Why Some Homes Sell Faster

A recent study by National Renewable Energy Labs found that home powered by a solar system sold 20 percent faster and for 17 percent more money that non-solar homes. Installing energy-efficient features can make your home more appealing to buyers, especially in a down market.

A great tip is to highlight the energy and money saving aspects of your home to prospective buyers in language the average person can relate to. For instance, "our average electricity bill is $8 a month" will mean more to a potential buyer than "our solar panels produce 6 kilowatt hours of electricity per day."

A 2011 study by the National Association of Home Builders showed smaller homes are selling faster than larger homes. One-bedroom homes actually sell 13 percent faster than others and homes with two stories or more took more than 20 percent longer than single story homes.

With the introduction of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) appraisers have become for more conservative, maybe even downright lazy, in their valuations. With no fear of adverse action for low appraisals because they are essentially accountable to no one, it would behoove a seller or Realtor to provide to the buyer's appraiser with important information such as comparable sales, great schools or low crime in the area, in addition to a detailed list of improvements made to the property and the approximate cost of each improvement.

A Canadian study of over 20,000 real estate listings found descriptions that focused more on "curb appeal" or general attractiveness helped a property sell faster than those focusing on value and price.

• Describing a property as in "move-in condition" quickened the sale by 12 percent.
• Listings with the words "beautiful" or "gorgeous" sold 15 percent faster.
• Using the word "landscaping" hastened a sale by 20 percent
• Language that conveyed desperation, such as "motivated" or "must sell" took 30 percent longer to sell.
• Homes that have been professionally staged sell at least 20 to 40 percent faster than vacant homes.

With homes sitting on the market so long, so many deals falling out of escrow due to low appraisals among other things, and the increased number of closings delayed by a variety of glitches, anything a seller can do to give himself/herself an edge may save a seller a lot of anxiety and headaches.