If you need to sell your house in this market, there are several things you can do to help it move as quickly as possible. Certain things may be out of your control, but there is a lot that is not, and if your house isn’t selling you may need to look in the mirror to find the problem.
It may be no surprise that the #1 factor in selling your house is the price. If the house isn’t priced right, it almost certainly will languish.
But while price is a major factor, there are other important factors to consider. Here are several reasons why your home may not be selling:
1. The house is Overpriced. As noted above, this is #1 for a reason. Many of the things that may make your house seem more valuable to you are irrelevant to your buyer. At the end of the day, your house is worth what someone else will be willing to pay for it. Overpricing does nothing to help and only will hurt you. You want to price it right UP FRONT and avoid having those “days on market” continue to add up.
2. The home shows poorly. A lot of your competition may be completely remodeled investor houses. Meanwhile, your house is stacked to the ceilings with junk and hasn’t seen a broom in 3 years. Your house needs to be perfectly spic-and-span, de-cluttered, decorated neutrally, and (hopefully) updated to modern standards if you want it to move quickly at top dollar.
3. You are in a Bad Location or area, or your house or lot has undesirable characteristics. This is one of those things that is out of your control. Unfortunately, the best way to compensate for this is to lower your price, or perhaps offer some owner financing to potential buyers.
4. Your Marketing is Incomplete and/or Ineffective. Many agents will do a minimal job in marketing the property. For example, they may have poorly worded or incomplete descriptions, and may even list critical things such as number of bedrooms, baths, or garages incorrectly. They may even forgot to flag your listing to be marketed broadly on the real estate internet sites. It is also critical that you have as many photos as possible, and that those photos be as flattering as possible. If your house doesn’t show well online, it’s not going to show at all in person.
5. You continually fire your agent and hire new agents. You may think you’re fooling the system into thinking your house is a “new listing” when it’s really not. But what you’re really doing is indicating to the market that you will be a difficult and unreasonable person to deal with. The entire MLS history of your house is essentially available to anybody. Instead, do your homework up front and specifically dictate to your agent how you want your house to be priced, presented, and marketed.
6. You forgot that the Market is the Market. It ultimately comes down to supply and demand, and the value of your house ultimately comes down to what a willing buyer will pay for it, period. A lot of market conditions are out of your control, so don’t try to fight them. Don’t pretend that it is 2006. Adjust to the current conditions, and your house will move quicker.
If dealing with unpredictable markets and picky buyers is not your thing, call us about ways we can buy your house as-is, at a fair price, on the date of your choice (as fast or slow as you need). Call us at 205-390-1050 or click to www.WeBuyBham.com and fill out our “Sell Your House” form. If you want to know who buys houses in Birmingham, it’s us! We buy houses in any condition, any area, any price range, and in any situation. We also have a free report entitled “How to Sell Your House for Top Dollar Fast” available for free at www.SellHouseReport.com.