It is the dream of many homeowners to sell their house by quick and stress-free means.
However, sometimes you can hire an estate agent, put your property on the market, go through relentless viewings but still be asking yourself “why isn’t my house selling?”
Despite your many attempts to get a buyer, you could go for months with your property collecting dust in the property listings.
This can be frustrating, and you may need to switch up your approach and implement changes to your selling strategy.
We have gathered solutions to some of the most common mistakes made by homeowners while selling a house. Read on to find out how you can overcome problems and sell your house quicker.
1. The asking price is wrong
Most of the time, when a house is on the market for too long, it usually comes down to the condition, the time of year or the sale price is too high.
If the condition of the property is good but nobody has made an offer, then it’s likely the price is too high.
Mostly, house sellers give in to the temptation of making a more significant profit and end up miscalculating the value of the property by a big margin.
The subject of pricing can prove to be tricky, especially when you’re eager to sell your home quickly.
That is why we suggest you hire an estate agent that will help you determine your property’s value by analysing statistical data and place a fair market value on your house.
Good estate agents will compare the price at which similar homes have been sold in your area is also a perfect way to estimate the property’s worth.
If you want to achieve an insight into your home’s value, you can organise a free valuation with agents in your area using the Moovshack app.
Reviewing the asking price
If your house has been on the market for longer than 25 days without generating any leads, it may be time to drop the price a little.
It is heartbreaking to see your house losing its value, but this a natural process in trying to sell your property quicker.
Now to the main question: how much should you reduce the price by?
You should never make deep cuts on the price (no matter how much you want to move) as it gives off an unreliable impression of the property.
No matter how urgently you may want to achieve the sale, you must remember to be patient.
You should lower the price just enough so that it makes a significant impact on buyers in your market. This should get the job done to revitalise your property and put it on potential buyers’ radars.
2.You aren’t staging the house correctly
Home staging is an excellent way of showing your potential buyers what they want out of the property.
Even though they aren’t looking to buy your furniture, home staging can nudge their imagination in the right direction.
There is a difference between how a vacant home looks and a staged home.
According to some statistics, properties that are staged will sell for 1% to 5% greater value than the list price and in a shorter period than an unfurnished house.
We’ve put together great tips on how you can furnish your house on a budget if you need some inspiration.
You might be wondering why this seemingly unnecessary technique is so useful for selling houses.
Well, the answer is simple.
A house that smells of freshly baked bread or warming coffee appeals more to a buyer who visits open houses by captivating their sense of smell.
Similarly, a well-furnished house is captivating to sight and allures potential buyers by allowing them to picture themselves living in the house.
If you don’t stage your house, or worse yet, it is poorly staged, it can have the opposite effect on a potential buyer. Your job is to make sure the first impression of your property with the buyer is memorable.
How to improve house staging
Little upgrades and changes go a long way.
If the house seems small and dull, we recommend that you redo the paint. This is an affordable cost that most sellers can commit to – and it’s something that can totally change the feel of your property.
This will bring a striking change to how different spaces appear in the light. Take a look around the place and try to fix anything broken, such as cracks in the flooring or windows.
Additionally, if the garden appears messy, declutter it, so it seems neat. If you’re a hoarder, we recommend shifting or letting go of the items that may make your home appear cramped.
You can also hire a professional property stager to help you with this. A property stager will make sure that the common reasons for not selling a house are rectified. They’ll make your property look much more appealing to any prospective buyer.
Nobody wants to spend money on fixing the amenities in a house they won’t be using.
However, these small upgrades can work wonders in pulling in potential buyers who are willing to pay the asking price for the property. This might even start a bidding war on the house between multiple potential buyers, and you can end up making more than your asking price.
3. You need to improve kerb appeal
Sometimes you can have the perfectly staged house, with a reasonable asking price and still not pull in any potential buyers. This is where kerb appeal comes into consideration. Kerb appeal refers to how your house looks from the outside.
Remember, most prospective buyers will start researching homes online first. Through property portals or a property search in their area, the first time a buyer sees your house is normally on their computer or mobile.
Most people forget to give importance to the outside of the house. This can be a huge drawback as the home exterior is where first impressions of the property are based.
A sad-looking garden or driveway with overgrown weeds could tarnish the whole look of the property.
Potential buyers don’t want a house that screams “fixer-upper”. When you’re selling your property, you need to think of things that may put you off when you buy a new home.
Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes before viewings and think of all of the questions that people might ask when viewing a property for the first time.
How to fix poor kerb appeal
You can mitigate this problem by doing small tasks that will take you a long way.
