In our monthly rental market reports, we continue to see a striking trend in Austin: sellers taking their home off the market at increasing rates each month. While there are many reasons your home doesn’t sell, we find there are really three umbrella reasons why: the home’s physical defects, a buyer’s shopping experience and letting emotions get in the way. Our Why Your Home Won’t Sell in 2019 series will cover all of these reasons in detail.
Physical defects are one of the most common items that keep your home from selling. Buyers will see repairs as a reason to discount their offer, and often for lots more than the repairs cost. Additionally, it can be hard for them to visualize what your home would look like when it’s clean or upgraded. That’s why we advise our sellers to watch out for these five common issues.
You Haven’t Made Any Repairs Since You Moved In
Buyers are willing to pay for homes they feel are a value, not homes that have thousands of dollars in neglected maintenance items. Buyers might initially make a strong offer, but when they get their inspection and learn what needs to be done, they’ll hit you with a huge repair amendment. You can easily avoid this by pre-inspecting your home and making low cost repairs prior to listing. At this stage in the process, you won’t have to hire professionals to make repairs you are able to make, which usually pays for the cost of the inspection.
Your House Has “Issues”
When you bought your home, there may have been some “issues” that were fine for you & your family, but won’t be appealing to most buyers. Maybe you didn’t care about being on a busy street or having a cemetery across the street. While those didn’t affect your decision to buy the home, it will limit the number of buyers that will be interested in it going forward.
Your Appliances Are Old
Dated appliances are the fastest way to make a kitchen look old and tired. At the very least, make sure those appliances are sparkling clean and don’t show any wear.
You Haven’t Made Any Upgrades, but You’ve Priced It As If You Have
When you look at comps for your home, you should take into account the home’s condition. If the home down the street has been completely remodeled and yours is in its original 1984 condition, you aren’t going to get the same amount, even if it is the same size. Buyers comparison shop. They’re going to see every home that’s for sale. We recommend our sellers do the same. We take them on a home tour, so they can see the same things a potential buyer will see. This helps us make their home stand out as a value, no matter what the condition.
Your House Smells Bad
Nothing will make a buyer turn around faster than a strong, unpleasant smell. Whether it be a pet odor, cooking odor, chemical odor or overpowering fragrance, buyers aren’t going to be able to concentrate on the merits of your home. That’s why we always complete a walk thru of the home with our sellers. Because just like the commercials tell you, it’s very easy to go nose-blind to smells in your own home!
Ready to Sell Your Austin Home?
We are too! We’re not in the business of taking listings that don’t sell. We’ll help you prepare your home to meet the market and sell faster and for more money. Our home marketing plan is quite simply the best in the industry. Learn more about it at Austin Home Sellers. Then call us at (512) 827-8323, fill out our Seller Survey or email us at mailto:info@11OaksRealty.com to schedule a no obligation consultation.
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