There are many sellers who appear to be sabotaging their home sales. They are doing things, either intentionally or not, that are making it hard, if not impossible, to sell their homes in a reasonable time frame and for top dollar.
Or they are not doing the things they ought to do that would facilitate a sale.
Here’s what I mean.
PRICING – No matter how nice the home looks, and no matter how much marketing is done, if the price is too high the market will rebel and will reject you. You certainly won’t overpay for something you see in a store that you know you can get elsewhere for less money, or if you feel it costs more than it’s worth, would you? Grit your teeth and price it to sell NOW based on the market value. Even in a seller’s market pricing is key; buyers will compare your home to others and you don’t want YOUR home to make others look like the better value, do you?
AVAILABILITY TO SHOW – many people have busy lives, small kids, and other issues which make it tough to show their house. And it’s tough having to keep it clean all the time. Limiting showing times and making it hard to see your home will definitely hurt your chances, especially when people are moving fast. Be as flexible as possible. Sell it quickly then you don’t have to worry about it any longer.
INTERIOR CONDITION – if your lifestyle tends to result in a lot of personal stuff lying around, or your home does not look inviting inside, it might make buyers want to run the other direction. Even if the price is reasonable, buyers may look the other direction, start subtracting dollars from a potential offer, or get concerned there is a lot of deferred maintenance.
CURB APPEAL – does your home encourage buyers to want to see the inside or does it make them decide to keep on driving? Will buyers see it as a place that will require a lot of elbow grease in order to make it presentable and would they be ashamed to be the new owners? Be objective and clean up. Get rid of stuff, trim the bushes, cut the grass, add some flowers, paint the front door. Make buyers WANT to come inside to look
Unfortunately, there is another possibility. While you might be doing everything right, there may be things your agent is or is not doing. Perhaps the person you hired is not doing the job, or doing things that may be sabotaging your home sale.
Stay tuned for more on this topic.