Are you the Eagle or Prey
Your home has been on the market for months and you can't understand why . Your agent has shown the home at least once a week and all the reports he is showing that the home is being viewed online tons of times. What is the problem?? Well to start with did you notice the water stain in the kitchen ceiling or the lovely harvest gold stove and refrigerator combination you bought new in the 70's. If you did not notice them that is the first thing the buyers noticed, not to mention some clutter in the yard plus you have so much furniture you can barely squeeze through each room.
What you see as comforts, working appliances, plenty of furniture for guests and that patch in the ceiling that solved a leak 5 years ago, the buyer see's deferred maintenance and lack of pride in ownership.
So what can you do without breaking the bank and move this home? Have your realtor stop by and make some notes on what should be done or have an expert in the field give you a hand (staging ).
Start with some planning. ( get rid of stuff )
Walk around the exterior of your home, detail each rooms inventory and don't forget the basement and garage.
1. Clean out the garage and organize the basement. Get some bins or boxes and label them for future reference.
2. Kitchen, you could buy some new appliances but at least make sure the cabinets are well organized, the refrigerator is clean and you don't have piles of stuff.
3. Mow the lawn, trim the bushes and plant a few flowers.
Every buyer that comes out with me to see a lakefront home tells me they are handy and would love a fixer upper. Sorry to say they do not want to fix anything........... The only way to make up for this is to lower the price.
Match the marketing plan to the home.
The days of open houses and newspapers are almost gone. It is all about social media and a web presence. Everyone has a website, look for websites online to find out if your agents website is listed. If you are selling a lake home, type in the lake or location and see what comes up. The tech savy agents sites will be on the first page, do a couple of keyword searches to get a clear view of the results. Social Media, just because you see all the icons on the website doesn't mean they are using them. Click on the blog to see when the last post was, most you will find will be outdated articles 6 weeks to 6 months old. Look for an agent who knows the value of the Internet and how to work it. Be sure you're not getting a real estate agent that just puts your house on the MLS and then sits back to wait for other agents to come to them. Discuss with your agent a plan that matches your home. Make sure the agent uses some top notch photography, if you see them with a cell phone you are already headed in the wrong direction. Photography sells homes! Review the write up that goes with the listing. Does that write up describe your home. Executive home with gorgeous sunsets, open water mountain view and a child friendly sandy beach with a deep water dock, or does it read dock, westerly exposure, beach and views. Sell the benefits not the features.
When to list your home?
Number one rule! Don't list it until the home is ready and you are willing to let buyers in! I can't tell you how many times I see a great new listing come on and I have buyers coming up on a Saturday to see lake homes and I call the agent only to hear back that the owner is not ready to show the home! My buyers matches the home and you don't want to show it to him? Don't list it until ready. Second if you have a tenant in the home get some agreement with them in writing on when you can show the home or if your selling your vacation home and have it in the rental pool, make arrangements with the vacationers to get buyers in, not everyone can see the home on a Saturday from 11 am to 1 pm show time between renters. Why list it if you are going to waste time and energy if it will be impossible to see the home. A common saying in real estate is "If you can't show it, you can't sell it." The fresh new listing gets all the attention, don't loose the momentum before it gets going.
Your not the buyer - stage the home for the seller
I was showing this lovely home on Lovell Lake to my buyers, on the walls of the home were all the children's and grandchildren's photos and trophies on the mantel. My buyers comment was they did not feel right buying this home as all those memories would be lost. Remove all the family photo's and trophies including the deer, duck and moose mounts. Move some of your stuff out of the house and paint the rooms a neutral color so the buyer is able to let their imagination run and so they are able to see themselves living in the home.
Your house looks like it's run down
Remember that water stain? Home buyers will notice it and even though the roof is brand new, not fixing the damage will make them still believe there is a problem. Paint rooms or at least touch them up and carpets need a good cleaning too. You don't want a potential buyer to be turned off because they think they will have to replace it.
You're pricing the home too high
Depending on the situation, if a buyer needs a home to live in they will aggressively shop until they find a home that works for them. If your home is over priced they will looked at it but avoid making an offer as not to insult you. Second home buyers will wait you out. You fixed up the home and it is staged properly and it has been on the market for 90 days?? Location and price, are you priced to high for the location the home is in. You may have a ton of money into remodeling unfortunately you may have the best home in the area and the rest of the homes are dragging you down. You may have to adjust your price if you want to sell. Today's buyers are well educated, they are using all the online resources to value your home. Your job is the sizzle. It may be the price or the amenities the home has to offer. Sell Sizzle.
For additional information on buying or selling a home call your lakefront specialists. Four Seasons | Sotheby's International Realty at 1-888-737-5550 or e-mail at info@nhlakesrealty.com or visit our website to view lake homes in New Hampshire at www.nhlakesrealty.com or www.lakeorskirealestate.com.
Contact us today to find or sell home in New Hampshire!!