How to sell a house quickly and profitably

Content

• How is selling a house different from selling an apartment?
• Ways to Sell a House
• What influences the cost
• How to Calculate the Optimal Cost of a House
• How long does it take to actually sell a house?
• Preparing for sale
• Selling a house
• What taxes will you have to pay on the sale of a house?
• How to sell an unfinished house with a plot of land
• Is it possible to sell a plot with an unregistered house?

Selling a house is different from selling an apartment. The transaction can be accelerated or delayed for several months – it depends on the actions of the seller.

In this article we will tell you how to safely and quickly sell a house, correctly calculate its value and find buyers.

How is selling a house different from selling an apartment?

Selling a house is more difficult than selling an apartment. In our country, a house cannot be sold separately from the land on which it stands. Thus, another object is added to the transaction – the land. Therefore, more documents are needed for the sale. 

The price of a house is affected by its location, plot area, technical equipment, quality of finishing, etc. When buying, the degree of completion of the construction is also important. Apartments are almost always sold in a condition suitable for living. It is different with houses. A “house” according to documents may in fact be a dilapidated structure or a box without utilities.

Home buyers often have many requirements. They take longer to make decisions than those looking for an apartment. In addition, the demand for private houses is lower than for apartments, so the sale can sometimes be delayed. 

Ways to Sell a House

You can sell your house yourself or through a realtor. Let’s look at the pros and cons of these two methods. 

On one’s own

When selling your home yourself, you place ads, meet with buyers, and show the property yourself.

Plus, you save on the agent’s commission. Minus, you deal with all the stages, including document preparation. This takes time and requires knowledge in the field of drawing up contracts and other papers.

Through a realtor

When selling real estate through a realtor, you delegate some of the seller’s tasks to him. The specialist communicates with buyers, places ads and conducts showings, prepares documents and supervises the transaction. Plus, the realtor’s income depends on the number of successful transactions, so he will try to quickly find buyers and remove objections.

Realtors understand the documentation: they will help you safely draw up documents, resolve issues of selling problematic real estate. The downside is that the realtor takes a commission – approximately 3-5% of the transaction amount.

What influences the cost

The price of a house is influenced by dozens of conditions: where it is located – in a city or a cottage village, the freshness of the renovation, what is located next to the building.

Here are the most important criteria:

• Legal purity .Buyers are looking for houses with one owner, without encumbrances and with documents. Such real estate is set at a high price, because its purchase is safe.
• Area of ​​residence. Houses in favorable, clean and safe areas are always more expensive. 
• Technical condition. The buyer needs a house that does not have a leaky roof and does not require electricity. If the property does not require repairs, its price increases. 
• Infrastructure. Shops, schools and hospitals near the house increase its price.
• Readiness to deal . Homes without tenants sell faster than those with people still living in them. People pay more for the opportunity to move into their new home right away.
• Season. Demand for private homes is cyclical. It increases in spring and autumn, decreases in winter and summer.

How to Calculate the Optimal Cost of a House

Do not estimate the value of the house yourself – you can set it above the market and not find buyers or below and lose profit. Contact the appraisal specialists to calculate the correct price of the building and the plot.

For approximate calculations:

• Go to real estate sales websites and look at similar houses by area, plot size and other parameters. This way you will get your bearings on the price.
• If the property is in a village, talk to neighbors from similar houses. Find out how much they paid for their housing. 
• Add up the cost of the lot and the amount you spent on building and finishing the house. This is a rough estimate, but it will give you a starting price. 

How long does it take to actually sell a house?

The time it takes to sell a house can stretch from a couple of months to several years. The most time-consuming part is finding buyers. You can complete the paperwork in less than a month if you are paying for the property in cash.

If the property is purchased with a mortgage or using maternity capital , the period will increase to 2-3 months. If you want to sell a house at a price above the market, be prepared for long-term communication with buyers from 3-6 months. 

Don’t rush to close the deal as quickly as possible – a quick sale of a house requires a low price. The speed of the sale largely depends on you – are you ready to conduct several showings per day, periodically update ads on websites.

Preparing for sale

Before selling, collect the documents and bring the house and the plot into a marketable condition. The buyer will be impressed by a clean plot with neatly mown grass. In the house, if possible, refresh the cosmetic repairs and remove unnecessary things.

