Home Sellers:
Why Isn't Your Home SOLD?
If your home for sale isn't generating offers,
there a few actions you can take to make up for
the slow real estate market.
Tip - Check Your Sales Price
Your home may be overpriced. Listen carefully to
your listing agent who knows better than the folks
at the office, your relatives, or friends at the
club about the listing price of your home. Agents
are paid to know their markets, and they work with
real estate every day, so they have informed
opinions on the latest market conditions and home
prices.
On the other hand, if you are certain that your
home is NOT overpriced, don't be persuaded to
lower your price. Many homes sit on the market for
other reasons. According to a report by the
Christian Science Monitor, staged homes sell twice
as fast as homes just cleaned up and listed.
Staged homes sell for an average of 7.4 percent
more, as well.
Tip - Check Your Internet Listing
There should be a strong Internet marketing
presence nowadays if your home is going to compete
against all the others in your area. A recent
study by the National Association of Realtors
showed that more than 70% of all home buyers now
begin their home search by going online and doing
some preliminary investigation--before they ever
contact a real estate agent. It's also important
to insist that the agent offer at least eight
indoor and outdoor photos of your home, so
prospective buyers can get a genuine feel for it.
Tip - Add Buyer's Incentives
Since the market is changing, it may be well worth
your while to offer prospective buyers some help
with closing costs. It's been a seller's market
for quite awhile, but more and more, sellers are
being asked to help with closing costs and points
on mortgages. If you can carry some of the
mortgage on your home yourself, that's an even
bigger draw.
Tip - Don't Disappoint Buyers
Remove anything you want to exclude from the sale
before you list the home. That will prevent
confusion in buyers' minds--and remember, the
confused mind always says no. If a particular item
is important to you, get it out of the home before
it becomes a bargaining point--and a possible
obstacle to selling your home, even to a qualified
buyer who truly wants it.
Tip - Make an Action Plan
If your home isn't moving, don't be afraid to ask
for your real estate agents' advice and
suggestions. You'll sometimes be surprised that
they have quick responses to your questions,
because they've heard similar comments about your
home from a number of sources over the course of
your listing. Listen to those comments, and then
take action on them, because they'll often mean
the difference between a home's sale and
continuing to sit on the market.
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
FREE "21 Proven Action Steps to Make More Money
from the Sale of Your Home"
Prepare Home for Sale
Jeanette Fisher teaches interior design and is
the author of
Home Staging books.
Permission granted to publish this article as
long as the bio remains intact with a live link to
http://preparehome.com
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Jeanette
Joy Fisher