Why Isn't my Home Selling?

After exhausting yourself getting your house ready for sale, you finally have a sign in the yard. You've heard that it is a seller's market, so you are expecting an offer within the first hour it goes live on the market. But hours tick by and become days which turn into a month...and the only offers received have been (let's just say) less than desirable.

What went wrong? You glare at your agent thinking, it's your fault somehow. Maybe they are not trying hard enough? Maybe they don't care about my home? Maybe they are just lazy?

For the vast majority of agents, this is an overwhelming no to all your doubts. First off, agents do not get paid until the house sells and if the house sells. So why would they not try to sell yours? What good does it do for their reputation if houses they list never sell? Who would use that agent in the future?

So then why is your house not selling? Here are some possible reasons to consider:

•  Do you have a garage? One of the first items on home buyers lists are garages. If you do not have one, when the buyers put in their criteria, your home is off their list immediately never to be seen.
• Is your home priced right? The neighbor down street sold their home for XXX so that means you should too. Well not exactly. Do they have more square footage? Updates? Features you do not have? When coming up with value, you must compare apples to apples. Did your agent say one price but you chose to go higher? A properly priced home will sell faster than a poorly priced home.
• Is your home updated?  How old is your furnace and roof? If your big ticket items will need to be replaced in the near future, you may be scaring potential buyers away. If your home is in need of these things and you are still priced at the top of the market, you also are probably overpriced.
• In a lot of the country, basements are big! They can be just as important as number of bedrooms or a garage. If your area is basement friendly and you do not have one, you may be off the list.
• You didn't de-clutter for pictures and showings. People are visual. You may not be getting showings because your house looks unappealing in pictures, which means less potential offers. Or if you have a lot items in the house, people cannot envision what their belongings would look like in the house (and there goes the offer).

If you have your house on the market and you are having trouble, these are some of the items that could be the culprit of why your house isn't selling as fast as you thought. If you are considering putting your house on the market soon, talk to your agent about realistic time frames and obstacles that might be problematic. If you doubt their professional suggestions, get a second opinion. After all, it is your home and your money. Do your homework and due diligence to maximize the the highest offers!

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