Important: Pre-sale preparation increases the value of the property by up to 20% and reduces the sales period. 

What documents are required to sell a house

• documents confirming ownership;
• building permit and act of putting the building into operation;
• contract of sale of a house and land;
• passports of all owners;
• permission from guardianship and trusteeship authorities in the presence of minors and incapacitated owners;
• notarized consent of the spouse for the sale;
• certificates of absence of debt for housing and communal services;
• documents confirming the surveying and defining the boundaries of the site.

Sometimes more documents are needed. For example, if the house is located on the lands of populated areas or has the status of residential, a certificate of absence of registered persons in the house is needed.

Is it necessary to do land surveying?

Land surveying is the determination of the boundaries of the adjacent territory. The procedure is carried out by a cadastral engineer from a geodetic surveying company. In 2024, the law does not require land surveying if:

• you have title to the house;
• the house is registered with the cadastral chamber;
• the parameters of the premises correspond to the documents;
• the land plot is registered with Rosreestr and is owned, not under the right of use;
• the configuration of the land plot and its boundaries did not change.

How to tidy up your house and property

Home . Do a general cleaning of the premises: wash the windows, plumbing, clean the furniture, wash the carpets and curtains. Get rid of unnecessary things: remove unnecessary items from visible places, sort out cabinets and storage rooms.

Eliminate odors and air out the room before buyers arrive. Furnish the house with minimal decor: fresh flowers and accessories. Replace burnt-out light bulbs and broken switches. 

Plot . Remove construction waste from the plot, pull out weeds, improve the beds, sweep the paths. Pay attention to the entrance to the house – it creates the first impression. Fix the door if it is broken, lay a rug, remove unnecessary things.

Selling a house

Now let’s look at all the stages: from finding buyers to making a deal. If you sell the house yourself, you’ll have to participate in all of them. If you work with a realtor, he’ll take on most of the tasks.

Search for buyers

The first step to selling your home is finding buyers. Start by posting ads on real estate websites and in social media groups. To attract potential buyers, post flyers near your home and hang a banner with your phone number on the facade.

To ensure that your publication appears among the first in search results, purchase automatic ad boosting. 

Advertisement for sale

Provide more information about the house and the lot in the ad. Informative descriptions increase the chances of a quick sale.

• Provide basic information: area of ​​the house and plot, location, readiness of the premises for occupancy immediately after purchase, condition of utilities. 
• Support the facts with advantages: if you indicate the construction material, write how it affects the temperature in the house. If you indicated the area, write down how many people will live comfortably.
• Describe the advantages of the location: ecologically clean area, view of the forest, 10 minutes to the center.
• Add information about the number of owners and the absence of encumbrances. 
• Tell us about the infrastructure: are there shops, schools, hospitals, public transport stops nearby? 
• Describe what furniture is in the house: what condition it is in, what is in each room. 

Add photos of the house from the outside and inside to your listing. Take photos from different angles during daylight hours and show the most attractive parts of the house. The more photos you post, the more information a potential buyer will receive. 

You can place an ad for selling a house on the website or in the DomClick app. DomClick also gives buyers a unique discount of 0.3% on the mortgage rate. The seller can get the ” 0.3% Discount ” badge for free; real estate with this badge sells faster.

Shows

Be polite, open, not late for the meeting and tell everything about the house – this will inspire trust in potential buyers. 

Arrive at the site in advance and prepare the house – clean, air out the premises. When communicating with buyers, honestly tell about the advantages and disadvantages of the house. Openly answer questions and provide useful information. For example, if a family with children came to view, mention that there is a school nearby, and on the second floor there is an ideal room for a nursery. 

Conclusion of a purchase and sale agreement

Preliminary agreement . Before concluding the main contract, draw up a preliminary agreement. This may be a contract for the sale and purchase of the property, an advance agreement, or a deposit agreement. They confirm the seriousness of the intentions of both parties. 

Draw up a preliminary agreement in the same form as the main purchase and sale agreement. Have the document certified by a notary if you are selling the right to a share or if there are minors or incapacitated persons among the owners.

Be sure to include your phone number, social networks and messengers. 

In the preliminary agreement, record the main terms of the transaction: subject, price, characteristics of the object, terms of the main contract, payment procedure, etc. 

