If you’re selling a home, there’s nothing worse than seeing every other house in your neighbourhood with a sold sign, and yet yours is still sitting pretty on the market, waiting for that elusive buyer to come along. No viewings, no offers and you’re just playing the waiting game. The longer you’re waiting, the more you worry. Is something really wrong with your home? Is it all in your head, or is there something that is not inviting the right buyers in?
It could well be that you’re panicking over nothing. Your home will sell. It just may take a little longer than normal. On average a home may sell within 90 days, but some may take 180 days or even a little longer. Take a look around you, at your local property market. If you’ve been on the market for 80 days and the average in your area is 160, you may not have to worry at all. But to be sure, check on these points:-
· Are your photos good enough? Do they make a great first impression? This is what your buyer is going to see first, so make them count!
· Is your home presentable? Is the garden tidy? Are there weeds growing between the tiles? All this, make up for a bad first impression. If your buyers have seen your great photos, but when they turn up for their viewing appointment, all they see are weeds and cracked walls, they won’t want to get out of their car. Don’t let your side down, by not matching your photos to the reality!
· Your home is too personal to you. This offends a lot of homeowners trying to sell their home, but it is reality. Just because you love having everything you own on display, doesn’t mean your buyer needs to see it all in one go! Less is more – especially when your home is on the market for sale. Pack most of your personal items away before your first viewing appointment. I know it sounds harsh, but if you really want to get your property sold, the less buyers see of you, the better.
· Is your price too high? Everything sells, no matter how adorable or ugly it is. But if you’ve rectified everything else and it still hasn’t sold, then reality is, it’s down to the price factor. No matter what you as homeowners think, or even us as Real Estate Agents think, it is the market that decides what sells and what doesn’t. Priced too high – you’ll be left hung out to dry! Priced too low – just watch how fast it’ll go! Priced just right – well… you get my drift!! Lol
· Are you making viewing appointments difficult? If your Real Estate Agent doesn’t have a key to your home, you need to make sure you or your key holder are available at short notice. If you’re making it awkward for your buyer to see inside your property, don’t expect them to come back. Don’t forget, there are plenty more homes on the market for them to see.
So if your property has been sitting on the market for a while now, look through to make sure you’re keeping on top of your check list:
Photos good?
Is it presentable?
Is it too you?
Priced too high?
Are you available for viewings?
As time goes by, don’t give up. Maybe it’s just time to take a little more action!
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