Any time someone decides to put their home on the market, they wrestle with the fear of not being able to find a buyer. Sometimes the reason a house isn’t selling is super obvious, but sometimes the reason is more subtle. If you haven’t received any offers on your home after a reasonable amount of time, there are some changes you can make to help improve your odds of selling faster and, with any luck, for a better price. Read on to find out some of the most common reasons your house might not be selling.
Your Price Is All Wrong
When sellers ask why their homes aren’t selling, the most common answer is that their listing price is too high. It doesn’t matter how much you paid for your house, how much you value and love it, or how much money you put into renovations. Your home is only worth the amount someone is willing to pay for it. There’s a certain science to pricing a home just right, and it’s something a good real estate agent should be well-trained in. Listen to your agent and take their advice. Pricing your home higher than it should be wastes everyone’s time.
Your Listing Photos Aren’t Appealing
The majority of buyers start the house-hunting process online, which means your listing photos are the first impression they get of your house. If your photos are dark, unclear, taken from bad angles, and not well-staged, there’s a good chance buyers will pass on your home before they even get a chance to see it in person. Listing photos should be well lit, high-quality images that highlight your home’s best features.
Your Marketing Plan Needs Adjusting
If you aren’t getting enough traffic through your home to net an offer, it could be that your marketing plan needs some tweaking. Ask your agent what they’re doing to get your home in front of prospective buyers. They should have a clear plan of attack that doesn’t end with simply putting your listing in the MLS and hoping for the best. You and your agent should work together to figure out your target audience and the best marketing platforms for your home.
Your Home Just Isn’t Impressive
There’s no need to completely overhaul your home, but you do want it to put its best foot forward. At the least, give the house a good deep cleaning, a fresh coat of paint, and maybe a few small upgrades here and there. Make sure there aren’t any off-putting odors you may have just gotten used to. Work on your curb appeal. And once prospective buyers start coming through, ask for feedback on what they think could be better about your home.
You’re Not Being Flexible Enough
Being flexible is a major key to selling your home. If you want to sell quickly, be available for showings at any time. Keep your house clean and tidy; be willing to accept a showing that’s right in the middle of dinnertime (take the family out for pizza!); and don’t turn down a showing unless you have absolutely no choice in the matter.
Your Timing’s Off
Just like in any other business, the real estate world has its busy times and its slumps. If your home isn’t selling as quickly as you’d like it to, the problem could just be that you chose the wrong time of year to put it on the market. Sometimes outside factors dictate when you need to sell your house, like needing to relocate for work, so you don’t really have an option. But if you put your house on the market in the dead of winter, for example, you can expect it to take a little longer to sell.
Your Agent Isn’t Doing Their Job
Odds are you know more than one real estate agent. Honestly, agents are a dime a dozen. Great real estate agents, however, are the ones who work hard and stick around even when the going gets tough. It’s important to choose an agent who is known to get results. Interview a few agents before you choose the right one for you. Ask them how many homes they’ve sold in the past year, how long they took to sell, and how many sold at or near listing price. You should also ask them about their general marketing plan and how they’ll tailor it to fit your home. Choosing the right Realtor® is extremely important if you want to get your home sold in a timely manner.
