More specific feedback from potential buyers that have toured your house would be helpful. Most buyers want a house that is updated and move in ready. You may consider consulting a local stager in your area for specific suggestions about how to improve the appearance of your home. Your house needs to stand out from the others it is competing with. Best of luck.

I know how frustrating it can be when you have traffic through your home, yet people are not buying it. In fact, I’m a Realtor, and I’m meeting with sellers tonight who’ve had their home listed in Monroe for months without any luck too. Hopefully I can offer both of you some suggestions. First, if you’re using a Realtor, remember that selling your home is a collaborative process. There are things both of you can do to help:

First of all, take a look at your home through the eyes of a buyer. The number one factor is, “Is your home priced correctly?” Remember, this is a challenging market. You have a lot of competition out there. The housing market inventory is high, so your price needs to be competitive. Buyers have more choices now than ever. I’d recommend that you stay current on the market trends in your area. It’s even a good idea to research your competition. It’s easy for all of us to get emotionally attached to our homes and not be objective when it comes to the home’s real value.

Second, how’s the condition of your home? In this market, your home needs to be in top shape. First, do all the easy things that will make a difference. Declutter. Shampoo your carpets. Touch up the walls. Make sure the yard is freshly mowed and has curb appeal. Remove your pets for showings and keep the house clean. Next, look at your home objectively again. Is there something that can be done simply that would add value? For example, if you updated a few lighting fixtures would it give your home a more modern, up-to-date feel?

Lastly, go the extra mile. Research shows the simple things do make a difference, and buyers often buy on emotion. Put out the freshly cut flowers. Bake the cookies before a showing. Play the classical music. Still want to do more? Try writing a letter to the potential buyer letting them know about the positive memories you’ve had in the neighborhood and the house (if this is true). Add it to the table for showings. Trust me—I’ve found this added touch by the sellers makes a difference to buyers.

The last recommendation is find a strong Realtor who has a solid track record for getting homes sold in this market. You need an aggressive and positive agent who understands how to use the various avenues available to give your home maximum exposure. Even the words the Realtor uses when listing your home online makes a huge difference. I recently was featured on WCPO (Channel 9) on a story about ‘Real Estate Buzz Words’. If you’d like, give me a call. I’ll give you more advice and let you borrow a free DVD on ‘What to do if your home doesn’t sell’.

Good luck! I wish you the best.

If you are not currently listed, I will be in Franklin and Trenton looking at homes on Thursday evening, not to far from you, if you would like me to stop by, I would be happy to do so, just let me know:

sold@JohnYouker.com

Katie, there are three things that make a person want to buy your house, price, condition and location. You have control over the price and condition while the location cannot be changed. So if your house is listed at the right price for the condition it is in, then it is more likely to sell. In our area only 7 out of the 100 listed homes sold last year. New carpet and paint does wonders for a home as buyers want homes to be in move-in condition. Also, updated kitchens and bathrooms are desirable to buyers. Make sure your Realtor is marketing your house aggressively and check the pictures on the internet to make sure they reflect positively on your home. Good luck!

Hello Katie,

Although I'm not in your area, I'm curious as to what "incentives" you are offering the Buyer or Buyers Agent? Are you offering an increased commission? Are you offering to pay closing costs for the Buyer? Is your agent giving you any listing feedback? (What are others saying about your listing) Is your home being sold furnished and or unfurnished? Maybe a few of these questions will help stir up some dialog with your agent that may help you. Last but not least....is your home over priced???? In today's market that seems to be a big factor in determining how long a home stays on the market.

Good Luck

Katie,

Unfortunately, that's the way things have been going lately. Lots of inventory on the market. Prices lowering almost daily. Buyers are in a feeding frenzy!

I will tell you, the best way that you can stand out amongst your competition is to demonstrate value (or perceived value). The best way to describe that is to try to bring your home to a Model Home state while on the market.

In addition, you need to be ahead of the pricing curve. There is a range of price that your home fits in... like say $100,000 to $125,000. Don't price your home at the top of your "comp" range. Price it in the middle or on the lower side, if possible.

Check out the two Seller videos on my website (simple link in web reference below). They are very insightful and I think that you'll get some benefit out of them!

Good luck to you!

Art Hotes ~ RE/MAX Classic
Serving Northeastern Ohio
mailto:Art@ArtHotes.com
http://www.ArtHotes.com

Katie, my first question is are you listed with an agent? that will make all the difference in the world in a market like this. I know it can be frustrating at times to see people conttinue to go through the home, give good feedback, but never write an offer. I am finding new ways of offering incentives to both the buyer and the agent to draw offers in on my listings. We are offering increased commissions to the agents who sells the home, offering financial incentives to the buyers for buying the home, such as buying down the interest rate, paying closing costs, picking out new carpet, etc. Whatever it takes!

Homes are selling today, but there is a lot of inventory out there for buyers to weed through. I have a graph that I show sellers about being priced in the market and out of the market. Where you live, your home should be in both the Dayton and the Cincinnati MLS so this means that buyers have close to 30,000 listings to see along with yours, but remember - a bunch of them are priced out of the market and will never sell - sellers are unrealistic about what they will receive and some agents are unprofessional enough to be afraid to tell them that. Other homes are priced correctly and will sell; you just have to make sure you home is in the latter of the two groups, is priced right, looks nice, has GREAT curb appeal, and lastly that your agent has exposed it on the internet where it needs to be to bring in today's internet buyer.

If you would like to schedule a free, in home consultation on price and condition, I would be happy to help, just visit the website here, input all of your information, and let me know that you found me on Trulia! http://www.SWOhioHouseValues.com