Written by Laura Wise.
1. Price. Buyers will not overpay for homes, even in this market. If your home is priced too high, it will just help sell the competing homes in the neighborhood by making them look like a good deal.
2. Showing Condition. Once you decide to put your home on the market, you must think of it like a product. Don’t you pay more when you go to a store like Dillard’s that is attractive and organized? Your home should look as close to a model home as possible. Buyers can’t see past your personal clutter and will not pay top dollar for a home that “needs work”. Odors are another big no-no, examples – pet, smoke, garbage, diapers or any other unusual smell.
3. Buyers Can’t Find Your Home. Your home should be syndicated on all the popular internet real estate sites with lots of professional photos. Buyers will move on to the next virtual home if they don’t like how your home looks in photos.
4. Buyers Can’t See Your Home. I was trying to show a property and the listing agent said “No showings on Mondays”, or sorry not today – My client was only in town for one day and bought something else. People need to be able to see your home before falling in love and buying it.
5. Your home has been on the market too long. Just like clothes that don’t sell and go into the bargain bin, a home that has been on the market too long will make buyers think there is “something wrong with it”. If your home hasn’t sold in 4 months, see items 1-4 above.