10 Reasons Your Home May Not be Selling

When you first put your house on the market, you might be hopeful for a quick sale - especially in the current market where many homes are receiving multiple offers within days of going up for sale. While you shouldn't panic if the house doesn't sell the moment you list it, you should begin to worry if weeks, or months, start flying by without any real offers.  

If this is the case, here are 11 reasons why your house maya not be selling.

1. You overvalued your property.  An overpriced home is simply not going to sell.  An experienced real estate agent can give you a good estimate of value of your home. 

2. Your listing is poor.  A poor description and/or a lack of photos or blurry photos will not attract buyers to want to consider your home. Ensure your REALTOR® creates a description that attracts the attention of buyers, highlighting unique features of the home and property, and be sure to have high quality photographs that best represent what your home has to offer.

3. You're always present at showings.  Buyers don't want to have the seller lurking over their shoulder during showings.  They want to freely chat with their agent about the home without feeling uncomfortable or fear possibly offending the seller.  Always 'present' also includes having video/audio recording devices in the home which limit comfortable conversation during the showing.

4. You're too attached. Your emotional attachment to the home may impact your willingness to negotiate price or terms, thereby making it difficult to come to agreement on an offer with a potential buyer.  

5. You haven't had your home professionally cleaned. Even when we're pretty diligent about cleaning, as homeowners we often will overlook things such as dusting ceiling fan blades, vacuuming the return vent screen, or even washing windows. A dirty house is going to leave a bad impression on buyers. Professionally cleaning the carpets, windows and home interior will create a better impression for potential buyers.

6. You haven't staged your home. A vacant home makes it difficult for some buyers to visualize how they would place their furniture or get a sense of the comfort of the home. Staging with furniture and decor gives buyers an idea of how to use the rooms and a sense of each rooms' size.  If you're still living in your home, a Stager can assist with using your current furniture and decor to best represent the available space and give the buyer a feeling of home when they are taking the tour.

7. Your home is too personalized. A wall of family portraits, the collage wall of vacation photos, or the fairytale princess decor in a child's bedroom may make Buyers feel uncomfortable while touring your house. If your home decor is too personalized, it can distract buyers from seeing what features your home has to offer and may prevent them  from imagining themselves living there.

8. Your home is too cluttered. Too much furniture in one room or an extensive collection of figurines may make the rooms or available counter space feel smaller than they actually are.

9. Your home is in need of too many repairs. The more repairs that are needed, the less likely a buyer will want your house. Many buyers simply don't want to deal with the cost or effort of doing repair work, even if it's just a bunch of small repairs, such as tightening a handrail or replacing a broken tile.

10. You chose the wrong real estate agent.  Working with a great real estate agent makes all the difference in selling your home, for the best value, within a reasonable time.

All these things can be fixed. One of the best ways to avoid making these common mistakes is by working with a professional real estate agent.                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                     Adapted from a RISMedia's Housecall article