usable outdoor space. Extending your living space outdoors can be extremely appealing to buyers. Consider how you might transform your outdoor area into an attractive oasis. This might include adding a full furniture set, smoker, and television to watch the Cowboys or Texans play on a Sunday night.

6. Advertise your neighborhood’s walkability

Walkability is important for many Texas buyers. This makes it critical for sellers to highlight parks, coffee shops, and local restaurants in the neighborhood.

7. Promote additional space for lodging, an office, or Texas-sized trucks

If your property has an auxiliary dwelling unit (ADU), such as a mother-in-law cottage, emphasize this in your listing. If you are selling a home with large square footage or a home office, leverage these.

In addition, a spacious garage is a hot commodity in Texas. Even if you don’t have a large garage, take the time to declutter it to show that a potential buyer’s truck could fit with the door closed.

8. Take advantage of market timing

Along with the recommendations above, it can be helpful to know the level of market activity in your area during different times of the year. HomeLight’s Best Time to Sell Calculator uses housing market data for your area to show you the best and worst months to sell your home. See when is the best time to sell a house if you want to make the most money and which months are best to sell your house fast.

Ready to sell your Texas home?

As you can see, a top real estate agent in Texas can help you navigate the many nuances that you might not otherwise discover until you’re swamped in the process. Their organizational efficiencies and marketing expertise can help you sell your Texas house fast.

If you need an even faster sale, HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform provides cash offers for homes in almost any condition in Texas. If you don’t have the time or the means to prepare your home or move through the traditional listing process, you can skip the repairs and showings and close in as few as 10 days. Complete a short questionnaire and receive a no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours.

Header Image Source: (Mitchelle Kmetz / Unsplash)