Why Isn't My House Selling?: 7 Common Issues Holding You Back From Selling Your Home
Have you been trying to sell your home for some time but find yourself wondering, "Why isn't my house selling?" Read on for common issues and how we can help.
You listed your home months ago but still have no bites on it. If the average house takes three weeks to sell, you might be asking yourself, "why isn't my house selling?" Selling a house is no easy feat, but it shouldn't take months to find a buyer and close on the deal. If it is taking you this long, there could be a problem. The goal is to find out what is preventing your house from selling. If you can find this out, you can make some adjustments and hopefully find a buyer soon. Here are seven possible reasons that could explain what is going on with your home and preventing it from selling.
1. You're Asking Too Much for It
The most plausible explanation for why your home isn't selling is the asking price on your listing. If you're asking too much money for the home, you'll have a hard time selling it. Homes always sell when the price is right, but they rarely sell when they're overpriced. If you suspect this is the reason you're experiencing trouble selling it, consider decreasing the amount. If you're not sure how much your home is worth, there are a few things you can do…
One: ask a real estate agent for his or her opinion. Agents know these things and can give you an accurate estimate. Agents do this by preparing a comparative market analysis, which is a report that compares the values of similar homes.
Two: invest in an appraisal. An experienced appraiser can answer this question for you with a realistic value for your home.
2. You Didn't Stage Your Home Properly
How much work did you put into staging your home before listing it? If you didn't put a lot of work into it, this could be the reason you're not finding a buyer. Staging is essential for selling, yet many people skimp on it with the assumption that their house is fine without it. If you skipped over this step, talk to an agent. An agent can give you precise tips and details on the best staging efforts to complete. After you complete the steps, you might find a buyer a lot faster.
3. You Didn't Depersonalize It
Did you know that a vital step of staging is depersonalizing? Depersonalizing refers to removing every item in the house that makes the house feel like it belongs to you. For example, your family photos are of your family members. These people belong to you. If you leave pictures on your walls, people who view your home will sense that this is your home. Personal touches interfere with a buyer's ability to visualize the home being theirs. If you didn't take the time to depersonalize, you should do this before you attempt to sell the house.
4. The Housing Market Is Slow
There is also a chance that the reason your house isn't selling has nothing to do with you. If, for example, the housing market is slow right now, homes might not be selling. The best thing to do in this situation is to lower the price. Lowering the price is the only way to compete in a slow market.
5. The Listing Is Not Attractive
Homeowners also experience problems selling when their listings are not as attractive as they could be. Take a look at your listing online. Does it look nice? How do the pictures look? Do they make your home appear elegant, beautiful, and desirable? Does the description of your house appeal to your senses? Bad listings can interfere with home sales. A good listing, on the other hand, is appealing and sensual. It attracts people to a home and makes people want to see it in person. If you feel that the listing is weak, you can change it! You can write it yourself or hire a professional photographer. Your real estate agent can help you with posting your listing and finding a photographer.
6. There's An Issue That Buyers Don't Like
There is always a chance that you're facing difficulties selling your house because it has an issue you haven't fixed. An example of this is a home without central air conditioning. While there may be a few people who are willing to buy a house without AC, it is certainly a much smaller pool of potential buyers. So, trying to sell a house that is missing a feature that most buyers want can definitely make the task a lot more complicated. If it's not the central AC that's missing, is it something else? Buyers today want certain things in homes, including updated kitchens, bathrooms, and hardwood floors. Buyers also look for energy-efficient appliances and systems, and they love finding homes that do not need any work. Making changes to your home to address the issues that buyers do not like could be your ticket to selling it.
7. The Curb Appeal Isn't Positive
One last thing to consider is the curb appeal of your house. Curb appeal is what people initially see when they drive past your house or pull up to it. Does your curb appeal offer a positive vibe? Does it look good, neat, and well-manicured? Curb appeal makes a huge difference, as it creates a first impression, and first impressions stick.
Next Steps
If you're still asking yourself, "why isn't my house selling," you may want to consider hiring a new real estate agent for help. The agency you hire plays a significant role in the process of selling a home. If you'd like a fresh opinion on your home, give us a call! We are a full-service real estate agency with years of experience helping homeowners like you. Visit our site for more information, or fill out this form to learn more about how we can help.