With it being a hot real estate market, and a seller’s market at that, you’ve decided to join in and put your house up for sale. You’ve put the “For Sale” sign up, listed your home, and hired a real estate agent, but you’ve had little to no interest.
What could be the hold-up? Well, it could very well be you. Here are some common self-imposed roadblocks many sellers face:
* Awful listing photos: Before potential buyers stop by your home, now days they most likely saw an online listing. If your photos don’t show off your home in a favorable light, you will not have the kind of buyer interest you are looking for. Really work to make your home shine on camera, and leave online browsers dying to see more in person. A great Dallas company that does this is www.shoot2sell.net. The value far outweighs the investment.
* Messy lawn and appearance: Your yard is an extension of your house, and it serves as the house’s first impression. If it is an eye sore, your prospects of selling your house are diminished before potential buyers step through your door. Also, it doesn’t matter how good the pictures are. They will just make all the nastiness look crystal clear.
* Smelly odors: No one wants to buy a house that has a permanent smelly odor. Odors like cigarette and pet smells create concerns about the permanence of the odors. Before showing your home to potential buyers take care to odor-proof your home, and have a friend give you an honest assessment because you may be immune to the smell.
* Clutter: You may think your home looks “lived-in” and well maintained, but your stuff could be hurting your sale. Potential buyers want to imagine their stuff in the house – not yours. Consider de-cluttering your house, and look into better staging your furniture. If you don’t want to pay to have your home professionally staged you can go to www.eubankstaging.com for an inexpensive “Walk and Talk”. One of their professional stagers will walk your entire home with you and give you marching orders of exactly what you need to do. I need no brainers. Just tell me what to do please. This does exactly that.
* It’s crowded: Potential buyers are interested in your house, not you and your family. You may be throwing off the sale by sticking around for the showings. Give the buyer room to look around and think without the added pressure of your presence.
* Overpriced: Nothing will keep potential buyers away more than overpricing. They are likely to just browse online, and not venture out to see the property in person opting to wait until there is a price reduction. Remember the cardinal rule in real estate. If you get no showings it means the Real Estate community thinks your house is overpriced. If you get showings but no offers, it means the buying community thinks it is. Listen to them and you’ll sell your home quick and at top dollar.
All blog information is of the opinion of the Loan Officer and is not supported by Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation
