Is your house still on the market? By Matt Trudel

This year has been a fabulous market for both buyers and sellers. Prices have continued to rise, and interest rates have remained low. So why hasn't your property sold? Not only that, but you have had few or no showings, and not a single offer. Before you blame your real estate agent, take a look at these things that might be part of the reason.
 

Pricing is one of the top five reasons houses do not get shown. Overprice your home by 10 percent and you lose over 20 percent of the buyers simply because you priced them out of your market. Also, buyers are very well educated today and have a very good idea of what a house is worth. After all, they are the ones out shopping and walking through homes. Buyers also search homes by price and generally do so in $25,000 increments.  

Condition and upkeep of a home both inside and out are very important. Did you take your realtor’s advice and make the repairs of painting, mowing, and yard clean up? Curb appeal is huge. A house that doesn't look like it has been taken care of probably hasn't been taken care of. New buyers have a hard time thinking they can make all the repairs. Get the interior in order and fresh paint in neutral colors. 

Have you packed up all your extra items in boxes and stacked them neatly? De-cluttering a home is an absolute must. Empty the cabinets and closets, store extra furniture neatly in the garage or basement. A storage unit would be a better option to store items.

When a buyer opens up your cupboards, you want them to see a lot of empty extra storage space, not a jammed packed cupboard with no room inside. This also goes along with staging each room with minimal furniture so the rooms appear open and spacious.

One more thing that is often a deal breaker is a dirty house. So clean! Clean, clean and clean again. I have had buyers turn around at the front door and say, “forget it, not going in there, it smells and is filthy.” If you have to steam clean the rugs, then do it. Get behind and under all furniture and appliances, and don't forget the cabinets, inside, outside and on top. 

If you have done all this and still have had little interest, I would suggest asking several local realtors to stop by and give you their honest opinion of what they think might be the issue. As Realtors®, we all work together and ultimately want to help you get to the goal of selling your home. 

Matt Trudel is the owner of Five Star Realty in Windham