All Love And No Take? If everyone loves your home, why hasn't it sold?
Mon 07 Jan 2019
There are a lot of questions to be answered when you’re struggling to sell your cherished home. So, to fully understand the situation we have to take a few steps back and look at all the factors that could be affecting the saleability of your property.
Firstly, let’s assume that in advance of asking an agent round to value your home you have redecorated the exterior paintwork, cleared the gutters, trimmed back any overhanging branches or climbers to maximise on the possible daylight, deep-cleaned the carpets, redecorated high-traffic areas or replaced outdated themes, tidied up and removed all the personal items.
Secondly, let’s look at the marketing material… With fresh eyes, look at how your home is presented in the estate agents details. Ask yourself if the main photo is working as hard as it should? Are the very best elements and features being mentioned in the opening sentences? Are you purposefully withholding information, such as the home’s proximity to a main road or its lack of garden? To do this, would be misleading and time wasting for all involved.
How about the estate agent? If you’ve had lots of viewings, it may be that your estate agent has played a ‘numbers game’ and sent lots of people around; initially you were pleased with the interest level and excited about the situation, but it then transpired the viewers couldn’t afford your property or that your property wasn’t suitable. It’s really important that each viewer fully understand the property before a viewing is arranged and their situation and circumstances are fully qualified.
What’s the viewing feedback? Showing potential buyers around a home requires skill and experience. Sometimes there’s no one better than the owner to show off the home’s special features but if the owner is there it can be hard for the viewer to be honest and comment objectively. Without having this transparency and freedom in the conversation, it’s hard to gain constructive feedback. The sooner you understand the real reasons why your house isn’t selling, the quicker you can deal with it and improve your chances of selling.
How’s the presentation? It stands to reason that if you’re getting viewers across the threshold but they’re not making an offer, then they don’t like what they see. It may be that you haven’t actually maximised on the available space in the home. Sometimes we’re too close to notice what others see, hear or even smell! Ask a friend or family member to be honest and don’t get offended. Alternatively, instruct the services of a skilled home stylist. The stylist may suggest a small shopping list but remember, you will take the items with you and should be seen as an investment.
If you do get lots of viewings, take heart that the market is buoyant with homebuyers actively searching for a property of your type, location and price range. The skill is attracting that one buyer.
If you’re in that situation, we’d love to share our ideas with you.
We’ve got lots of creative ideas and experience in successfully selling homes in Stamford and Rutland, maybe we can help you too?