Will my home ever sell?
After 60 days on the market you may start to panic… or take it personally.
Been there, seen it before. It is hard to be rejected by 25 people.
At REALTOR training school, the instructors tell us it must be “x” and we need to do our best to make a case to help you understand the facts. Of course they don’t point out that we (REALTORS) should have covered “x” more clearly 60 days ago when we were having you sign the listing agreement.
The “x” is your current asking price, but from my experience there are typically a number of issues that need to be addressed before you make a difference.
It’s more than a price adjustment
Here are some areas to take a second look at:
- How is your front yard, door? You know the old saying about first impressions…
- How clean is the house?
- Have you painted recently?
- How much stuff is on your kitchen counter?
- How much stuff is on your bathroom counter?
- What is the condition of your carpet?
- and on and on and on…there are just too many tips to list
Okay, you don’t need to go down a checklist because you need to take a real look at the saleability of your house.
Yes, I think your Vienna home will sell, with some help
Did you know that home buyers are taking their first tour of your home online?
Take a minute and put your address into Google and you should see it listed on multiple web sites. Understand that the photos all came from the MLS listing, and then get pumped through the Internet via a high tech syndication process. How do your photos look? If they looked crappy then they probably turned off almost everyone who saw them. You need to be proactive to make sure changes are made quickly.
My point is that the condition of your home is critical and that the online photos that people see have to catch their attention or you’re toast.
Photo Credit: Yuri Arcurs, iStockphoto
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About Doug Francis
A few years ago I noticed that real estate sites seem to show the same MLS listings, so I decided to create a distinct real estate blog to share my local insight - if you already live here or are relocating. There are topics based on recent client experiences, buying custom homes, and more learned over the past twenty years. Take a few minutes and read a blog post or two to see if my approach matches your goals. I am a real estate agent with RE/MAX, have lived in Oakton and McLean, and live in Vienna Virginia. My goal is to provide you with intel into today's market, candor, practical advice, ideas to get you moving, some humor, geeky stats, the best coffee shop, some video, and a cool way to search for homes. Helping you understanding the process of making an offer, the sales contract and more will come when we meet. Yes, I live here. It is easy to reach me: 
No question that the physical condition of the house is a close second to a highly competitive price. Even in the luxury market, if the house looks like hell it will always lose out to a slightly higher priced house that looks like Martha Stewart just came for a visit.
It’s also important to keep the house clean after it’s been prepared for showing. It’s easy to fall back into the habits of daily living (dishes in the sink, newspapers strewn across the dining table, yard showing a little neglect or “deferred” maintenance).
If you don’t want to keep your house in pristine condition 30, 60 or 90 days and beyond, you have to price it to make it irresistible. Plain and simple.
Ken Montville´s last [type] ..Home Improvements Are Not Always Sexy
Hi Doug,
Excellent advice and the photos are SO important! Hiring a professional if you’re not one yourself is my best tip! If you don’t think the photos look good, they don’t to your prospective buyers either. Love your site BTW.
Debe
Debe Maxwell, CRS´s last [type] ..Important Staging Tips for Your Charlotte Home for Sale