Sometimes, a home sale can't wait. If you are selling a home to move closer to family, every day your home is on the market is one more day apart from far-flung family and friends. Parents get older and need additional help and support. Your kids have their own kids, and you start missing grandkids, taking their first steps, and putting together sentences. The sooner you find a buyer, the sooner you can erase the miles between you and the people you care about most. 

Experienced Phoenix real estate agents have quite a few insights on how to sell a home fast. We recently spoke to Emily Tyson of Launch Real Estate in Phoenix. For over 15 years, Tyson has represented buyers and sellers in the North Phoenix and Northwest Valley communities. She uses local knowledge and cutting-edge digital strategies to get her clients the highest possible selling price in the shortest time on the market. 

Tyson recently had a client who had their offer on a new home in a new state accepted on contingency, which meant they had to sell fast in Phoenix. With her guidance, they could close the deal on their old and new homes on the same day. 

She shared her expertise in making a sale happen smoothly and quickly.

Understand the Phoenix real estate market

First and most important is to get a clear and honest picture of the local market. 

"You have to think about the market and the outside factors," Tyson says. “Rates are really high right now. [If you have a home] priced at $450,000, your buyer will have a mortgage of $3,000 a month. That's really hard for a buyer to get into. You have to understand what you are up against."

But there is still plenty of room to move into the Phoenix market.

Axios reports sales of single-family homes rose as interest rates dropped about 1% in the first quarter of 2024. Phoenix continues to have positive population growth and a low inventory of houses, which means there are plenty of buyers.

When working with your real estate agent, be realistic regarding expectations. Some areas of town are more desirable than others. You're more likely to sell quickly if you are in a hot market like Scottsdale and can price accordingly. A house in a less hyped neighborhood may need greater incentives to draw buyers.

Individual houses also have different levels of desirability. Tyson says she looks at listings regularly. She says she sees poorly staged and inappropriately priced houses languishing for weeks or months even as competitively priced and well-presented homes go quickly. 

Hire a local real estate agent

Many people who want to sell quickly consider selling directly to cash buyers or companies that advertise that they will buy homes. However, this is a way to almost guarantee you will get far less than market value. One prominent company in the cash-buying business emphasizes that it is a discount buyer and cannot pay the full price for a home.

Meanwhile, an experienced and savvy real estate agent can get you a far better price and guide you through what you need to do to sell your home quickly. Redy even makes it easy to find these agents — all you need to do is create a profile on Redy, and agents will connect with you!

"A good agent will always provide tools for their sellers ahead of time," Tyson says. "That's what proves their value."

She gives sellers a checklist of tasks to do to ensure a quick sale. Paying close attention to your agent's advice can help you leave your home quickly… and at the right price. Redy has comparison tools that allow you to check out a real estate agent's experience and approach to choose the one that best suits you.

Enhance your home's curb appeal

It’s true: A buyer’s first glimpse of your home governs their feelings about the property. When you don't have enough time to get a home ready for sale, curb appeal should take priority. A fresh coat of paint and a well-maintained yard can go a long way toward improving the look and feel of your home from the minute your buyer sees it.

Not much time available? Go for the highest impact/lowest effort glow-ups first. Just power washing the driveway and repainting the front door can dramatically improve the look and feel of your home. 

Stage your home to sell

One in five buyers' agents say that staging a home increased the dollar value offered by 1 to 5 percent. 

"Staging is a very big deal," Tyson says. "Decluttering, taking down personal items, getting things out of the house, making things not bare, but nicely staged with no personal pieces in it."

She acknowledges that many people cannot use PODS or other self-storage options, so she urges sellers to get creative. Box up personal items to store in the garage while the house is on the market. Take the opportunity to reduce the amount of things you own by selling, donating, or throwing them away.

Don't feel you have time or expertise to get the house staged to sell? Talk to your real estate agent about hiring a professional. Professional staging experts can arrange your rooms to appeal to buyers. 

Get ready for your open house

Many sellers feel like open houses are a waste of time because they are mostly attended by curious neighbors. But Tyson says that is a strength, not a weakness. She hosted a donut and coffee open house for her recent client and chatted with many people from the neighborhood. These neighbors, in turn, talk about the house to friends and family looking for a home. Ultimately, she sold the home to someone who attended the open house. 

Leverage digital marketing

Most prospective buyers look online before visiting a neighborhood to tour homes. "In this day and age, you need media to make it happen," Tyson says. "I always showcase a lifestyle video."

A lifestyle video showcases the area around the home first. In a recent sale by Tyson, she highlighted the neighborhood's walkability, the three local schools, and nearby dining and entertainment. Only then did she transition to the features and amenities of the house. "If you want clicks on YouTube, it can't be the house. People are looking for the area."

In addition to the lifestyle video, she also creates multiple videos showcasing the home. A virtual tour gives buyers an immersive experience that will make them more curious about seeing the home in person. Videos are formatted for various social media platforms and for inclusion in the MLS listing. 

It takes a lot of practice to learn the ideal timing of your ads and what to focus on. This is where the skill of an experienced real estate agent comes in. Redy.com allows you to vet multiple agents to find the one whose background and experience match your needs. 

Set a competitive price

"A lot of homeowners feel their home is worth more than it is," Tyson says. She explains that a person's emotional attachment to the home can give them an unrealistic idea of how much a buyer is willing to spend. "It's my job to prove to them with my comps and my market analysis what homes are selling for, so we start with something realistic."

Your real estate agent can provide more information about how much homes like yours have sold recently and how long they were on the market. When you are looking for a quick sale of your Phoenix home, be ready to be flexible. You need to find the right balance between a competitive price and a fair value for your home. 

Let your agent negotiate for you

Even when you want to sell quickly, you still have room for negotiation. "We got an offer from an investor that was a little too low, so we passed on that," Tyson says. And price is not the only area where you have room to wheel and deal. "We got another one a few days later from an open house visit. They had an agent, and they were ready to go."

Tyson emphasized her client's need to close fast because of the upcoming closing on their new home. "That was our counter back," she says. "We were pretty much able to get the asking price plus what we wanted when it came to their timeframe.  We were able to get the home closed on the day of their closing on the other home."

Get ready for closing!

Having everything in order in advance can mean a quicker and smoother transition at closing time. Ensure you have all of the home's documentation available before you sell so you aren't scrambling later on. This will include not just legal documents like the deed but also paperwork and documentation regarding your homeowners' association, warranties on appliances, and other relevant information about the home.

Your real estate agent should only work with buyers who have pre-approval and financing in order before they come to look at your home. This way, when they make an offer, you know they are ready to move fast.

Do not be afraid to refuse buyers with contingent offers when you need to sell fast. In a market like Phoenix, you will likely find a new potential buyer in a better place to move quickly through the closing process. 

Final tips

By following their real estate agent's advice and getting the home clean, fresh, and ready to sell, Tyson’s clients were able to go from first phone call to final closing in just over a month. 

A quick sale can be a challenge even in a market like Phoenix, but the guidance and assistance of a skilled agent can help you reach your goal. Reach out to a real estate agent on Redy today. 

Lara Manetta is a freelance writer based in Florida. She's written extensively about local and national real estate, including a book for doctors interested in real estate investing. When she's not writing, you can find her kayaking, reading, or sailing.