Are you wanting to sell your house fast without a listing agent? It’s definitely feasible, but it will take some groundwork on your part. Here is a quick guide on how to get started.

Listing a house without a real estate agent is known as for sale by owner or FSBO. Homeowners decide to sell their homes on their own to avoid paying real estate agent commissions. This is a way to save money in the long run; however, it will take more than putting a sale sign in your front yard.

Understand the Current Market

The first step to listing a house is to gain an understanding of the current market. Is it the right time to sell your home? Are you seeking cash buyers? Did you know that cash sales typically close in one to three weeks compared to about four to seven weeks on a conventional sale?

Figure out the current state of the market – a buyer’s market or a seller’s market. A buyer’s market means there are more houses listed for sale than active buyers. In this market, your home may sit on the market longer than expected.

A seller’s market means more buyers are looking to purchase homes than there are available homes on the market. Heard of bidding wars? This happens often in a seller’s market when multiple buyers want the same property. The good news is that a seller’s market is a fantastic time to sell your home as you could secure a sale price that’s higher than your listing price, or at least more than your bottom line.

Beware of the statistics: In 2018, 75% of all homes on the market were determined to sell below asking price in 2019.

Price Your Home Correctly

Setting the right price for FSBO takes some analytical work. You will first need to get a sense of what your home is worth. Also, look at similar homes for sale in your area, ones with a comparable square footage, lot size, number of bedrooms, etc. Smart actions for sale by owner include pricing your home slightly lower than other similar homes on the market.

Is Your Home in the Best Shape?

Selling a home or property also involves updates and renovations. Ensure your home is updated by doing small or large updates and then walking through to make certain nothing was missed. A fresh paint job is always a great way to improve your house and get buyer interest. In addition, look for ways to decrease clutter and organize items in your home. Check out your garden, too, to add curb appeal. Take some high-quality pictures of your home.

List It

The last step when all is ready is to list your home. Find a few for sale by owner websites to list your home online. Beware that these websites typically charge a flat rate, plus the cost of additional services. List your home on MLS. Your local MLS is the largest and most accurate database of for-sale homes.

Now, the homestretch is here. Pat yourself on the back, take a deep breath, and watch out for great cash buyers!

The majority of the world is at a stand-still right now. 2020 has proved to be a year filled with increasing levels of anxiety, frustration, and isolation due to the novel coronavirus pandemic that has plagued the world since first showing up in November 2019. The COVID-19 virus is easily spread from person to person, highly lethal in some populations such as older people and those with underlying illnesses, and as such has lead officials around the world to have people huddle inside their homes and quarantine themselves for the greater good.

This virus is a form of viral pneumonia that causes trouble breathing, a dry cough, fever, and even death. As people try to avoid the virus, they find comfort in quarantining at home with immediate family, or even alone, during the pandemic. This is completely normal, and in fact, finding time to relax and work on home renovations during the pandemic can prove extremely therapeutic for some. Working on essential and simple home renovations can give a sense of normalcy, and even help reinforce your home and protect you from the virus itself.

Where to Find Help for Renovations

Now that the world is moving forward from isolation, it’s a great relief to know that essential services, such as home renovation services, are still around to help you during the pandemic. With the pandemic clashing with the start of summer, allergy season, and even other milestones in your life such as graduation, you might be asking yourself, shouldn’t I be able to easily access home renovation services near me? Shouldn’t I be able to start on my renovation projects now that I have time and the heat is coming in? The answer is yes, but with some limitations and precautions.

To help you understand what is considered essential and where to get help, make sure to research “home renovation services near me,” as more and more counties and states are lessening their restrictions on what is open and available. It’s always a good idea to call your local businesses to ensure they are 100 percent open for business. However, you can start with this list of 10 home renovation services that are still available during COVID-19 to help gain a better understanding of how to start on your home renovations during COVID-19.

1. Measurements for Renovations

Simply obtaining the right measurements for starting renovations is a huge step, and one that is crucial for your renovation project. The details matter when it comes to measurements. When you search up home renovation services near me, you will find that most contractors are still willing to take measurements of your home online. From the kitchen, to the bathroom, outside patio area, and so on, it’s still very possible to able to plan for renovations and take measurements while practicing social distancing. Contractors may ask you to fill-out measurements online, and they will then set up a blue-print and later on a design and 3-D renovation plan to present to you, even during the pandemic. Presenting a plan is also easily done through a web-conference. Don’t let COVID-19 hinder your renovation design dreams, and look up home renovation services near me to set-up an online consultation to plan for your renovations.

2. Renovate your Restroom

Bathroom remodeling is one of the biggest trends right now. Everyone wants to add a sleek, modern design to their restroom. Now that we’re spending more and more time washing our hands and taking showers due to COVID-19 and the summer, a bathroom remodel sounds like a nice treat. Luckily, the bathroom remodel of your dreams doesn’t have to be pricey, or non-existent now during COVID-19. Remodeling websites such as Sweeten allow you to set-up a project and a budget, then share that project with possible contractors willing to work on your renovation. Contractors still have to maintain a safe distance of 6 feet from each other, wear masks, and wash their hands, but can still help immensely in your bathroom remodeling project.

