More Than A Fourth Of Properties Remain Up For Sale After Six Months Of Being On The Market

About 28% of the available homes found on Rightmove have been listed for over half of the year. Equally surprising is the fact that 8% of those properties have been listed for more than a year. Both 2018 and 2017 had similar figures with 26% and 27% of the properties staying listed for more than six months. This is still better than the 40% that remained for sale for more than 6 months back in 2012. At that time almost 30% of homes stayed on the market over 12 months. According to Miles Shipside, which is a Rightmove’s property expert, if you are unable to sell your house after it has been listed for a number of months then it might be due to low demand in your particular area or because of market conditions. If other houses are selling in your area then there’s a good chance that the price you’re asking is too high or your particular property has less appeal than others in the area. If your luck is really poor then it’s because of both of those reasons. One strategy you might use instead of dropping the price would be to invest a little in the property to increase its overall appeal. Kitchens and bathrooms are a couple of the important factors that can help improve the appeal of a property and upgrading those or refitting them can make the home more valuable to prospective buyers. Other upgrades you might consider are rearranging the overall layout, or making an extension, or even putting in an ensuite bathroom as that is a popular feature. In some cases, it’s as simple as painting the inside neutral colours or making a makeover in the garden. If the home needs more costly upgrades such as heating or wiring or a new roof then you might consider reducing the price in lieu of making those upgrades. If you do that, however, you will need to make certain that the agent you use makes the lower price conditional on you not making those upgrades. Otherwise, the buyer may try to further reduce the price because of having to do those repairs. You should also try to get as much feedback from any viewer to help you and your agent understand what would help sell the property. Ideas That Can Help You Sell Your Property

Great Curb Appeal

The property’s curb appeal gives prospective buyers their first impression. It’s very important that the impression is a good one. The door should be freshly painted, the yard should be in good order, if there is a place for it, use hanging baskets, and tidy up the garden.

Don’t List It On The Internet Until Everything Is Ready

On average you will get about 70% of all the interest in your property during the first two weeks. This means it’s imperative that you don’t post a property with placeholder photos or without a proper description. You should have it listed with a full floor plan and have it ready to go so that it makes a great impression on those who show early interest. The best postings have made use of property photography and a minimum of five photos along with a great description and a complete floor plan that is written to meet the needs of the target audience.

Take Advantage Of Every Tool You And Your Agent Has

The more professional the photography the more your property will stand out from other listings. Keep up with your competition. Utilise Rightmove’s instant alerts.

Keep Animals Elsewhere During Viewings

It’s never a good idea to have the animals around when allowing prospective buyers to view the property. You should also make sure there’s no cat litter trays or doggie food bowls around as well. Even if the prospective buyer is an animal lover these recommendations are always best.

Don’t Have The Property Cluttered

When you show the home you want the buyer to be able to picture themselves living there. If it is full of photos that saturate the walls or other things are stacked around, then it’s more difficult for them to do so. Overall, you want the place to look as neutral as you can.

When Someone Wants To View The Home Try To Be Accommodating

Show a prospective buyer that they are important to you by accommodating their needs for viewing the home. This is especially true when there is an open house. This means that during the open house you will leave the home and allow your agent to handle showing it.

Listen To The Agent

If you’ve done a good job of getting a great agent then you should listen to them. They can offer impartial and genuine advice based on their experience. This can help you better prepare for selling the property.

Set The Right Price

Getting the price right will have a significant impact on the speed at which you will sell the house. The price shouldn’t be too low or too high. If you offer a competitive price and you’re properly prepared to negotiate then the odds of selling the property will be in your favour.

Alison Lurie

Alison Lurie