Why Some Houses Don’t Sell

Posted on | September 24, 2009 | No Comments

Why Some Houses Don’t Sell
by Matt Clark, Cincinnati Realtor
Cincinnati Real Estate

Why do some houses sell and others don’t?

There are many different answers to this question, but as I read an article by Tribune Media Services columnist Ilyce Glink, she pointed out some good answers.

Below are her top 6 reasons a home won’t sell..

– Lousy pictures on the Web.
– Priced too high for the neighborhood.
– Blah interior; ho-hum landscaping.
– Little online marketing and hard-to-find MLS listings.
– Low commissions.
– Miserable maintenance, including ceiling stains, leaky faucets, and ancient furnaces.

Now the good news…many of these are very easy (and inexpensive) to fix.

Lousy pictures. With more than 85% of buyers starting their home search on the internet these days, it is ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE to have badly taken, or only one or two pictures online. Buyers simply will not ask to see your home. Period.

Priced too high. In this competitive real estate environment, there is no time for testing the waters. If you don’t have compare your house to CURRENT SOLD comparable homes, you may price yourself out of the race from the start. Don’t be fooled by active listings that suggest a higher price than the sold data (there is a reason they’re still active..).

Blah interior. Spruce it up if you want to move. Declutter and make your spaces feel as open as possible. Paint can be very cheap and you’ll be amazed at your return on investment. Landscaping (another great DIY project) also has a very high return.

Little online marketing. This one is the agent’s fault. If online marketing is important to you, which it should be (85% of all buyers start looking on the internet), than you need to choose an agent that has an online marketing strategy. Ask the agent what websites your home will be listed on and ask them to show you their current listings on all of those websites. If they only use the Cincinnati Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and their broker’s website, they are missing a significant portion of buyers on the internet.

Low commissions. Not offering a full commission to a buyer’s agent, or cheaping out on a listing agent are both critical mistakes. You are hiring someone to guide you through the largest financial transaction of your life, this is not the time to buy generic. On the other hand, make your Cincinnati Realtor prove they are worth that commission.

Miserable maintenance. If you neglect the little things like the leaky faucet, the buyer will wonder what other important things you don’t pay attention to. Keeping up with maintenance leaves your potential buyers at peace.

Category: cincinnati real estate

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