Why Certain Houses Are Not Selling

Why is my house not selling? Typically, it is for one of the following 3 reasons.

1. Price

Price is the most common reason that houses do not sell. Buyers are doing their homework - they know market and they have seen the homes listed. They might love your house, but they are not going to overpay. Other agents also know the market and they have seen and know the inventory well. They will dismiss an overpriced listing when searching for homes for their buyers and will not encourage their buyers to even consider your home. Last but certainly not least, an overpriced house will not appraise. You will be hard-pressed to find a buyer that is willing to pay more than the number on an appraisal. Appraisers use the MLS in determining their values just like an agent would, so we should all come up with roughly the same price point when doing a comparative market analysis.  

2. Condition 

Staging your home is very important. Go through your home and appraise critically. Look at the defects and repair all those leaky taps, change shower heads and replace the cracked tiles. If you want top dollar - make staging a priority and fix the place up a bit. Minor renovations and repairs can go a long way. Remove clutter and clean clean clean!

3. Location

A house on a busy street may sell for less than the exact same house around the corner (and off the busy road). Over the years, you have become immune to the noise; you may not even find it a problem. But a buyer coming to look at the house for the first time will be struck by all those noise. You may need to take location into account when setting or negotiating the price of your home.

Seems simple, right? 

Selling your home is hard - it's emotional, time consuming, life-altering and well, not always fun. If you are serious about selling your home, talk with an agent who will show you the numbers. They can take you to see the competition, show you what has sold, and help you understand the price range where your home will sell.

5 Things You Should Consider Before Listing Your Home

Here are a few things to consider before listing your home for sale. 

1. Eliminate surprises

How do you make your home stand out from the crowd? Consider getting a home, termite and radon inspection BEFORE you list. Address the issues that you can and get a home warranty for the prospective buyer. Another option - get an appraisal. Feel confident about your list price and have the appraisal to back up your number. Your agent can share these items with interested buyers and promote that you've taken these steps (to attract more buyers) in the marketing of your home.

2. Curb appeal counts

Experts have stressed time and again that an enhanced curb appeal will definitely make your home sell faster than you expected. Mow the lawn and weed the gardens. Check the trim around your doors and windows and caulk as necessary. Grab some mums and put them by your front door - yellow is especially inviting and new buyers will love the effort.

3. Clean up

If you don't have the time to clean your house, then hire a professional cleaning service. Have a thorough cleaning of your home, from the mold in the shower to the smudges on the windows, before the first showing. Painting is an inexpensive way to spruce up your home and neutralize your color scheme.

4. De-clutter and depersonalize 

Take the time to de-clutter your home and simplify the layout. If you are using the dining room as a playroom - now is the time to turn it back into a dining room. Bonus: less stuff inside will make rooms appear larger! Depersonalizing will allow the prospective buyers see themselves in your home. 

5. Renovations matter

Take care of any minor renovations that need to be done. Use your home inspection as a guide and remember to follow township/borough/municipality rules. Your Realtor(r) can help you prioritize what should be done before you list the home for sale.