Understanding what helps a home sell best is the secret sauce behind selling quickly.
Recently I was reading 11 Reasons Why Your Home Isnt Selling and couldnt agree more with the author. These are similar to the topics weve been blogging about and sharing in our own videos to help our Sellers. If youve missed some of our popular posts lets run through them again.
Key Reasons Why Your Home Listing Isnt Getting Offers
Why #1: Its overpriced and you have the wrong listing agent. An experienced REALTOR will work with you to take into consideration the price youd like to have as well as the prices of comparable homes in your market area and your homes overall condition. The missteps homeowners make is trying to increase the asking price to cover improvements or high-end finishes which may price the home above what comparable homes are selling for. More on working with the right REALTOR is discussed in How to Choose the Right Listing Agent.
Why #2: A poorly described home listing. If your listing has only a photo or two and a poorly written description its hard to catch a potential buyers attention long enough to pause and consider this property. Its important to include many well-lit, good quality photos of clean, tidy rooms with minimal furnishings to show your home at its best. An experienced listing agent will write the listing to highlight the unique features of your home plus point out nearby amenities. This is where professional home staging has its advantages as discussed in the next Why. More on what to expect can be found by reading Do you know what to expect of your REALTOR?
Why #3: Failure to use home staging or remove clutter. A professional home stager will arrange your furnishingsor bring in furnitureto highlight each room. The stager will work with color palettes and accent pieces to help a buyer picture themselves hosting holidays and making family memories in this dwellingremoving your family photos and other personal items. The homestager will encourage a seller to reduce and remove clutter, to have the carpets and floors professionally cleaned, and assist with suggestions for trending wall colors and finishes if improvements are being considered to enhance the home. If your home has been too personalized it will be suggested to make the room more neutral to help buyers see themselves in your home, such as removing the chicken wallpaper in the kitchen. More on staging is discussed in Delaware Homes Using Home Staging Sell Quickly.
Why #4: Overly attached. Your agent understands part of you may be reluctant to sell, youve become attached to your home, and you cant imagine a seller not wanting to pay the price youre asking. An attached seller may want to be present at showings to help an agent show prospective buyers the best features of the home but this would be a big misstep. Buyers wont be comfortable with sellers lurking behind each corner or following them from room to room during an open house or showing. Leave everything to your agent and trust them to do their job representing you and your home to its best. Broker Kathy Sperl-Bell highlights the things buyers want when they are searching for their new home in the video Why hasn't my home Sold?
Why #5: Signs of pets. While pets can complete a home not all buyers want to see or smell signs of pets in a home. Its best to remove any pets from your home before a showing. Your pet will be more comfortable not having strangers in their space and its unfair to a pet to be closed off in a room while hearing conversations and noise from those they dont know. Be sure to give your home the sniff test and remove any pet odors you may have gotten used to. Its easy to become accustomed to these scents to the point they are unnoticeable to you. If your dog has used the baseboard as chew toy take the steps to repair and replace. And repairs leads us into the next Why. Read Everyone loves pets UNLESSto learn more about selling a home with pets.
Why #6: Too many repairs or restrictions. The majority of buyers want homes with minimal repairs and restrictions. Buyers will do some small repairs to add their personal touches such as changing wall colors or replacing knobs and handles on kitchen cupboards. Replacing a roof, repairing wall cracks, and similar sizable repairs are off-putting for many. Buyers may want to pay less to account for the cost of sizable repairs. Unless you plan to list your home as a fixer-upper with a reduced price to match, go ahead and tackle the home maintenance needed before listing the property. Our video What Property Disclosures Will I See When Buying a Home in Delaware? provides much information.
Helping You Get It Right
By pointing out these mistakes and correcting them, our goal is to help sellers reduce having their home listed for months and months. The reality is the longer a home stays on the market, the less likely it may sell for the original asking price. Curious when the best time to sell your home may be? Watch our video to see what Broker Kathy Bell-Sperl has to say.
Active Adults Realty is committed to working with sellers to help them learn all they can to improve their home and make it a compelling listing. When you know better, you do better is part of a quote by Maya Angelou and it sums up why we share information in our blog posts and videos. If you are preparing to buy or sell a home with active adult living in mind, why not sit down and discuss the best way to prepare to get a great deal. We're happy to have a no-strings-attached discussion with you and help you best prepare to make the right offer on a home when the time arrives. Schedule an appointment today.