Whether it’s a buyers market or a sellers market, there’s always a reason a home is NOT selling. There are three major elements to consider. 1. Location. 2. Condition. 3. Price. If any of these three major areas are neglected, the market value or the resale value of your home may be in question and it will most likely be very difficult to sell your home.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these elements. When it comes to location here are just a few things that may make a difference. Does the home sit near an airport, freeway or railroad tracks. What is the crime rate in the area? Or does your home sit on a quiet tree lined street, close to parks, recreation, schools and shopping? It’s been said before and I’ll say it again … location, location, location.
What is the condition of the home? Is it the best house on the block or the worst? Are there many things to be fixed, updated or replaced? Do you have a unique style (that you love) but may not appeal to the masses? These things can be deal breakers. If your home is a “Fixer Upper“, the third element is crucial (Next paragraph). As a professional Realtor and Home Stager, I’ve found if you neutralize the home, most can then see the potential. Don’t be afraid to hire a staging professional to help you make your home looks its absolute best. Staging works! Whether you’re currently living in your home or if it’s empty … Staging works! At the very least, get a “Staging Consultation”. You never know if the potential buyer is looking for a home to fix up and “put their stamp on” or if they are looking for move in ready… either way, I believe you’ll find a Staging Consultation to be most beneficial.
Be sure your home comes on the market at the right price. It’s important to look at comparable homes in your area. Add value for upgrades or features in your home and decrease value for elements that are less desirable. It’s difficult for most to place a value on their own home; after all, you purchased this home because you loved it … someone else must feel the same way … right? This is where having a good Realtor comes into play. A good Realtor, like myself, understands what buyers are looking for and what they typically do not want to see and will price your home at its best current value.
I’ve only mentioned a few things that can make a difference in whether or not your home sells quickly or at all. Please note, homes typically get the most traffic from buyers when it’s first listed, so be sure you’ve addressed any location issues, made any necessary adjustments to the condition of the home and that you have priced the home to sell!
Jill Denton
Professional Realtor, Interior Designer and Stager. Consultations available.

3 responses so far ↓
North Georgia Cabin Rentals // February 19, 2008 at 3:11 pm |
Your last statement says it all so have your home ready for the first nibble to be the one that sells.
Condition and Price are all something you control and with a realtors guiding you thru this process you can expect a quick sale. Location is something that is considered when buying a property and with the thought that someday would resell be affected by it.
West Toronto Realtor // February 22, 2008 at 10:54 am |
I think that in this article you have done quite good analysis. I work for West Toronto Realtor and we are helping people with all this stuff related to estimating proper value of a house. But in my opinion, nowadays, sellers are quite frustrated from current situation in the market and from not very optimistic development in the near future. I found some blogs where are mentioned decreases in the value. E.g. in this blog is mentioned decrease in the value of a house of 8% in 19 months. Of course it is only relative number. But I think there are some ways how to influence this trend. I believe when you know all the aspects which influence the value of your house you might be able to improve at least some of them and consequently also the value of your house might stop declining.
cindy*staged4more // February 27, 2008 at 3:52 am |
Hello
I love this post that you wrote. Would you mind submitting this to the Blog Carnival of Real Estate Home Staging? It’s http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_2606.html
Cheers,
Cindy
Organizer, Blog Carnival of Real Estate Home Staging