What's Keeping It from Selling?

 

You have too much stuff

Minimalism might not be a big thing where you live, and that's perfectly fine -- while you're living there. But clutter is going to draw buyers' eyes away from the space of the room and their ability to fill it with their stuff, distracting them when you want them to be fully focused on their dream of homeownership.

Garage sales, donation stations and storage units can all be a viable solution for too much stuff, but you need to get it out of the spaces where buyers can see it. (That means the closets, too -- buyers most definitely will open closets and drawers, and if all the clutter is hiding there, it doesn't leave a great impression.)

 

There's no curb appeal

Ideally, buyers are going to start picturing your house as "theirs" as soon as they step out of the car to see it. One thing that will kill that fantasy before it even gets going is a house with little to no curb appeal.

You don't need to landscape your entire outdoors, but make sure you're addressing the basics. Is the grass alive? If so, has it been mowed? Is the porch clean of clutter and swept? Could a couple of planters with flowers make it look more inviting?

 

It's not in great condition

Some buyers are going to be fine with a fixer-upper, but working on a house is not everybody's idea of fun. Of course, no seller wants to spend money on something like a new roof or a sewer main when you're about to leave and can't reap the benefits of your investment -- but if you think a buyer is going to feel just fine about moving into a house that needs a major repair, then that could be why none have made a viable offer on your place.

And sometimes the condition can be just fine, but the house hasn't entirely kept up with the neighbors. If most of the homes for sale in your area have newly updated kitchens and bathrooms, and yours are old enough to vote, then the price needs to reflect that or buyers will just move on to the next opportunity.

 

It smells, or it's noisy

There are a lot of things that can turn buyers off once they actually step inside a house, but two that there's almost no chance of mitigating include noise and odors. Sometimes there's nothing you can do about either -- the jets overhead or the water plant up the road are just going to do their thing sometimes -- but sometimes there's quite a bit you can do to freshen the space up for the senses.

If you have pets, they may have contributed to some of the stink. Get an objective opinion (and don't shoot the messenger!) about how your house smells, and address it if the answer is "not the best."

 

Dirty or damaged carpets

Carpets show more damage than almost any part of your home.  If you have carpeting in your home, it's probably going to be a problem.  If the carpets are not stained and are newer, you m might get away with hiring a professional carpet cleaning company.  If cleaning does not restore them, you'll need to replace them. 

article source: In Touch | plpproperties.com