For instance, you can mow the lawn to expose a beautiful garden of green grass, plant flowers, and take care of anything that appears to be tired or broken on the exterior of your house.
Ask a friend or family member to give you an honest opinion on what might need fixing.
A second opinion is always a good move!
Upgrade your landscaping, get your grass a brilliant green, plant a few shrubs, and shine your letterbox and doorknobs.
All of these small reasons could be why your house isn’t selling.
Take the time to research properties in your area that have just sold and look at how appealing they are. Remember when you’re selling a home, there may be hundreds of other houses similar to yours that you’re competing with so, make yours stand out!
4. Your listing pictures don’t do it justice
Property listing photos are essential in captivating potential buyers’ attention.
Most property buyers first surf the internet before heading to open houses and showings. It’s absolutely vital that the pictures you are using for the listing showcase just how beautiful the property is.
Buyers may skip over listings with dark and blurry pictures as they are incredibly off-putting. This can lead to a minimal turnout at the open house.
It can also mean the house price becomes an issue before any viewings have been made.
Before taking any photos of your property, make sure to check for things like dampness and condensation in the bathroom. This is often a common problem which could put people off viewing your property (no matter how easily fixed the problem might be).
How to take better listing photos
By hiring a professional photographer to shoot your listing photos, you create a good impression in the property market, which helps you generate more leads.
Estate agents will normally provide you with a professional photographer as part of their service.
However, to make sure buyers fall in love with your house, at first sight, you are within your rights to hire your own photographer.
You not only need to sell the dream of living in your house, you need to stand out in a competitive market. Get the asking price right, make sure your listing photos are amazing and, you’ll be in a great position to sell your house.
5. Your strategy is wrong
If you’re unable to secure an offer after viewing, there may be a specific issue in your strategy that needs to be addressed.
You can switch things up a little by using new techniques, like using a property app such as Moovshack to help manage your property journey more efficiently.
You can also use the valuable data that you collect, as feedback from the people that view the property. Be open to asking important questions like: “What am I doing wrong with the house?” or “What could be improved to make you buy the house?”
The most frequent answers to these questions will let you know why your home isn’t selling.
How to fix your sales strategy
Upon identifying the problem, your next step is to work on how to fix it.
If lots of people have told you that the house looks too dark, the solution is to paint the walls a brighter colour, install better lighting and clean the windows so that more sunlight enters the rooms.
Your estate agents should provide you with feedback from potential buyers after viewings. Use this advice from your agent to address the things you need to for a sale.
You can also make a checklist of the most frequently asked questions you receive in an open house, and tick them off one by one to make sure you’ve got all the bases covered.
You can also customise the home staging according to common issues people face while envisioning themselves living in the house.
For instance, if people have raised the concern that they cannot imagine where to put the flat-screen TV in the sitting room or the wardrobe in the master bedroom, you can update your home staging strategy to cater to those issues.
However, some issues can’t be resolved by staging the property in a certain way. For instance, your property might be located on a busy street or in a not very scenic neighbourhood.
6. It’s time to switch estate agents
In some cases, your estate agents might not be doing enough to help sell your house in a competitive market. Remember, your estate agent works for you and, if you ask ‘why isn’t my house selling’ and your agent isn’t sure; it’s time to see what else they can do to market your property.
Remember, the cost of selling a house is expensive. If you feel as if your agents aren’t meeting your expectations, you need to be open with them and explain why that might be.
If you feel that there has been a lack of viewings, find out why. If you need a reason why buyers aren’t interested, then ask.
One way to determine how your agents are handling your property is to ask a family member to act as a potential buyer. Get them to ask questions about mortgages, a cash offer, other buyers and general information about homes in the area.
Good agents will handle these conversations well and will put your mind at ease.
What are my options with estate agents?
You always have the option to change estate agents. If you’re not happy, you have the option to terminate the agreement with your estate agent.
Other options are:
- Ask for a multi-agent agreement. This will mean more than one estate agent marketing and trying to sell your property.
- Consider using an online agent. An online estate agent can be a great choice to reduce costs and accelerate marketing.
What happens if my buyer pulls out of the sale?
You’re working hard at getting a buyer for your house, but if they pull out of the sale, it’s not the end of the world. There are ways to lower the chances – maybe they were turned down by their own mortgage company or another lender will take them as long as things change with how much money is needed and other factors.
It’s down to you to decide if you’re willing to wait to see if your buyer has unforeseen financial complications that have made the sale fall through. If you’re not in a rush to move out of your property, it may make sense to wait and see if your original buyer can complete at a later date.
Failing this: it’s always worth a conversation with your estate agent about re-opening negotiations with other offers you may have already had.
