Having your listing expire prior to securing a valid contract is a very frustrating experience. Failing to sell your home is not only an emotional situation, but it could carry negative practical implications, as well. For example, if you were trying to relocate, or to reduce your debt load, failure to sell your home may have long-term unfortunate financial consequences.
What can you, as the seller, do to maximize your chances of securing a valid contract on your home to sell it in the most efficient, timely manner, for the maximum market price, especially after the listing has expired?
(Warning: Do not read on if you do not want the honest, unvarnished truth about selling your home. It can be a stressful situation and if you are not prepared to listen to professional advice and factual opinion, then you need to get yourself into a position where you can.)
Seek Out and Align Yourself with Competent, Professional Representation
You need a professional to manage your transaction, to provide you with an accurate, detailed analysis of the current market, and to give you an honest, realistic perspective on the home you are trying to sell, and what you need to do to ensure you spend the minimum amount of time on the market and receive the maximum market price when you sell.
You are probably thinking to yourself “I’ve already tried this and it didn’t work”. I completely understand, and I won’t fault you for exploring other options, but take a moment and ask yourself some questions… Was I satisfied with the frequency and quality of communications? Was I given a full explanation of the marketing and pricing strategy that focused on specifics, or was I always uncertain of the plan? Was I given guidance on how to best prepare my home to sell, and how the be economical and efficient with my updates? Was I treated with respect and all of my questions answered in a timely, professional manner?
If you answered “no” to any of those questions, then you probably did not receive the level of professional, quality service you deserve and we definitely need to talk.
Listen to Your Representative and Follow Their Advice
This is the hard part, and it is very possible that this particular component of the process of selling your home was not fully embraced on previous attempts at the market. You cannot change location, you cannot change the time of year, you cannot change the market as a whole… But, you can take an objective look at the particular home you are trying to sell and make numerous simple, inexpensive changes that will bring real value to a potential buyer and make your home stand out on the market.
In addition, you must get the pricing right. Too often, sellers let incorrect assumptions, faulty market information, and their personal desire for gain to get in the way of a correct pricing strategy. As harsh as this may sound, buyer’s do not care how much you paid for your home two years ago, or home much you paid to update the bathrooms. They care about how your home compares to other homes recently sold in the area, and they assign a value to you home that takes into account their wants and needs, not your expenses. Over-pricing your home on an initial listing can and will cost a significant amount of money in the long term.
Call Me Today
I love helping people achieve their real estate goals. I am honest and forthcoming, I pride myself on taking my client’s needs and wants to heart, I think timely, effective communication is critical to selling a home, and I fully understand the challenges of selling a home. I will get the job done, and I guarantee you will be satisfied! Contact me today!
