Why Won't It Sell!

If you have your home on the market and wondering why it hasn't sold, don’t get to worried. Take a proactive and approach the three big ‘P’s’

Price

Presentation

Promotion

1. Price.

The market today isn't what it was last year. There are a lot of homes on the market so yours needs to shine if you expect top dollar. If you priced your home at the rate that "Joe" down the block sold it for 6 months ago, you may be disappointed.
Price point is also a factor. A home listed at $199,000 will get a lot more activity than one listed at $201, 000. Most buyers push up a little but have a cut off. If they want a home at $180,000 then may push to $199,000 but not even consider a home over $200,000. If you are listed at $201,000, you're the cheap house for the $200k buyer but too expensive for the $180k buyer.
You just priced yourself out of the real competition. Get your agent to talk to you about how the market is in your area. For my clients I do comprehensive market analysis of every house that has sold in the area for the last two years. This really gives a good impression of where the market is on each particular property.

2. Presentation

This is the shine factor. Presenting a home takes more than picking up the papers from the floor. Unless this home is a rental and the tenant wants to sabotage the sale, there is no excuse for the lack of a tidy home. How you live in your home is not how you sell a home. No clutter, clean, clean, clean and add some fresh touches. Flowers from the garden, new hand towels and soaps, new pillows on the sofa, or anything to make your home present better. Ask your listing agent for suggestions if they haven't already made some.
Another key marketing feature is the photos. Most people search for homes on the internet. The first impression they have is the photos. Make them outstanding and put a lot of them on the site. Take 2 or 3 nice outside photos. Front , back, and deck or garden. Any nice outdoor feature or outbuilding. If you have a sunroom, hightlight it with a photo. Now, to the inside. Kitchens sell houses, the living room and master bed are also important for people to see. If you have a great kitchen, put in 2 or 3 views. Sell your home online so they want to see it in person. A listing with one photo is a listing that is not even trying. There is too much competition out there and by not adding any other photos you are allow the buyers to click to the new search.

3. Promotion

There are a lot of options today when listing your home. The fact of the market today is you just have to be in front of the faces of the people who are looking. And the only way to do this effectively is to be on as many websites and marketing magazines as possible. But if your serious about selling these days that is not quite enough. But you need to have high profile. Things to do is upsize your ads in the paper and become a feature property on which ever websites your on. There is a greater need than ever to invest in the promotion of your property so that is sells.

In summary, if your home hasn't sold rethink the price. If this isn't the factor than rethink how your home is marketed and how does it show when the buyer comes to see it.