Advice on Selling Hard to Move Properties

As easy as it was to sell a home just four years ago, it is now brutally difficult. This is the natural back and forth of the real estate market, but to a bit of an extreme. If you are having problems selling in this market, is there anything you can do?

When a real estate market goes cold, it can seem like there are no homes being sold at all. This is incorrect. There is just a lot of competition for the attention of a small pool of buyers. To get their attention, you need to do some unique things.

The first step is to play up your neighborhood. Location, location, location. It is the first rule of real estate and everyone knows it. So, make sure you list the attributes of your neighborhood when putting your marketing together.

There seems to be one owner in every neighborhood. Their yard is a jungle or completely dead. You can complain, but it rarely gets anything done. The answer? Offer to have it done. You’ll make it back on the sale of your home.

Step back from your pricing. Look around the neighborhood. Are there comparable homes listed for less, even a few thousand dollars less? If so, you need to cut your price. You don’t need to beat the fixer upper on the block, just those similar to your home.

Now, you are probably thinking your home is better than those considered comparables. Well, yes and no. It probably is better, but not enough to make a difference to buyers. Remember, homeowners like to change things, so they may not care if you’ve upgraded.

What if you just can’t bear to lower the price? Are you out of luck? Not necessarily. If there is some definite reason you should be priced higher than comparable homes, then it is okay. You absolutely must emphasize this in your marketing material, however.

One way to do this or just move your house is to offer favorable terms to buyers. We all want someone to show up with a suitcase of cash. It probably isn’t going to happen. Offer to help with the financing by offering a second mortgage. It can make all the difference.

An obvious, but often missed, final step is to make small improvements to the property that carry big weight. Landscaping is usually cheap and can radically change the look of a property.

When in doubt, small improvements can also make a world of difference. Clean your driveway. Paint rough spots and around window frames. Remove the clutter in the garage. In short, give your home a tune up.

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