Why Your Home Did Not Sell

Whether you market your home "by owner" or with a Realtor, it is frustrating when your home does not sell. What went wrong? Was the Realtor at fault? Did the you, the owner make a mistake. Are you in a bad market?

Location:

• Is the house in a poor location?
• Is the house on a busy road, next to railroad tracks, a cemetery?
• Is the house located next to an area of environmental concern?

Condition:

• Your house smells of cat or dog urine- anywhere
• Kitchens and bathrooms are outdated
• The carpet dirty, stained or need to be replaced
• Your home is in need of a major repair, such as needing new roof

Price:

• You price it higher than the market indicates
• When listing you choose the Realtor that presented the highest opinion of value because that was what you wanted to hear
• You receive more than one offer from different buyers producing similar prices, yet you refuse the re-evaluate your price.

Showings:

• You demand that the listing agent be present when other Realtors show your home.
• You demand that in lieu of a lockbox the key to your home be obtained from your listing Realtor's office
• You keep a barking dog in the house. You tell the Realtors, "he won't bite".
• You insist on following all customers around when your home is being shown.
• You pre-negotiate with Realtors that come to show your home by engaging in conversations about what price & terms you will and will not take.
• You refuse to show your home unless it is perfectly clean. It is better to let the buyer see the omen dirty, than not at all. You usually get only one chance with a buyer, take it.