What is the best way to sell a house in 2023?
The answer used to be pretty clear—through a realtor. But that is not so in 2023, as the majority of home buyers now find it easier to look for properties on the Internet. The amount of traffic on real estate websites has skyrocketed in recent years, and this can help bring more attention to your listed property.
Buyers and sellers can now connect effortlessly over the Internet and agree on the terms of purchase, all prior to finalizing the details and paperwork with an agent. There are numerous websites out there that allow you to sell or list your property, but knowing which is the most streamlined or high-traffic isn’t clear without some industry research.
Luckily, we have reviewed all the property websites currently out there and curated a definitive list—what is the best website for selling property in 2023? We’ll break down our top five.
For those who don’t want to struggle through screening offers or deal with all the legal paperwork involved in a traditional home sale, Element Homebuyers are cash home buyers in Omaha and all across Nebraska. We make it easy to sell a house fast in Lincoln. We also buy properties in Bellevue, Hickman, and Papillion—but more on that later.
The Best Websites for Selling Property
The best websites for selling property give you the power to find buyers or connect with buyers’ agents easily.
It is also easy for sellers to share their property listings and even upload pictures of their homes so prospective buyers can check the property to determine if it meets their needs.
The National Association of Realtors found that more and more buyers prefer to look for houses over the Internet. Most real estate websites have numerous tools on their platform to make the selling process easier and more efficient. Here are the best websites for selling property:
- Zillow
- HomeFinder
- Realtor.com
- Forsalebyowner.com
- Trulia
1. Zillow
Zillow is one of the most popular online platforms for selling and buying houses. The website has a large Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database, making it easy to sell or buy a house in any location from Seattle to New York. It also has a local MLS listing for sellers who want to find potential buyers nearby.
Zillow has years of experience helping home sellers put their houses on the market online since its launch in 2006. The website also makes it easy for you to find tenants if you want to rent out your house. Zillow also lets potential buyers find properties that aren’t officially on the market through their ‘make me move’ tool.
You don’t have to worry about the difficulty of finding a buyer on Zillow, as the platform can directly buy the property or make you a cash offer based on the home value or sale price. Zillow is free, and you don’t have to incur any listing fee when putting your property on the market.
Pros
- Provides resources on how to sell or buy a house online
- More than 130 million properties are available on the platform
- Helps buyers find lenders that can finance their purchase of a new home
- Zillow also offers leads to real estate agents for a fee
- Available as an app for both Android and Apple devices
Con
- The estimate algorithm used by Zillow is based on limited information
2. HomeFinder
HomeFinder is the best website for selling property in 2023 due to its streamlined search feature. The platform has millions of property listings across the country, and the search portal is specifically designed to help buyers find for-sale properties anywhere.
HomeFinder also helps buyers find properties that are not currently on the market. This feature is useful for sellers who want to list their properties online but are not quite sure they want to sell. FSBO sellers can also benefit from HomeFinder because it offers listings devoted to that category.
Pros
- Buyers can view mortgage rates in each area
- Offers buyers an opportunity to look for properties not available on other real estate online platforms
- Real estate professionals can list properties on the platform
- Listings on the site include home foreclosures
Cons
- Designed specifically to meet the needs of buyers, not sellers
- Doesn’t receive as much traffic as other online platforms
3. Realtor.com
Realtor.com is one of the few real estate websites with an affiliation with the National Association of Realtors. The platform has all MLS listings sourced from different regions across the country.
Realtor.com is one of the best websites for potential buyers because it offers a comprehensive look at the local market. One of the tools available on the platform help buyers determine the average sale price in a particular area. Thus, buyers can determine the home value of a property in the market.
Home sellers can also rack the property value of their houses through the Realtor.com dashboard. You can also see how much other properties similar to your home are going for in the market. This is an important feature as buyers on the platform can see which houses have been listed for a while and those that have just been put on the market.
