Has your home been sitting on the market for longer than you’d like?
Maybe houses nearby are selling quickly and you can’t quite put your finger on what the issue is with yours.
If that’s the case, then it might be time to take a look at where you’re going wrong.
As experts in moving house, renovations, design and move management, we put our heads together and came up with the five most common reasons people decide not to buy.
And what you can do about each one.
So, let’s dive in!
An unreasonable asking price is one of the biggest reasons people decide not to buy. You may have had plenty of interested parties who claimed to love your home, pushing your hopes up each time, but a price that’s simply out of reach will stop even the most enthusiastic viewer from placing an offer.
Now, if you’re confident that the price reflects your home’s true value, then rest assured that the right person will come along.
But ask yourself if you’ve allowed an emotional attachment to your home to obscure its true value.
The room you saw your kids grow up in, the kitchen you’ve spent so many hours cooking in, even the neighbourhood you’ve grown to love so much – all of these things can often lead to unrealistic expectations.
What does your estate agent think? Most agents will do right by you, but it’s always best to look out for your own interests by making sure you get two or even three valuations from the outset, allowing you to look at the average among the three.
And if a lender’s valuation is vastly different from the asking price you have, it’s unlikely you’ll get the amount you’ve asked for, and you’ll have wasted time and money.
Look again at similar properties and what they’re asking for, have a chat to your estate agent, and look at your home from a buyer’s eyes.
Is it up to scratch?
This leads us to the second most common reason your house is still on the market…
Is your home so full of clutter that even when it’s tidy, it’s a mess?
What about the décor? Is it light, soft, and neutral – appealing to most tastes? Or is it dark and dated?
There’s an extremely common myth out there that people are smart enough to see a property’s true value when they view it.
If that were the case, it would be much easier to sell houses.
People can’t see what you want them to see unless you help them do it! Even the savviest buyers still struggle to imagine themselves living in a place they don’t immediately like upon viewing.
They might have two, three or four viewings in the same day and want to get in and out quickly.
It takes mere seconds for someone to enter your property and decide they won’t buy.
Make those seconds count. Give your walls a fresh lick of paint, invest in some on-trend soft furnishings that you can always take with you to the new house, and organise your clutter – discarding anything you don’t need anymore.
And if you really want to get some bang for your buck, invest in some professional decluttering or home staging, which can sell your home up to three times faster.
If, after all your changes, your new rooms are worthy of an Instagram shot, chances are that viewers are going to love what they see, too!
People have lives. Busy lives. Whether it be new additions to the family, job promotions, or a to-do list that spans the entire year, very few people want to move into a house that needs a lot of work.
Even if you’ve been smart and invested in some home staging, what about leaking sinks in the kitchen, acrylic peeling from the bathtub, broken shower or floor tiles, or the broken flush?
Many buyers simply don’t want to invest the time or money to fix things, especially when it’s a buyer’s market. If you could move into a house that was already near perfect and ready to go, wouldn’t you prefer that, too?
The best thing you can do is put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and view your house as they would.
Take note of everything you think they’ll take issue with, and either take care of those repairs yourself (if you have the skills) or hire a company that can do it for you.
Removing and fixing those barriers to sale as best you can, could literally net you thousands. And that’s money that could all be poured into your new home.
Ouch! When you can’t even attract the viewers, yet your price is on point, it’s likely that poor marketing is to blame.
Check the description your estate agent has put together, and then check the pictures. 9 times out of 10, it’s the pictures that can be improved.
If the image is poor, then you just won’t generate the interest you want. Nobody is saying you have to hire a photographer for the day, but use (or borrow) a digital camera, create as much light as possible, and make sure you take the shot from an angle that allows for three walls if you can.
Take time to make your home as attractive as possible before you snap anything at all. A trip to a reasonably-priced homeware shop is usually a worthy investment.
Light, space and soft, neutral colours are all good. Dark, cramped and crowded is bad, and avoid colours that are overpowering and not to everyone’s taste.
Remember, it’s not about what you like – it’s about what will attract the most people.
Sometimes, it’s just a case of bad luck, and you’re selling when it’s a buyer’s market. Factors out of our control mean that the property market is incredibly unpredictable at times.
If this is the case, you have two options here.
You can either hold off on your move until the market turns in your favour (which could be quite some time), or you can pull out all the stops and do everything you can to up your game and beat the competition.
You’d be amazed at what’s possible with some expert advice and assistance.
Whether you want to put in a new bathroom, paint, and stage the key rooms, organise a professional declutter of your belongings, or take care of those repair jobs, we can take care of all of that for you.
We’ll even help you with the entire move from start to finish if you want us to. Contact us at www.allaboutthemove.co.uk for a chat about how we can optimise your sale price and take away the stress of moving.
And if you’re looking for a checklist to get started with your move, then download our printable moving house checklist here (link to moving house checklist once completed), and start as you mean to go on.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you struggle with most when moving house? Let us know in the comments!
Links Used:
Importance of images: https://www.sitepoint.com/images-text-important/#:~:text=Images%20get%20fed%20straight%20into,post%20or%20buy%20a%20product.
Tips for taking better pictures: https://www.homewise.co.uk/blog/selling-property-photography-tips/