How to Sell My House Fast in Arizona: Cash Offer Options

Cash house buyers in Arizona

Arizona house-buying companies, also known as We Buy Houses companies, typically buy houses in need of repairs. Most of these companies will conduct a walkthrough within 48-72 hours, pay cash, and strive to close the sale in around seven to 10 days. In more urgent cases, some Arizona cash buyers can close in as little as three days.

Here are examples of some of the top house-buying companies in Arizona.

*Service plans can change. Check the company’s website for current fees and costs.

Pros and cons of selling your Arizona house for cash

The experience of selling a house for cash in Arizona can vary from company to company. However, most owners encounter these benefits and drawbacks when selling their home to companies for cash.

Option 2: Hire a top Arizona real estate agent

Working with a top agent in Arizona 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 Arizona 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 homes are homes selling in Arizona?

Local market conditions can determine how quickly or slowly your house sells in Arizona. Currently, like many states across the country, homes are staying on the market longer due to escalating interest rates, but tight inventory and population growth are keeping prices fairly stable in Arizona.

Thomas Krieger is a top Arizona real estate agent with nearly 40 years of experience. He explains that there are different levels of home-selling speeds in Arizona.

“Like most places, there is a shortage of listings out there, but days on market (DOM) is often determined by the price range. In Tucson, homes priced between $200,000 and $300,000 are flying off the market in hours. The ones that are in decent condition in the $300,000 to $500,000 range stay on the market anywhere from a week to 30 days. Properties over $700,000 are on the market from 35 to 65 days.”

For sellers who are attempting to sell quickly, Krieger says the condition of the home has a big impact, as many buyers are looking for homes that are move-in ready, often referred to as turnkey properties.

“We are not seeing as many investor buyers,” he says, which may be contributing to the move-in ready demand. “The good news is, it is allowing first-time homebuyers to be more successful at purchasing a home since they are not competing with cash investor buyers.”

Arizona real estate conditions and trends

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

*Does not include the typical 43 days a buyer needs to close on a purchase loan. Data collected from multiple transaction sources.

Krieger says trends in Arizona’s population growth and housing demand — especially in certain price ranges — are attributable in part to migration related to the state’s expanding industrial base.

“We are starting to see migration not just for retirement, but for business,” he explains. “The area between Phoenix and Tucson is now called the battery belt, due to the growth of technology businesses here. Tesla is talking about coming here. Chip makers are building here. There are a lot more high-tech jobs in Arizona.”

In addition, a desalination plant is being proposed that could alleviate long-term concerns about water shortages, another factor that may be encouraging companies to relocate there.

10 strategies to sell a house fast in Arizona

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

Krieger is very succinct in his advice for selling a house fast in Arizona: “Don’t be greedy. Be wise,” he says. “You want to be the prettiest girl on the block, so you get the cutest boy to ask you to dance. The house must be as ready as possible so the buyer will be willing to offer above asking price.”

Here are some expert strategies to sell your home quickly in Arizona:

1. Set your price competitively

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

“If you want to sell fast, but also are looking for top dollar, we recommend pricing your house aggressively and letting the buyers walk it up through competition,” Krieger says. “When you know buyers are standing in line, you create a herd mentality. It gets it to sell fast, lots of time with cash.

Krieger provides this example: “When a buyer comes into a home priced at $400,000, and that’s fair value, they may say, ‘$380,000 is my highest offer.’ But when all of a sudden, there are three or four buyers in line for it, that changes things.”

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.

“I like pre-listing inspections because we can take care of the hidden things that we are unaware of,” says Krieger. “The more fit the house is for purchase, the more likely someone will bid on it fast.”

If you are trying to sell fast, discovering a major problem after you have an offer can short-circuit a sale, Krieger says. “If you get a bid, and have to fix something, it could make the deal fall through, and the house has to come back on the market,” he says. “Now you have to disclose it, and the property may become stigmatized.”

3. Showcase your outdoor space

Arizona 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 Arizona Diamondbacks or the Phoenix Suns play on a pleasant evening outside.

