It’d be safe to say that anyone who’s gone through the home-selling process has, at some point in time, been afraid that their house wouldn’t sell fast enough. It’s common knowledge that the longer your house stays on the market, the less likely it is that a potential buyer will view it in the same way they would a ‘newer’ home. Homesellers often react to this complication by dropping the price of their house, which may further reduce interest (as potential buyers might want to continue waiting as the price falls).
To avoid this unfortunate situation, it’s important to know the main reasons why houses don’t sell, or among those that do, what leads to them selling after a longer-than-preferred period of time. Here they are:
Repairs
These days, homebuyers want updated kitchens and bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, and perfectly-functioning lights and temperature controls. This means that regardless of how inviting your asking price might be, your house won’t sell (at least not in a timely fashion) if there’s a laundry list of repairs that have to be made upon purchase. To avoid this, tackle the bigger, costlier repairs and make note of the new upgrades when handing out brochures at an open house.
Curb appeal
It’s important to make a good first impression, and for buyers, that’s usually their first look at the house- from the curb. This means you’ll need to take care of the front of your home, potentially with new landscape design, a new paint job, or even a paved driveway. What changes you need to make depends on how it looks and what prospective buyers are seeing.
It’s too personal
While you might love the personal effects in your home, potential buyers almost certainly won’t. If everything in a given area is personalized to you, how will buyers be able to see themselves living in the home? Stick to neutral tones with paint and furniture, and try to detach yourself from the property so you can set it up in such a way so as to allow visitors to imagine themselves living there.
You aren’t working with a realtor
While nobody actively wants to pay commission on the sale of their home, and many feel they could do the research and listing themselves, not working with a realtor is one of the biggest mistakes you could make in the home-selling process. Realtors can help you stage the home, create brochures, hold open houses, and on the whole, solve any real estate problems stopping you from selling your home in a reasonable timespan.
You won’t negotiate
It’s perfectly natural to look at your home in a positive manner, perhaps beyond how other people view it- it’s your home, after all! However, it’s important to be able to compromise, even if you feel your home is worth more than a potential buyer is asking for. While you may love your home, there are always comparable properties out there, and you’ll have to learn to negotiate if you want to sell yours.
Source: Need to Sell my House