Are you struggling to sell your home? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? You want to move on with your life and cash in, yet everything is on hold. You’ve probably had your hopes raised by the odd person coming to have a look around – and then dashed when the phone stays silent.
Whilst some aspects will take just a smidge of effort from you, estate agents and overambitious asking prices may need to be addressed too. If you’re having issues securing a buyer for your house there are a number of remedies you can adopt.
So, what’s happening? Here are ten common reasons that stop people from being able to sell their homes:
The price isn’t right
Often, the value placed by an estate agent’s website is well in excess of the true market value of the property. It’s really only a negotiating position to start from. Yet this isn’t always helpful, and many people can be put off from even trying. Take a look at the homes around you that have sold – ideally ones in the same neighbourhood with a similar number of bedrooms. Dropping your price just a little bit could help you to come within the radar of more buyers.
You’ve picked the old fashioned route
In days gone by the only option, you had when selling your home was to head to your high street estate agent and advertise through a local newspaper. That feels like the practice of a bygone analogue age, and in fact, you can now choose to tap into the power of online agents. Like all of the other digital innovations we’ve embraced in our lives, this can make things much quicker. At We Buy Any Home you could have the cash in your account for your home in seven days – quicker than the time it takes for some people to see your printed ad in the paper.
Your pictures are poor
Quality photographs are key to attracting potential buyers. Whilst you will want relatively realistic images, estate agents should have the skills to make sure the images are sharp, bright and showing your home off as best as possible. You also need pictures of every room and the garden. Buyers are picky and if they can’t see everything they might presume you’ve got a disaster to hide! As the client, if you don’t think the photographs are selling your home correctly, you are within your rights to ask for a new batch to be created. So that the agent is clear, show examples of what you think is ‘outstanding’ property photography.
It feels too much like your home
That quirky collection of teddy bears that you love or the unusual painting you snapped up on holiday? Sorry, but they aren’t to everyone’s taste. You don’t want these things to stick in the mind of a would-be buyer; instead, you want them to be able to visualise their own décor and belongings. Not everyone will be overjoyed to meet your over-friendly pet dog either.
You can’t be there to play your part
Homeowners selling their home in a traditional way will have to play their part by making themselves available for viewings. If you are out at the weekend or back home late from work and not available to show people around your property, then buyers can easily look elsewhere. We Buy Any Home allows you to remove this step completely by selling without the need to go through the motions by conducting countless viewings.
Lack of attention
When you utilise the help of an estate agent there is a certain level of attention you and your property should receive. You should expect feedback from viewings, an update on marketing activity and notifications of any interest or offers. How can you expect to sell your home without being kept in the loop? Regular conversations with your agent are important so don’t be afraid to contact them regularly or express your concerns if you feel you aren’t getting the best from them.
Lacking kerb appeal
Whilst the peeling paint on the front door and the slightly forlorn front garden may be the unnoticeable norm to you, it might have potential buyers recoiling. Also, take note of things such as the children’s fingerprints down the hall and the paint chips on the bannister. Things you may not even notice will certainly be picked up by viewers so get a friend or family member to be brutally honest and point out any niggles or flaws. Having a spruce up of your home, particularly the exterior that faces the street, will help your home appear far more attractive.
Poor marketing
There is nothing you cannot buy online in today’s world and searching for a property to buy is no different. Your estate agent should have your property listed on all of the popular property sites, as well as their own. For local buyers, it is also important for an advertisement to be in the window to ensure maximum eyes on it.
Timing is everything
Whether it is the height of the summer when people are off on their holiday, or the winter when people start to turn their attention to Christmas, some times of the year are tougher to sell a property in. Even if you start trying to sell your home now (the beginning of Autumn/Winter), you could find yourself struggling in the festive sales slump if things don’t progress quickly.
Factors out of your control
The housing market does not operate in its own little bubble – what happens in the world around you matters. When the UK voted to leave the European Union in June it sent shock waves through the economy and that impacted on buyers and sellers. The uncertainty over the future remains and might well put some buyers off. Things like this could change the market after you put your property on sale, forcing you to re-think the way you choose to make a sale. By making a quick house sale with us you can avoid falling foul of any unknown shocks in the future.
How to sell your home fast
If your home has been on the market for a while and you want to move, we offer an alternative to the traditional open market route. If you want to sell your house fast in as little as seven days get in touch with us today to discover how we can make selling your home stress-free.
So, if you want an easy and efficient house sale solution to make your more simple, simply fill in our enquiry form and we will be in touch within 24 hours.
