Listing and selling a home isn’t a fast process, but sometimes sellers find that it’s taking longer than usual for their home to sell. And unfortunately, the reality is that the longer your home sits on the market, the harder it becomes to sell it. Over time, the listing becomes stale, and buyers begin to assume that there’s something wrong with the property.
When this happens, sellers have to lower the price and become more patient. While this is never ideal, it can be particularly difficult for sellers that need to sell their home quickly.
To avoid this issue, it’s important to identify anything that’s keeping your home from selling and address it as quickly as possible. With that in mind, here are some of the most common reasons that homes don’t sell.
Your House is Unique
The reality is that unique homes take longer to sell than homes that fit a more traditional mold. If your home has unusual features, you have a smaller pool of buyers to select from.
Even if you love the unique features of your home and think they’re one of its greatest assets, it likely will take longer to sell than a house that appeals to a broader group of buyers. If you have a unique home, be prepared to be patient when selling and consider reducing the price to try to make your home attractive to more buyers.
Bad Curb Appeal
Poor curb appeal is one of the most common reasons that homes don’t sell. It’s the first impression that buyers see, and it’s hard for buyers to overcome a bad first or “gut” feeling about a home. In fact, oftentimes buyers won’t even tour the home if they don’t like its curb appeal.
The result is that sellers need to spend time improving the curb appeal as much as possible. Professional landscaping, thriving grass, and vibrant plants can all improve the home’s curb appeal. Additionally, if there’s anything that needs fixing or decluttering, that’s a must.
It Needs Improvements
It’s important that your home has amenities that are comparable to similar homes on the market. This means upgrading as much as possible to make your home more competitive and attractive to buyers. Interestingly, small changes can make a big difference. For example, new faucets, a ceiling fan, or upgraded hardware in the kitchen and bathroom can help attract buyers.
Additionally, it’s important to make any needed repairs and to ensure that all appliances are comparable to other homes in the neighborhood.
It’s often hard for homeowners to admit that their home needs improvements and even harder to spend the time and money to make them. But they’re often necessary to keep a home from sitting on the market and becoming stale.
There’s a Problem with the Home
Once your home is listed and you start showing it, you’ll get feedback from buyers and their agents. It’s common for sellers to start hearing the same feedback over and over again. When this is the case, it means that you have a problem with the home.
If possible, fix the problem as soon as possible. For example, if buyers are concerned about the curb appeal, make some changes to improve it, or if they think your house is too dark, add some lighting.
Some problems cannot be fixed – for example, if buyers think the house is on a noisy street or that the yard is too small. If that’s the case, you might need to lower the price to compensate for this problem.
It’s Poorly Staged
Sellers often think that staging isn’t that important, but the truth is that staging can have a big impact on how quickly homes sell. The purpose of staging is to help buyers see themselves living in your home and to help them connect to the property.
This means decluttering and depersonalizing the space and staging it to highlight the best parts of the home. Homes that are poorly staged or filled with the seller’s belongings can make the home seem small, cluttered, and unattractive.
With this in mind, sellers should declutter, make any needed repairs, paint, clean, and depersonalize their home before listing it.
It’s Priced Too High
Pricing a house can be difficult, and it’s not surprising that one of the most common reasons homes don’t sell is that they’re priced too high. Alisha Simpkins, a top real estate agent in Chico, California puts it simply, “[i]f it’s not condition, it’s always price. And in fact, it’s usually always price.”
This means it’s important to price it correctly in the first place and to quickly reduce the price if you list it too high. The longer it’s overpriced, the more difficult it becomes to get buyers in and to get good offers.
Sell Your Home Fast
If you’re having trouble selling your Birmingham home, the good news is that there’s a quick and easy way to do it. At Home Buyers Birmingham, we buy houses as is for cash. This means that we’ll pay cash for your home no matter the condition.
If you want to sell your home fast, contact our team to get your cash offer. It’s a fast and stress-free way to sell your Birmingham home.
Home Buyers Birmingham
1821 11th Avenue South Suite #55331
Birmingham, Alabama 35205
