Selling a house can be a very stressful experience. Although sometimes selling can feel a breeze, many are left wondering; “why won’t my house sell?”.
Many sellers become impatient and feel things aren’t moving as quickly as they hoped. Recently, many people have been concerned about not missing the stamp duty deadline. You might be concerned with moving into a new home quickly or perhaps you just don’t want your house sitting around on the market for ages. Whatever the reason for your worry, you’re not alone. Many sellers wonder “why won’t my house sell and what are my options?”.
Before we start, it’s important to know that nothing will guarantee that your house sells quickly. There’s no such thing as a definite thing when it comes to selling a house. However, there are some things that are likely to help your house sell quickly and for a fair amount.
Why Isn’t Your House Selling?
There is often no one set answer as to why a house isn’t selling quickly. This is very individual and every sale is different. There are lots of factors that could be affecting your house not selling. Some common reasons why houses don’t sell quickly is due to:
- You’re selling in a slow market
- Your photographs aren’t high quality
- You’ve priced your property incorrectly
- Your home isn’t looking its best during viewings
- Your listing doesn’t stand out
- Your home does not give a good first impression
You will probably notice that some of these factors are within your control and some are not. It is best to focus on the factors that are within your control if you’re hoping to sell your house fast. For example, improving your home’s interior and exterior slightly by decluttering, touching up on the paintwork as well as cleaning rooms and garden areas can help your house sell quicker.
How Can I Improve My Chances of Selling?
This is where a good estate agent is worth their weight in gold. There are many things that a good estate agent can do to help you sell your property. You might want to consider:
- Getting new high quality photographs taken
- Creating a virtual video tour of your property
- Adjusting the price
- Updating the listing to make your property stand out
- Completing any necessary building work or improvements
- Making changes to your decoration, like a fresh coat of paint or new carpets
- Tidying up and cleaning to make sure that your house looks its best at viewings
- Use social media to market to local buyers
- Market your property to a new audience
- Improve your home from the outside
If you have put your property on the market at an unrealistic price, your estate agent will probably recommend amending the price. However, there are other things you could try first. There are inexpensive, fast and efficient ways home sellers can speed up the selling process.
How Can I Improve My Listing?
It’s a very good idea to make sure you have high quality photos of your property taken. Ensure that your photos show the best features of your home. When it comes to writing your listing, make sure that you mention all of the key features. You could invest in a premium listing. Creating a virtual tour of your property will help to give potential buyers a better sense of the property. Video tours or virtual viewings can help increase interest in a property and help you to secure more viewings.
How Can I Improve My Viewings?
The viewings are a vital part of the purchasing process. This is the moment when potential buyers will get a real sense of the property. Walking into a cluttered or dirty space but instantly turns people off. Ensure that your home is clean and tidy, with clear countertops and plenty of open space. Your space needs to be a blank canvas for a potential buyer to imagine themselves in. However, try not to make your home look empty or barren, consider keeping a few pieces of choice decor and some personal items around.
How Can I Improve First Impressions?
It is possible that your home is not selling because it’s not making a good impression to buyers. Potential buyers will make up their mind about a home within a few minutes. If the outside of your home is looking drab and uncared for, it doesn’t set a good first impression. Try to put yourself in the shoes of a buyer pulling up to your property who is about to do with viewing. What can they see? Does your house look clean? Is the garden well kept? Everybody wants to purchase a home that they can feel proud of, so make sure that your property is putting its best foot forward.
First impressions are vitally important so make sure that your garden is tidy and the bins are out of the way somewhere. Make an effort to ensure that windows and doors are clean. You might want to consider repainting the outside of your house to help it look fresh and well maintained.
What Else Can I Try?
Talk to your estate agent and ask for their recommendations. If your home isn’t selling there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. Ask your estate agent what they would recommend to help your property sell. Try and keep patient, and remember that the sale will eventually happen – some things just take time. In the meantime, follow some of the above tips or search the current market to see where your house is lacking.
