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I've posted some background here before, but in a nutshell we are relocating out of state and have to sell our house in a very depressed market. Our HOA has issues and there are many foreclosures/ short sales in my town and neighborhood. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks that the house has been on the market and not one showing or inquiry. I took advice of people here and priced aggressively with a little bit of room to slash it more. Just wondering if there's still hope for us.. I would think the first couple weeks set the tone if a house is priced right. Thoughts?
Mortgage interest rates are near a record low (although rising) and people are buying homes every day. So, why is it that some home sell right away while others sit on the market for months and months.?
1. Overpricing. The number-one reason a house or condominium does not sell is because it is over-priced. If you listed your home with the real estate agent who recommended the highest list price, they probably "bought" the listing. Now, they may be reluctant to admit that your home is over-priced.
Do you wonder why you're not getting any offers? Today's savvy home buyers will either not look at over-priced properties, or when they do, they make offers that are much lower than the market value. Home buyers are very smart and they often know more about home values than real estate agents. If your home has been on the market for more than 30 days, it's time to review a new market analysis to check the list price against other active listings and recent sales. Then, adjust your price accordingly.
2. Condition of the home. The second major reason homes do not sell is their physical condition. Few home buyers want to purchase fixer-uppers. Most want a home to be in near-perfect, "model home" condition. Does your home need a fresh coat of paint or new carpeting? Is your yard and landscaping appealing? Are the windows sparkling? Is the garage clean? Have you put off making needed repairs? Take time to put your home into tip-top condition, so that all a buyer has to do is turn the key in the front door and move in.
3. Bad location. No matter how appealing a home might be, if it's in a bad location it will not sell, or it will sell for substantially less than comparable homes in good locations. Negative location factors include bad schools, busy roads, high crime areas, poorly maintained neighboring homes, lack of public transportation, poor shopping, power lines and poor parks. The only way to compensate for a bad location is to reduce the price.
4. The listing agent. Few sellers realize that their listing agent could be the reason their home does not sell. Some agents are known among their colleagues as "difficult agents." The result is that other agents do not want to show the listings of those agents unless there is nothing else to show prospective buyers. Sellers may never know that their listing agent is not liked by other agents and is hurting the home sale. Experienced, cooperative, friendly, enthusiastic and accessible listing agents are a major asset to their clients.
5. Poor marketing plan. Some real estate agents get the listing agreement signed, put it into the MLS and sit back to wait for other agents to bring a buyer. That's not enough to sell a home. The best agents have a written marketing plan and they follow it to be sure the property sells. Be sure to find out what your listing agents plans are to sell your home, get them in writing and hold them accountable for their commitments.
Although the MLS is a powerful sales tool, other resources are essential. The best agents have Internet sites to market their listings. They also arrange broker tours, advertise each listing regularly, send out "just listed" announcements and actively network their listings with other agents.
6. Difficult to show. A common saying in real estate is "If you can't show it, you can't sell it." The more a home is shown, the faster it sells. And, usually the quicker the sale, the higher the selling price. The message is clear, make your home easy to show by installing a lock box. If a lock box is not feasible, ask your real estate agent to set up a procedure that will make it easy to show your home.
SUMMARY: The key reasons some homes do not sell, even when the real estate market is doing very well, can be overcome with savvy marketing. Real estate agents like to show listings that are priced right, in good condition and easy to show. If your home is not selling, talk with your agent to find out why. Have your agent ask other agents who have shown your home what they think of it. For example, a modest price reduction might be all your home needs to convert it from "for sale" to "sold."
How are your photos? Did you stage the house to photograph well? Did a photographer take the pictures or your realtor?
It was the realtor who took the pics, and I'll admit the pics aren't that great. We painted the main level and the upstairs hallways and baths but didn't get to a couple of the bedrooms. We got rid of a lot of clutter, if anything rooms seem semi- empty. We got rid of so much and rented a storage unit as well.
Wisemanoncesaid,
All excellent advice! In our case the home definitely isn't in tip top shape and the location is a problem ( bad HOA and foreclosures in neighborhood.
Thank you!
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