House Taking Too Long to Sell? Here's Why.

Posted by Steve Vincent on Mar 8, 2016 9:27:48 AM

In Sellers

Yes, the real estate market fluctuates up and down—and yes, certain homes and neighborhoods are "more desirable" than others. But as an old friend frequently says, "There's a persimmon for every 'possum."  There is an ideal buyer out there for just about every home, and a real estate professional's goal is to help you find the buyer for whom your home is the perfect fit. However, in spite of your best efforts, there are times when a home for sale just doesn't sell. From time to time, we hear from a client who has either tried to sell their home by owner or has been dissatisfied working with another agent. Read on for our hints on how to avoid difficulty selling your home.Estate agent is waiting for clients without results

Be sure you’re working with the right agent.

Just like professionals in any other industry, real estate professionals each have their own strengths and weaknesses, areas of special expertise, and favorite types of work. Before you commit to working with an agent—one of us at the Vincent Group at GreatNest or any other agent—interview him or her about what to expect. Just a few of the questions address are:

  • Is the agent knowledgeable not just about real estate in general, but about real estate in your neighborhood? Has he sold homes in your area before? Does she seem enthusiastic about the neighborhood and confident of success?
  • Is the agent willing to be committed to marketing your home in every possible way—from direct mail and social media to personal calls and open houses—and strategic about how to do it?
  • Will the agent take professional-quality photographs of and/or create a virtual tour of your home for the MLS listing?
  • Is the agent direct with you about any challenges he or she foresees about selling your property, and willing to suggest possible solutions?

If you receive a decent, but not 100% perfect offer on your home, don’t reject it outright.

There’s a truism in real estate that “the first offer is usually the best offer.” That’s not true if the offer is a real lowball or unqualified offer, but if it’s a full or near-full price offer from a qualified buyer: take it. The old saying about “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” applies here. Don’t wait around for a better offer – it may not come.

Remember these words: Move-In Ready.

Whenever possible, don’t offer “money off” your listing price or “homeowner credit” for repairs instead of making them yourself. No one likes to think about having to make a lot of repairs or being inconvenienced by repair people before they can get settled in their new home. If at all possible, make any reasonable necessary repairs before listing the property.

Have you set your home price too high?

Don’t price your home higher because you think you have time to wait for “the right buyer” or you think it will discourage any but the most serious prospective buyers. Please read our previous posts on pricing homes for sale:

Make it easy for real estate agents to show your home!

It’s amazing how often real estate professionals can’t show a home for sale because it’s “not convenient” for the owner. If you want to sell your house, you have three primary jobs, and they are essential:

  1. Clean it and stage it
  2. Keep it neat
  3. Let agents show it whenever possible

Those are some of the most common issues we see when a new client comes to us, desperate and frustrated because they’ve had their house on the market for months but it hasn’t sold. At The Vincent Group at GreatNest, we’ve gotten results when others have had difficulty making properties move. We know many Greensboro, High Point, Kernersville, and Winston-Salem neighborhoods inside and out. We guide our clients through the sales process smoothly and effectively, helping them get the offer they hope for to sell their house.

The Vincent Group at GreatNest is a full-service real estate company serving buyers and sellers in Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Jamestown, and other Piedmont Triad areas. We are proud to save our clients money by charging a low set fee instead of a percentage commission. Please get in touch with our experienced real estate professionals by calling (336) 790-5210 or by emailing Steve Vincent.  Visit our website at greatnest.com.