The main purchase and sale agreement . It can be signed simultaneously with the settlements. The document includes: the type of transaction, the place and date of conclusion, the names and roles of the parties, the residential addresses and passport details of the parties to the agreement. Specify the price and the subject of the transaction – a house and a plot of land.

In the contract, specify that the seller will receive the money after the transfer of the right to the property to the buyer. The fact of the transfer is confirmed by Rosreestr marks and an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate. After both parties sign the contract, the originals are transferred to the registration authority. 

When selling a house, draw up an acceptance certificate.

Registration of transfer of ownership

To transfer ownership under a sales contract, prepare the documents and submit an application in person through the MFC or use the electronic registration service (suitable for mortgage transactions and at your own expense). When submitting documents through the MFC, pay a state fee of 2,000 rubles if you are an individual, 22,000 rubles if you are a legal entity. 

Calculations

After registering the property rights in Rosreestr, make a mutual settlement in one of the ways.

• Secure payment service . The money will be kept in a secure bank account during the transaction. The seller will receive it after the transfer of ownership.
• Letter of credit. The intermediary is a bank. The buyer transfers money to the bank, which checks the fulfillment of obligations and settles with the seller. 
• Bank safe deposit box. The buyer places money in a safe deposit box at the bank. The seller gives the buyer a receipt for the money, and the buyer gives the keys to the safe deposit box.
• Notary deposit. The notary receives the money, monitors the fulfillment of obligations and transfers the money to the seller. 
• Mortgage. The buyer enters into a loan agreement with the bank. The seller receives the money and hands over the keys to the house to the buyer. 

What taxes will you have to pay on the sale of a house?

When selling a property that has been owned for less than 5 years, the seller pays income tax of 13%.

In what cases you don’t need to pay taxes

Selling a home is tax-free if you own the property for more than 5 years. The period is reduced to 3 years under the following conditions:

• the right of ownership arose as a result of privatization;
• the property rights were registered before 2016;
• the property was inherited or given as a gift;
• the right of ownership was obtained by drawing up a life annuity agreement;
• The house is the only home.

Also, the obligation to pay tax does not arise if:

• the sale price is lower than the purchase price, but not less than 70% of the cadastral value;
• the cost of buying and selling a house is identical and is no less than 70% of the cadastral value.

Find out more about paying personal income tax when selling a home

How to file a tax return

After selling the house and transferring the ownership, wait until the end of the calendar year. Then file a declaration on form 3-NDFL . Get the form from the Tax Office or on the FTS website.

Attach proof of income to your declaration. For example, a sales contract. Submit the completed declaration by April 30 and pay the income tax according to the FTS details by July 15 of the following year. For example, if you sold a house in 2024, submit the declaration by April 30 and pay the tax by July 15, 2025. 

How to sell an unfinished house with a plot of land

Sometimes it is more profitable to finish building a house and sell it as a finished house than as an unfinished house. Selling an unfinished house takes a long time because fewer buyers are interested in such a purchase. But if the house is not finished, you can still sell it.

Register the house as an unfinished construction project and register the ownership. To do this, submit an application to the BTI, receive a cadastral passport and submit it to the MFC along with the land documents. After completing the application and paying the state fee, you will receive an extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate on the ownership of the unfinished construction. 

After completing the paperwork, include the unfinished house in the purchase and sale agreement and transfer the ownership. The property will not be considered residential. To use it for its intended purpose, you will need to draw up an act of commissioning and adjust the data in the cadastral passport and Rosreestr.Read also

Is it possible to sell a plot with an unregistered house?

An unregistered house can only be sold in words. If the property is not listed in Rosreestr, the right of ownership is not transferred to it. In other words, for the state, there is no house on the site. 

The purchase and sale agreement will state that there are no buildings on the site. This creates risks for the buyer – according to the documents, he will only own the land, but not the house. Not everyone will agree to such a deal.

If Rosreestr finds out that the property does exist, it will cancel the deal through the court or require the house to be registered. So don’t take any risks and register the building before the sale.

When a plot of land is occupied by a dilapidated structure that makes no sense to register, it is better to demolish it. This way you will not cause unnecessary questions from Rosreestr and potential buyers.