Selling Homes
My Home is not selling was the question of a homeowner to me in an email recently whose home is listed with another agent. He asked me for tips on why the home is not selling. This is not uncommon in the real estate industry. In my daily market research for Lakeland, I see on a daily basis homes have either expired or have been withdrawn. This obvio
usly is heartbreaking to the sellers as they are asking themselves why is my home not selling. There are reasons for the seller to blame their listing agent giving them advise that had a negative outcome, however are also instances I have either experienced or heard from other agents about homeowners, who don’t follow the advise of their real estate agent. Let me make you aware of real estate agent mistakes I see everyday before I will point out the steps that will help you sell your home in a timely manner regardless of whether we are in a “seller’s market or buyer’s market”.
Try Selling Your Home on Badly Taken Photographs
The image is everything! It takes less than 3 second to make an impression online. You may think that all you or an agent have to do is to take a photo of the house, add the listing in the MLS, stick a yard sale and pray your house will sell fast. Whenever I see a badly taken photograph in the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) and it may be the only picture, I want to shake the agent and scream: “What are you thinking?” Photos entice a buyer. Photos tell a story. Photos speak a 1000 words. Photos deliver a message. Photos matter for a Lakeland home listing.
More than 90% of buyers begin their home search online. Most home buyers will search and visit some of the most visible indexed sites such as zillow.com, trulia.com and realtor.com and many other Real Estate sites like them. Once a buyer lands on these sites you want your home stand out from your competition. While Real Estate marketing is about being found, it is also about how your home should impress online viewers looking for homes.
The only way to guarantee that you are going to get the highest price is to take advantage of all the marketing options available to you. Make sure maximum amount of pictures are shown in the MLS. Currently 25 photos can be uploaded by Realtors in the Multiple Listing Service.
This means taking at least 25-50 high quality professional photographs of your Lakeland home. Taking pictures with a wide angle lens and plenty of light showcasing your home’s best features. Make sure the kitchen counters are clean and empty. Set the table in the dining room before taking pictures. A great real estate pro will have an exceptional presentation of your home. Your home may also be a good candidate for drone photography.
Hired the wrong listing agent for Selling Homes
The main goal for Homeowners is to get the most money with the least expense when selling their home and the first thing comes to mind is commission. I get that and there is no standard commission rate for real estate agents and a Real Estate Agency. There are various forms of listing agreements and the one I would like to touch on is Limited Service Agreement, which is generally offered by discount brokerage. Limited Service Agreement is generally used to offer home sellers a reduced amount on commission or offering them a service for a flat fee. You get what you are paid for. Most discount brokerage will tell you to take your own pictures, put a for sale sign in front of your home while the only thing the discount brokerage will do is add the property into the MLS. No advise is given on how to stage your home, what improvements to make and more importantly no additional marketing campaign is being offered when it comes to limited listing agreements.
If your agent has not reached out to you providing an update periodically on showing feedback, marketing and questions you have it’s time to look for someone else. If your agent has not returned your calls, emails or texts, it’s time to find someone else. If your agent has not done what you were promised when you signed the listing agreement, it’s time to look for someone else.
Pricing your home when selling homes
Did you and your real estate agent had a heart-to-heart talk about pricing? Have you looked at recent sales of comparable properties and recent listings in your neighborhood? Did your agent bought your listing by giving in on an unrealistic price set by you? An unrealistic listing price is one of the most obvious reason your home will linger on the market for weeks and months to come. Overpricing is the worst mistake a seller can make. Check out this article about pricing your home correctly, by clicking here.
Selling Homes – Curb Appeal
Make your first impression a lasting impression. Have you done a “front door” check and put yourself in buyers shoes? Look up and down and around, clean off the cobwebs and scuffs. If your home lacks curb appeal, most buyer’s or drive by home buyers will pass. Paint the front door and replace the rusty door knob, clean the windows, put fresh mulch down and plant some new plants. Make sure your driveway and your siding is clean also, if not pressure washing will do the trick.
Repairs & Improvements when selling home
If you want top dollars for your home you need to make sure that your home is in line with your competition and recent sales. Home buyers do not want to spend thousands of dollars for roof replacement, a/c and heating systems or an outdated kitchen. If the roof on your home has less than 5 years shelf-live expectancy, the buyer will have a hard time getting insurance coverage.
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About the author: The above real estate article “My Home Is Not Selling – Why? “ was written by Petra Norris of Lakeland Real Estate Group, Inc. With over 20 years of combined experience of selling or buying, we would love to share our knowledge and expertise. Petra can be reached via email at petra@petranorris.com or by phone at 863-712-4207
We service the following Central Florida areas: Lakeland, Auburndale, Mulberry, Winter Haven, Bartow, Plant City, Seffner, Valrico, Polk City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Haines City, and Davenport FL.