The housing market has recovered ― in fact, the economy as a whole is veritably booming. So why isn’t your house sold already?
The state of market isn’t the only factor you need to worry about when dealing in real estate. Just like any other industry, if your product isn’t good, people won’t want to buy it. For one reason or another, you may have overlooked a few crucial elements in and around your property that are preventing potential buyers from developing interest. Wondering why no one wants to buy your house? Here are a few problems common to houses that endure a long stretch on the market.
Your House Is Dirty
Unless you clean for a living, you will never be able to give your home the wash it needs to sell. Professional cleaners work magic to reinvigorate old carpet and hardwood, to make bathroom fixtures glisten like new, and to scrub unseen stains from unknown places. You should ask your regular house cleaning service to perform a deep clean, or if you don’t have a regular house cleaning service, you should get one, ASAP.
Your House Is Dingy
At no point during a potential buyer’s review of your home ― from their perusal of pictures online to the final home inspection ― should there be any whiff of poor maintenance. Before you bother listing, you should conduct a number of superficial repairs to ensure your home looks as strong and sturdy as it truly is. Usually, that means finding a fixer to seal cracks and replace tiles as well as hiring garage door repair services in New York to help everything run smoothly.
Your House Is Dark
Maybe you work the night shift; maybe you are just the brooding type ― whatever the reason, if your home is dark, buyers won’t race to put in a bid. This isn’t the Middle Ages, which means the brighter and more open your home is, the more people will be interested. You should take down heavy window coverings, repaint in light colors, and add mirrors to illuminate your space.
Your House Smells Strange
Every home has a peculiar funk, but you probably don’t notice yours. Though some real estate agents swear by baking cookies the morning of a tour, it’s easier (and cleaner) to simply open a few windows to let in fresh, odorless air. If that’s not possible ― for example, if the weather doesn’t permit it or you live next to a sewage treatment plant ― then you should have subtly scented candles or essential oils available.
Your House Is Too Personal
You might not even notice the framed photographs on the walls, but your potential buyers definitely do. When your family’s pictures and mementos are everywhere they look, home buyers have a hard time imagining themselves in the space. Whenever you have a tour scheduled, you should collect and hide your personal belongings in a place your guests won’t scrutinize, like the garage or basement.
Your House Is Cluttered
While you’re at it, you should assess the clutter levels around your home. Anything can cause clutter, from unopened mail to large pieces of furniture, and cluttered spaces tend to look smaller and closed-off. You should remove as much as possible from your horizontal surfaces to give the appearance of wide-open rooms and simple beauty.
Your House Is Off-Trend
Remodeling allows you to customize your home to your specific needs and preferences, which is amazing. Unfortunately, your tastes might not suit the general home-buying public, so you will have to hold out until you find a buyer with the same requirements you once had. In the future, when you remodel, you should try to simplify your updates to ensure your home remains appealing to the widest group of buyers possible.
Your House Doesn’t Photograph Well
As with every other type of commerce, real estate has gone digital. Now, many home buyers only bother to step foot in the home they actually purchase; for the most part, they do their shopping online using photographs of the space.
Services like Zillow and Trulia allow shoppers to compare nearly all aspects of potential homes, from price per square foot to molding shape and tile color, without even contacting a real estate agent. That’s why hiring a professional home photographer is so important. If you skimp on the quality of your home’s photos, you won’t get as many interested parties as you deserve.