10 – No Sign on the Property:
This is the first way anyone driving by will see that your house is for sale. Your neighbors are a great resource. They will often have a friend or family member interested in living in their neighborhood.
9 – Access to show your home:
A lockbox to allow other agents to gain access to your home is critical. It is also of utmost importance to allow showings whenever it is at all possible. Trust me on this, buyers will go on and buy another house without trying to come back to see yours if it is difficult to show and/or your time constraints don’t fit into their schedule.
8 – You are present at showings:
This is something you really don’t want to do. A buyer will never look at all of the things they need to see if you are there. It is just too uncomfortable for them. Any information they need about your home can be provided by your agent. You also risk inadvertently disclosing too much about your position or need to sell.
7 – Poor condition or maintenance:
If there are obvious signs of needed maintenance the buyer will automatically think there are other things wrong with your home which they can’t see and they will either go on to the next house or make you an extremely low offer. Take care of those issues whenever you can prior to listing your home.
6 – Lack of curb appeal:
As a potential buyer drives up to your home the exterior is the first thing they see. Make sure it is inviting with a clean, well kept exterior. This includes porches, siding and landscaping.
5 – Dirty and cluttered interior:
Most buyers cannot overlook an unclean and cluttered home. Remove as many of your personal belongings as possible to allow a buyer to see your home as a place they can imagine living. Then clean everywhere. Buyers will look in your closets, drawers and bathtubs and the cleaner a home is the more they will feel it is in good condition and give you a better offer on your home.
4 – Your listing is input in the Multiple List incorrectly:
It’s unfortunately all too common for an agent to input the wrong information. I have seen things as simple as the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, directions and even a home marked as a townhome when it was a single family home input incorrectly. This can and will keep real potential buyers from ever seeing your home.
3 – No advertising:
Everyone is using social media and the internet to search for homes often before ever contacting an agent. If your home isn’t out there on all of those sites you are missing out on a huge audience of potential home buyers.
2 – Price:
An overpriced listing will always be almost the biggest reason your home isn’t selling. The reality is that a buyer just doesn’t care about all of the sweat equity you put into your home. They want to get the best deal possible and they aren’t going to pay more than other homes in the area are selling for. Pricing your home correctly for the neighborhood and the market is crucial.
1 – Your Agent:
If you have hired the right agent they will have already walked you thru all of the other items on this list and you will be well prepared to sell your home quickly and for top dollar in your market place. The right agent will walk you thru getting your home show ready on the interior and exterior. They will order a sign, install a lockbox, enter all of the listing information correctly and advertise it everywhere. They will also be responsive to your needs, answer their phone, answer any questions you have at any point in the transaction and guide you thru all aspects of the home selling experience.