Pros
- Allows home buyers to connect with sellers or realtors to arrange tours
- Useful for lead generation
- Helps connect buyers to lenders or other financing options when looking for a property
- The search filter on Realtor.com is more specialized, allowing buyers to look for houses in a particular area, such as a school district
Cons
- Home sellers cannot list their property as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO)
- It is not ideal for homeowners who want to rent out their property
4. Forsalebyowner.com
The top real estate platform for selling houses not listed on the MLS is Forsalebyowner.com. The platform is curated to meet the needs of home sellers listing their properties without the help of a realty agent.
Forsalebyowner.com allows buyers and sellers to interact directly. It is advantageous in that most houses have a lower sale price due to the exclusion of any brokerage, listing fee, or closing costs. Sellers can list their condos, apartments, or even houses up for foreclosure on the platform with ease.
Potential buyers can benefit from Forsalebyowner.com by finding properties unavailable on other platforms. It is also a good way to discover properties on the local market that are not represented by real estate agents who may inflate the price.
Pros
- Fewer listings mean it is easier for buyers to find what they want with ease
- Gives owners control over the home-selling process
- The price of homes on Forsalebyowner.com are lower than other online platforms
Cons
- There is less information about the properties on the platform
- FSBO sellers may find it difficult to negotiate and close a sale after finding a prospective buyer
5. Trulia
Similar to Zillow, Trulia has a large database of homes listed on its platform. The website has a mobile app to make it more accessible to buyers and sellers. Trulia has more than 30 filters in its search category to make it as easy as possible for buyers to find a property that meets their needs.
Sellers can better market their properties by banking on the benefits of their neighborhoods on the platform. Prospective buyers can get a clear picture of a neighborhood before making any purchase decision.
Trulia is free for both buyers and sellers. The platform also has tutorial guides on how to sell or buy property. For instance, you may learn how to organize open houses where you can provide a detailed walkthrough for potential buyers of the property.
Pros
- Contains more information about the location, and neighborhood of various properties
- Contains an alert feature once it finds a property meeting the buyer’s specifications
- Comes as a mobile app with a user-friendly interface
Cons
- It is not suitable for FSBO sellers as they cannot list their properties on the platform
- Ranking of properties by the platform may disadvantage certain sellers
Alternatives To Selling a Property on a Website
Selling property online may not be suitable for you or your house. You can use more than one alternative to speed up the selling process.
For instance, you can get professional real estate listings for your home or look for a buyer privately. Some of the alternatives you can use to sell your house include the following:
- Hosting an open house and putting up yard signs on your property
- Selling your home as a For Sale By Owner
- Auction
- Direct sale
Selling through a real estate agent may involve hiring a professional realty agent and paying a flat fee or listing fee after the agent finds a buyer. A commission fee is usually hefty, though—and selling your house for cash might be a more straightforward option.
Could Selling Your House for Cash Be a Better Solution?
Selling a house for cash may be a better solution depending on a few factors. For instance, if you need cash instantly, selling a house is better. It may not be a better solution, as buyers may take advantage of your urgency and make a cash offer that is way below the home’s market value.
The advantages of cash offers include the following:
- The market for the house is limited or shrinking fast
- You don’t have to go through the hassle of a prolonged real estate transaction and buyer agents
- Certainty of closing
- Avoidance of transaction costs such as listing fees, flat fees, or brokerage fees
Sell Your House Online Today
Selling a house online may sound as simple as listing it on one of the many websites out there dedicated to just that—listing a property for sale. Although finding a buyer may be easy, you need to select and carefully screen buyers from a wider pool to improve the chances of selling your property at fair market value.
The real estate marketplace has gone through numerous changes in the 21st century. Buyers and sellers can now connect and interact with each other on various online platforms, including social media.
However, this hasn’t made it any less of an arduous process. Selling to Element Homebuyers means you won’t have to pay commission fees, rely on an agent, nor would you be required to prep or stage your home. The average time to close the transaction and receive your money is only 7-14 days.
The websites we’ve mentioned provide a service for listing your house online and also come with various tools to make the process more efficient. Still, they won’t help you to understand all the paperwork or legalities involved. A home-buying company, like Element Homebuyers, offers a convenient solution to this problem.
Finding the best home-buying company can be tough, which is where we come in. We buy houses Nebraska residents have a difficult time selling otherwise.