If your listing expired and your house or condo didn’t sell you’re likely feeling *just a little* frustrated. Not to mention, you're also probably wondering what went wrong. Here are three questions to think about as you figure out what to do next.
Did You Limit Access to Your House?
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when selling your house or condo is restricting showing times or days. Being flexible with your schedule is important. After all, minimal access means minimal exposure to buyers. Sometimes, the most determined and qualified buyers might come from far away or be very busy. They may not be able to change their plans easily if you only offer limited times for showings. Try to make your house available as much as you can to accommodate them. If no one’s able to look at it, how’s it going to sell? And how will you get the best terms/best price sale that you desire?
Possible solution: Ask for prior-day notice as a default. That way you do not have to drop everything at a moment's notice.
Did You Make Your House Stand Out?
The old saying applies: you never get a second chance to make a first impression. If it's a house (as opposed to a condo), the exterior needs to look appealing. As an article from U.S. News says:
“After all, if people drive by, but aren’t interested enough to walk through the front door, you’ll never sell your house.”
But don’t let that impact stop at the front door. Whether it's a house or a condo, having it staged properly is vital. By removing personal items and reducing clutter inside, you enable buyers to picture themselves in the home. Additionally, a new coat of paint or cleaning the floors (or replacing them with fresh carpet or wood or an attractive engineered product) can go a long way to freshening up a room. If called for, having your agent recommend a staging designer is smart. The cost will be far outweighed by the return on your investment. An experienced agent should be able to help you with all of this.
Did Your Agent Market the Property Properly?
You and your agent must determine who is the target demographic for your property. A full-service brokerage like Gibson Sotheby's International Realty will be able to provide the proper local, statewide, national, and international marketing platforms, as well as provide attractive, professional print, social, mass email, and other electronic media.
Experienced Sales Representation?
Was your agent able to represent your property professionally and to its best advantage? An experienced agent with a track record will be able to provide quality professional showings to prospective buyers. What comes out of one's mouth during a showing can have consequences down the road. DId your agent perform all the showings or did they pass them off to a newbie "team member"? Or did they just have the property on lockbox?
Did You Price Your House Compellingly?
Setting the right price is extremely important when you're selling your house. Overpricing in relation to existing market will scare away buyers and make it hard to sell quickly...or at all. Business Insider notes:
“. . . the biggest mistake sellers make is overpricing their home.”
Price your home accurately. If your house is priced higher than others like it, it will make buyers lose interest. If your property is presented, marketed, represented, and located well, there's only one problem. Can you guess what that problem is? Time is *not* your friend in this case.
Let's get your home represented properly.
A skilled and experienced agent can offer expert advice on relisting your house with effective strategies to get it sold. It’s natural to feel disappointed when your listing has expired and your house didn’t sell. Let’s connect to figure out what happened and what to reconsider or change if you want to get your house back on the market. Here are some of my more recent sales
Joe
