I can't sell my home, buyers aren't buying or it's the bad economy seem to be the key phrases from home sellers these days when their home doesn't sell. Truth is those things have little to do with a home sitting on the market. I can't sell my home tells me that the seller did not listen to their agent or that they have not properly prepared their home for sale.
I have successfully sold a multitude of homes all with a listing time of 45 days or less. Did I list under the market? Nope. I made my properties available for viewing at a moments notice, staged the homes, priced them correctly (listen to your real estate agent-this is why you hired him/her) and always made sure the info on MLS was accurate. So I think this article hits the nail on the head. It explains in detail precisely why homes don't sell. Get busy selling or get busy yelling!
Is YOUR home sale slip-sliding away?
In light of all the rain this week in California you might think I'm talking about mudslides. And granted, there are some of those, unfortunately, with more likely to come unless the rain stops.
But this post is really about home sales losing their potential to become a reality...for a host of reasons. Some may be YOUR fault, deliberate or not. Others, quite frankly, are the result of your agent's actions. Maybe you aren't aware. Maybe you are and don't care.
As an agent who is, at the moment, working with lots of buyers who are anxious to buy, I thought I'd pass along some feedback that could help. Listen up! If you really do want and need to sell. If you are testing the market (come on, you KNOW if you are), you can simply ignore this.
So this is what we (me and my buyers) think are a few signs of a seller's faux pas:
PRICING
OK, the price is not in line with the local market: nuff said. Buyers know this right away, so you aren't fooling anyone. If the agent took the listing with a price that is out of what you are both responsible.
AVAILABILITY
Scheduling a showing is too hard - the hours are really limited, you or the agent do not return calls or emails, you have to call too far in advance (48 hours? Forget it). Do we even need to talk about keys that don't work? Or how about when we do call you say it's not a good time? Hmmm, you DO need to sell, don't you?
MLS INFORMATION
The information is limited, missing, inaccurate, or contradictory (e.g., it says MOVE IN condition and it looks like a junkyard with more cosmetics needed than most buyers would consider even remotely reasonable). That's your agent's fault, in most cases Are you getting the opportunity to review the listing to make sure it is accurate? Many folks make decisions about showing based on what they read. You CANNOT afford to ignore this. And as the client YOU deserve to have your home's information on the Internet presented in the best light.
NO PHOTOS
OK, so there's one crummy photo. Your agent is simply NOT doing the job. Buyers DEMAND photos. Like it or not they DO make decisions based on photos. No photos, no showings from some buyers. What a loss. This is your agent's job - you need to hold them accountable.
LOCKBOX ISSUES
This is solely the job of your agent. I can't tell you how many times I have encountered NO lockbox when the MLS says there is one. Or the key does not work. Or the agent doesn't bother to state in the MLS that the lockbox is a combo instead of one we can access with our Sentrilock card. Or the key does not get returned.
INTERIOR and EXTERIOR HOME CONDITION
If you think buyers are not paying attention to the curb appeal, and the home's condition, you are not being told the reality of today's market (in many areas). Buyers LOOK for signs of a home that needs help, or means more work for them IF they should decide to buy. And they immediately start thinking there are other hidden issues if the home does not show well or clearly has lots of deferred maintenance.
If this is sounding a little testy, it's meant to. Quite frankly, in the last few weeks I have had far more issues showing property than I would have expected in this market where many sellers presumably NEED to sell. And my buyers have asked me outright...."DO these home owners WANT to sell or not?"
Some of this is due to the fact that SOME agents are NOT doing their job of educating sellers about the local market conditions, and what is essential in order to get the home sold.
Thankfully there are also a good number of sellers who are doing all they need to do - the house looks great, they are accommodating reasonable showing times, and they seem genuinely interested that we are coming by to tour their home. And their care and concern about their home shows.
So give it some thought. Are there things you are doing, or your agent is doing, or not doing, that is causing YOUR home to not be a viable candidate for being sold in this market?
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If I can provide more information about Carlsbad real estate and surrounding areas, or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
All content copyright © 2010 Jeff Dowler "The California Relocation Dude" Carlsbad Homes and Real Estate Tidbits
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2990 Jamacha Road #136 El Cajon CA 92019
Nevin Williams NMLS #69651
Great blog post. This is infomation we should all be aware of. Thanks!
These things are true. Sometimes the seller just doesn't want to hear this. Do they want to STAY... or Do they want to SELL ?
Price point is key in any market! Also, Open Houses grab traffic and gets the buzz going! I've held Open House on a particular property and have had 30+ people walk through...waiting for that offer to arrive! Thanks for passing that post along Nevin, good stuff!
Jim - Thanks
Geoff - You guys have a tough job having to deal with sellers!
Judd - I have heard this from many agents. Some of these sellers are so unrealistic.
Wanda - Open houses do work! Great job using it as an opportunity to expand your business.