If you’ve come into 2018 a little frustrated that your home hasn’t sold, you may be wondering what you can do to start afresh and sell in 2018. The New Year often marks a fresh start for many. If you have been on the market for a little while, the New Year maybe a good opportunity to regroup and start 2018 with a bang. You may feel a little stuck at the moment, like you’re in limbo between your old life and the exciting next chapter in your life that a new home may offer you.
Here at Alexander Taylor, we have helped many a homeowner that have felt like this. We have successfully turned their sales around and helped sellers move on. Often an estate agent will tell you that your asking price is too high and you need to drop it to get your sale going. Sound familiar? This is a little annoying considering they valued your home to start with – right? We personally believe that a price reduction should be the last resort. So, what else can you do? How can you start 2018 anew and inject a bit of life into your home sale?
Rest assured there are many other ways than dropping your asking price that can help kick start your sale. We have helped homeowners across Falkirk and the surrounding areas with precisely this. The best place to start is to try and understand what is preventing your house from selling. Once you know this you can remedy the issue or issues. Focus on the three following key areas that we believe play a huge role in achieving a successful sale.
- Your agent:
An estate agent should know why your home isn’t selling and what you can do about it. Maybe you’ve just not had the conversation yet. So, speak to your estate agent and ask them what you can do to get your sale going. This question will certainly test the substance of your agent. If they resort to the usual price reduction suggestion then push further and ask them what else do they can do that doesn’t involve reducing your price. If they start blaming external conditions that are out of your control and their control, like a stagnant market, maybe you should think about changing your agent.
You may have chosen your agent as they are prominent in your area. Months down the line you may be questioning your decision. Sometimes an agent can put a home on Rightmove without doing much and it will sell. Other homes take a lot more effort, especially higher end homes and unique homes. It is difficult for sellers to know this, after all, how often do you sell your home? It’s not something you do every day.
If you feel that your current agent isn’t the right one to sell your home you can easily relaunch in 2018 with a new agent. Do your research on who you would like to go with and who specialises in homes that are similar to yours, check your contract and give your agent notice as per your contractual terms.
If your agent has other suggestions then really try and work with them. Look through the feedback of any viewings you have had. Take the comments on board and where possible make amendments to your home (within reason) to help the issue.
- Your agent’s property marketing:
How your agent markets and promotes your home has a huge impact on whether you get viewers across your threshold. If you don’t get viewers through your door it is very unlikely you will sell. The more viewers, the bigger the chance of a higher value and quicker sale. This is why your marketing is so important. It is the marketing that will catch your potential buyers’ eyes and encourage them to pick up the phone and book a viewing as they want to see more.
Property marketing consists of anything from your property photography to printed brochures and written description. Good property marketing will appeal to your target buyer through the way that your home looks and sounds. Slap dash marketing will not make your home stand out in fact it could really put viewers off.
Most people will start their property search by using an online property portal such as Rightmove. If your images and description do not stand out, your home could easily be skipped over on to one that does appeal.
Review your marketing. Look at your images, read your online Rightmove listing, thoroughly scrutinise your brochure. Do these show your home in its best light? Do they accentuate the good bits? Do they sell the kind of lifestyle your home offers?
Compare your marketing with other homes in your area. Does your home stand out above all the others?
If you feel your marketing leaves a lot to be desired, speak to your agent about this and ask them what they can do to improve.
- Your presentation
Most sellers love how they have presented their home. They may have invested a lot of time, effort and money into this. However, we all have different tastes and styles. Not everyone appreciates the next person’s taste in décor and wallpaper. It can be difficult for a seller to look at their home objectively as it is so close to their heart; it’s hard to take a step back. However, how a home is presented can impact massively on how a buyer perceives a home. It also has a huge influence on the property marketing. You can have the best photographer in the world but if a room is cluttered, messy and horribly decorated the property will not look good in the images.
To try understand why your home isn’t selling, examine your presentation. As you are so close to your home, this may be hard for you to do. If so, ask a friend or a neighbour for their honest opinion. Really try and see your home through a buyer’s eyes (not yours). Is there anything that could be putting them off?
Buyers like to imagine themselves living in a home. The best way to do this is to make it as spacious and neutral as possible. I know this sounds boring but it really does help if you can depersonalise, declutter, clean and neutralise your home.
Home staging is an amazing way to help your presentation and really draw viewers into your home. Home staging is the art of preparing, dressing and presenting a home for sale. A staged home will often outperform other homes in the area that are not staged. It can really put you ahead of the competition. You can stage your home yourself or employ the services of a professional. For more on home staging and how it can help sell your home see our blog alexander-taylor.co.uk/blog/ins-outs-home-staging/
Hopefully this has given you plenty of food for thought. Once you understand why your home isn’t selling you can really move into 2018 with a bang and a clear plan on what you can do to take control and get your home sold.
If you need some help and advice about how to get your sale moving, Alexander Taylor would be happy to help. We also offer a Property Presentation Service that can help your home stand out and attract more viewers. For more details, please visit our website http://alexander-taylor.co.uk/property-presentation-service/
Or call me to find out more 01324 811 233 or email info@alexander-taylor.co.uk
Hope to speak soon
Alyson