3. Roofing Renovations

The summer heat can cause damage to your roof and your home, so it’s important to keep this in mind when looking up “home renovation services near me.” To help you choose the best roofing contractors while also practicing social distancing, look for roof contractors that are willing to take a “no-contact” approach with you, the customer. The summer months can cause mold from the warm climate to grow in between shingles, in between your garage door hinge and roof, cause shingles to crack, curl, and even cause your attic to overheat if not properly ventilating. Roofing contractors can set-up virtual appointments, digital paperwork, and send small teams of under ten people to get your roof renovated for the summer.

4. AC Maintenance

Not only is AC maintenance an essential step to renovating your home for the summer, but also during COVID-19. Dr. Manish Butte, an associate professor in the department of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that within a public setting, air conditioning might be potentially risky in transmitting COVID-19. Air conditioning units inside a public place essentially recycle air and can cause droplets to spread to others. Though it’s not necessary to avoid public places that use air-conditioning altogether, don’t spend too much time in these places without assessing the risk factors first.

If you feel your home would be more comfortable with the use of a new air conditioning installation, this would be a much better option than having to go to a public place to cool-down. In fact, some AC units are much smaller, affordable, and can cool-down a small apartment quickly. Get the help of local contractors that practice social distancing to help you keep your home cool for the summer, and for COVID-19.

5. Plumbing Maintenance

Now, more than ever, plumbing is considered essential to help give us running water to wash our hands. Plumbing is one of those services considered essential, and plumbers can easily be found by looking up home renovation services near me for plumbing. During the summer, sewer line backups, blocked toilets, washing machine overload, and clogged garbage disposals are just some of the many plumbing issues that can arrive. Being stuck at home with a clogged toilet is no fun, and can make your quarantine experience more miserable than it already might be. Be sure to follow safety and social distancing protocols if you invite contractors into your home, and find the best ones by researching “home renovation services near me” today.

6. Older Home Renovations

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s still very possible to be able to buy a home, remodel it, and then renovate it and turn it for a profit. There are several restrictions to this, however, such as inspectors doing video-guided tours and sending pictures of old homes to buyers, stricter credit and mortgage approvals, and so on. If you choose to buy a home and start renovations, it’s important to keep in mind not just the new rules for COVID-19, but for flipping old homes in general. For instance, changes such as asbestos removal are still quite dangerous and quite essential for the new home-buyer, not just for their safety but also for the safety of the future home-owner. This is just one example of the many essential businesses and renovations that still need to be taken care of when buying an old property during COVID-19. It’s always best to look up “home renovation services near me” to not just see what’s open, but also what contractor is best reviewed and is following all safety protocols at this time.

7. Renovate the Outside of your Home

Renovating your home doesn’t just have to be limited to inside bathrooms, roofing, or asbestos cleaning. Remodeling the outside of your home can be just as fun and doable during the pandemic. Many hardscape contractors say they’re still working on important renovation projects without a significant change in crew capacity. Though hardscape contractors are still working, they’re doing so with proper distancing and safety in mind. Asphalt paving, brick patio building, and stone walkways are all services still available to you for your home renovation. In addition to making your home look beautiful on the outside, utilizing hardscape contractors can help your home be safer too, by improving drainage, securing your property line, and absorbing heat in your pavement during the upcoming summer months.

8. Renovate your Fencing

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the American Fence Association is standing by the importance of fence, gate, automation and access systems to ensure the security of America’s buildings, homes and facilities. The AFA represents many of the businesses you might find in your “home renovation services near me” search, such as fencing installers and members of the deck and railing industry. As such, many of these businesses are still around to help you renovate not just your home’s fencing, but its security systems as a whole as well.

9. Work on Electrical Upgrades

Like asbestos removal, electrical upgrades are crucial if renovating an older home. During COVID-19, we are spending more time at home, and having working electricity is crucial for enjoyment, safety, and productivity around the home. In addition, during the coronavirus pandemic, electrical safety is still a big issue, and electrical hazards still exist. Electrical services are still considered an essential service because of this reason. Professional electricians are still hard at work, and can help you replace your electrical panel, and also solve issues such as power surges and power loss around your home.

10. Renovate your Flooring

Contractors to renovate your flooring are still available during COVID-19. You could even design your own flooring using a new trend known as “copper flooring,” which involves the creative use of hundreds and thousands of pennies. However, if you want to remain on the traditional route, many flooring services are still offering to replace your flooring and help make your home summer-ready. Look up “home renovation services near me” to find contractors that can install cool laminate, tile, and even carpet cleaning services that can help you get through the summer months and COVID-19. If you’re still unsure about whether or not to let contractors come into your home to renovate your flooring, keep in mind certain services like carpet cleaning can be done by yourself as well. Many supermarkets still offer rental of carpet cleaning supplies even during COVID-19. Having a clean, or even knew floor can go miles in helping your home feel better during the pandemic.

Keep Up With your Dreams

The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be slowing its spread, and our community appears to be what officials call “flattening the curve” by staying home. Though the past few months have been difficult, more and more people are taking the time at home more bearable by renovating not just out of boredom, but safety and necessity.

Staying at home, everyone is a hero, and this is confirmed by statistics that show soon, communities will be able to open fully to customers who wish to renovate their homes even more. For now, however, many companies are still offering renovation consultations free online, free paperwork online, and sending small teams to help renovate and maintain homes while keeping-up with proper safety protocols.

Sadly, the coronavirus has stopped celebrations throughout the world. Almost 2.3 million couples get married every year in the United States, and many of those couples have not been able to celebrate fully this year. Nevertheless, people still find ways to celebrate amongst each other, in homes that continue to be maintained and renovated by contractors that care about a home’s looks, feeling, and safety.