If you do not have an existing outdoor seating area or patio, create an elevated focal point by mounding rocks or boulders, highlighted with a few plants, or add a few attractive chairs and a small table to create an ambiance of outdoor living.

A little investment of time and creativity can go a long way in making the exterior of an Arizona house look alive with possibilities.

4. Use technology to market your home

Enough can’t be said about getting top-quality professional photos and video tours for posting your listing in the most appropriate places. Once those are secured, it’s time to launch the marketing campaign.

“The day before the listing goes live, we market on Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Instagram,” Krieger says. “Sometimes, we have a live event outside the house to create excitement to be there. We knock on doors and invite the neighbors to come to the open house, so the buyers can meet the people who are in the neighborhood and generate excitement about living there.”

5. Paint, pressure wash, and plant

As a professional stager, Hosobe says she always begins by suggesting ways to her client to create attractive curb appeal.

“So many stagers forget about curb appeal, and so do homeowners. Warming up the front of the house sets the tone and the emotional feel that a buyer has as they approach the house,” she says. “If the curb appeal is pleasant, this is automatically going to give them a feeling that they can’t wait to see inside.”

Investing a little time and money in the home exterior, such as pressure washing or painting the home a neutral color, as well as removing foliage that covers the front of the house, can enhance a buyer’s interest.

6. Make your front entryway inviting

One of Hosobe’s core messages to her clients is to “declutter and depersonalize.” Removing the clutter helps the homebuyer see the house. This includes decluttering the front of the home, as well as cleaning or painting the door, vacuuming away dust and debris, cleaning any entryway features such as pillars or awnings, and washing windows.

“Also, consider warming up the doorway with a subliminal welcome mat or adding flowers to the entrance,” she says. “So much of staging is creating a psychological experience for the homebuyer.”

7. Stage your home to stand out

Staging a home can be the single most important way to make your home stand out from the crowd, especially in a homebuying experience that often begins online with home shoppers viewing countless listings.

Hosobe’s goal from the beginning of any staging project is to repair and neutralize the home.

“We have to appeal to the masses, and we have a few rules of thumb that help us do that,” she says. “Repair any holes in the walls and replace missing closet or cupboard doors. If there are very strong colors on the walls, paint them a neutral color throughout the house. The number one thing that can turn a buyer off is too many different paint colors.”

She encourages her homeowners to remove family pictures, religious artifacts, sport team references, or political affiliation symbols or pictures. “On a subconscious level, these things turn a buyer off, because it is just foreign to them,” she explained. “They may feel they can’t live here because the mojo isn’t right.”

8. Increase light and add fans

Lighting your home effectively is one of the most important and often mentioned factors when preparing your home for sale. Open up the drapes and raise the shades. Light adds warmth to the space and makes your rooms look bigger, Hosobe advises.

But don’t rely entirely on the sun, she adds. “If there are completely outdated light fixtures, it’s important to update them to ensure the space is lit properly.”

Hosobe also encourages sellers to add ceiling fans. “Ceiling fans are a critical feature for Arizona homes and something homebuyers look for. As you update the lighting, you may want to consider updating your fans. It’s a small investment that can influence a buyer who comes through and sees a modern light fixture or fan.”

9. Highlight outdoor amenities

Arizona buyers love outdoor space and outdoor amenities, such as a large backyard, a children’s playground, a hot tub, and a patio. Highlight these as useful living spaces with thoughtful staging as you prepare your home for a quick sale.

10. Take advantage of Arizona market timing

Along with the recommendations above, it can be helpful to know the level of market activity in your Arizona market during different times of the year. HomeLight’s Best Time to Sell Calculator uses housing market data for your city to show you the best and worst months to sell your home. See when the best time is 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 Arizona home?

As you can see, a top real estate agent in Arizona 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 Arizona house fast.

If you need an even faster sale, HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform provides cash offers for homes in almost any condition in Arizona. 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 in 24 hours.

Writer ​​Stacy Sare Cohen contributed to this story.

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