Certain homes tend to sit on the market longer before selling. The longer a home sits on the market, the more likely it will end up experiencing a price drop, which is every seller’s fear. So what makes a house harder to sell? In short, any issues that detract from a property’s perceived value in buyers’ eyes lead to a difficult sale.
In this post, our real estate team at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Phil Aitken Home Team will discuss some of the factors that directly correlate with slower sales and potential reasons why your house isn’t selling. Typically, these fall into one of three categories – the home’s condition, location, or price point.
Key Takeaways
- A house can be harder to sell when it requires maintenance, has an outdated style, has odd features, or an unappealing style.
- A house can be harder to sell when its location is in an undesirable neighborhood. A declining market and tough economic conditions also make a house hard to sell.
- If you’re selling a challenging property, you should price your home fairly, improve its curb appeal, update its interiors, and use effective marketing strategies.
What Makes a House Harder to Sell?
Controllable Factors that Make a House Harder to Sell
- Necessary maintenance. Peeling paint, broken fixtures, and neglected repairs make the home unappealing to home buyers. Buyers prefer move-in ready homes.
- Outdated interior. Older kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, and decor make homes seem stale. Keep in mind that you’re competing with other home sellers in the market, so you’ll need to update your home to stand out and capture buyer’s attention.
- Odd layouts. Poorly designed or custom floor plans can be unappealing to home buyers. Consider redesigning your home to appeal to the majority of buyers’ tastes.
- Strange features or decor. Things like shag carpeting, popcorn ceilings, and bold paint choices put buyers off. Work with a professional home stager to redecorate your home and make it more neutral.
- Limited broad appeal. Quirky homes appealing to niche buyers receive less interest. Make sure your home is as broadly appealing as possible.
- Unnecessary upgrades or improvements. Unnecessary upgrades often don’t provide a profitable return, especially if they’re hard to maintain or care for.
- High price. Overpricing is one of the biggest factors in stagnant home sales. Make sure your listing price reflects your home’s actual market value.
Uncontrollable Factors that Make a House Harder to Sell
- Bad location. If your home is located somewhere that has high crime rates, low-ranked schools, or a location next to a noisy highway, selling will likely be more challenging.
- Remote location. Being far from amenities, public transit, and highways also limits interest from prospective buyers.
- Declining market or tough economic conditions. When local real estate activity or the economy more broadly slows, sellers have to work harder to attract buyers. This could mean selling your home for less than you originally anticipated.
- Heavy market competition. If your area has a large amount of homes for sale, you’ll need to take steps to stand out from the competition and attract buyer interest. Remember that your home is on the market alongside brand-new and move-in ready homes.
How Can You Sell a Difficult Home?
The exact strategy to sell a difficult home will depend on your unique situation. But generally, a good approach is to focus on pricing. Pricing competitively yet reasonably is key. Choose a price that reflects your home’s market value.
Making updates, improving curb appeal, staging, and marketing aggressively also help attract more buyers and reduce the time your house is on the market. Offering targeted concessions like home warranties can also encourage buyers to make a purchase.
Sell Your House Fast with Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Phil Aitken Home Team
For a fast home sale in Jacksonville or its neighboring areas, don’t hesitate to contact Phil Aitken and the team at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty - Phil Aitken Home Team.
We’ve been in the real estate business for ten plus years and have earned a reputation for fast home sales. In fact, our homes sell four times faster and for 2.7% more money than those listed with other realtors in Jacksonville.
Additionally, we provide exclusive seller guarantees, like our Guaranteed Sale Program, that protect your interests and make the selling process risk-free. To learn more about working with us to sell your home, give us a call at (904) 544-5252 or fill out the form on this page today.
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