My house sold the day my contract would've expired with my agent! A family from Chicago bought our house and told us the extras--fenced back yard, hot tub, fresh paint in neutrals, pro landscaping--set the house apart from the others in the cooke-cutter neighborhood. We are happily moved into our new home. Thank you for all the feedback!

1) It is not about your house...it is about your house compared to others and what the competition is actually selling houses for...not what you are asking.

2) This has been a tough 6 months...changing an agent is not going to do you any good unless you know the following:
1) How many houses like yours sold in the past 6 months?
2) How much did they sell for?
3) How long were they on the market?
4) How is your current agent marketing your house?

Answer these questions first before you fire your agent. ....and on the extras, nobody really cares that much about them unless they differentiate your house from your competition.

Houses will sell at the right price...look not at your ego of how clean your house is, but how dirty the price is to a potential buyer. Do a reboot of your thinking, revamp your price to 10% below market and get ready for a sales contract...Denham Springs is still a desirable hot market.

hi sarah,

can we get an update? did you close. how about a few tales from the sale.

it's nice for us in the trade to see the whole lifecycle of the deals we comment on and it helps the laymen to see if we were right or wrong.

regards ,

mike

Well I see your property is now pending, and with the same realtor!

Good things come to those who wait?

compare your property to others in your area,

see search link

http://www.buythishousebr.com/southpoint.htm

You need to price it right...and right means at least where comparable properties are SELLING, not what you think it is worth.

Before you lose your current agent, know what the actual SOLDS price of comps in the past six months.
Then change your price to 5% to 10% below market if you are serious about selling. The house is not what you feel it is worth...it is what the market can bear.

Unfortunatly for us all, home sales have been taking longer currently. Don't give up but pricing is the key element in selling your home. It has to be priced right. In order to move it, you need an advantage over the competition. Dropping your price might give you the edge you need to get it moved and possibly get more than what you are asking for rather than less. And if I may make another suggestion, visit the competition. Check out any houses in your area comparable to yours. Go to Open Houses. Compare what they are priced at.

Sarah,

I am glad to see that you realize that the problem is likely not your agent. In a tight market like this, sometimes you can market until the cows come home, and things don't always do what you think they will.

I really liked Robin's advice. Price is the likely culprit here, but curb appeal is equally important. Ya can't sell it if they don't make it through the doors!

if you want to sell quickly just price it at a no brainer level and let the investors have it. i'm not kidding...get an appraisal and price it at 80% it will be gone in a day.

but if that's not quite what you meant ...we are in the selling season so review what HAS sold in that six months to see what it takes in your trade area...if the home was overpriced for any part of the six months those weeks just don't count. if the market you're in is a "6 month market" don't give up hope, but do...

be sure you're priced right, overpriced homes are the buck-toothed cousins of our industry...they make the properly priced homes that much more attractive. simply put, if you are overpriced, you're helping every other house in town look good even when they 're at full retail.

make the home available on lockbox and short notice, you MUST work on the buyers and agents' schedule

do you let the agents in and leave them with their clients to let the agents "do their thing"? it's tempting to be tour guide but it's the kiss of death. just don't do it. the agents will let you know if they have questions.

have you "depersonalized" it well, and decluttered. you have to shoot for the most common denominator here and while your decor is a part of who you are the buyer needs to see the home not the collections of stuff or 600 photos of your kids playing soccer. for example, i have four surfboards in my livingroom...if i was selling they'd all hit the garage on day one...okay, maybe just three, but you get my point. no one wants to see MY stuff in THEIR house.

after that the agent is up and their business practices are key...do they take calls and return them promptly (do you) ? i think that's a key element of success.

good luck

Sarah -
I had a couple of thoughts since my last answer -

How is your curb appeal? Although landscaping doesn't really add to the value of the home, it definitely makes an emotional connection with the buyer. And you have to appetize them enough to get them through the front door! Many buyers choose what houses they visit based on the initial drive by or pictures that are available online.

I've also seen some home decorating shows where they've painted the front door red - or something else bold to draw new attention to the property.

The front curb appeal is very important, especially if you live in one of those neighborhoods in Denham Springs where most of the houses look the same. Give your buyer a reason to think your house is better!

Also, a realtor tip is to put things in storage. A minimally decorated house sells faster than a lived in house.

Good Luck!

Hi Sarah -
In Louisiana we've had a big move from a sellers market to a buyers market in the past few months. I would consider changing agents if you feel your home was not marketed as much as it could have been. Did the agent have open houses? Did the agent put an add in the newspaper listing the sale? Did the agent promote the property within their own company (i.e. Agent Open Houses)?

The truth is if you switch to For Sale By Owner, your property will probably sit another 6 months on the market before it's sold. Realtors are great at advertising your home. Thats why I feel it's important to target where you feel you've been misrepresented.

I have some local agents I can recommend - but they will all tell you, 6 months in this market is common
now. However, if you switch to a different agency all together, the new agency might have more advertising options for you and get new eyes looking at your home.

I recommend asking your current agent for feedback from the people who have visited your home. If they recommend repainting or making minor repairs, I would do so. You would be surprised how many people pass on a home because of paint colors.

Please consider LA Lending for your upcoming purchase!

I would recommend looking at your competition - which is other homes for sale comparable to yours. Ask your agent for an updated CMA. With it being a buyers market, if you want to sell, you need to price your home competitively, or offer incentives, closing costs, home warranty, etc. Good luck.

Sarah,
Interview several agents. Ask them for the specific marketing plan that they are going to put into place for your particular home. Make sure it involves more then sticking a sign in the yard and running a couple of ads in the local publications. Ask how much exposure on the internet you will get and on what sites. Ask them how they will communicate with you and how often. Basically you are interviewing them for a job selling your home. If you want to sell quickly you need to have a new CMA (market analysis) done by the prospective realtor's and look hard at what homes nearby are for sale and the features between your home and theirs. They are you competition. So after the market study price your home 2% below and offer a home warranty. If you want to do any incentives aim them at the buyer. Perhaps money toward closing costs with acceptable offer. Of course the acceptable offer being full price.

Hope this helps and if you need a referral for a top agent in your area just let me know.

Larry Story
Coldwell Banker Triad
larry.story@coldwellbanker.com

Hi Sarah,

If you feel that your Realtor has done a diligent job on selling your home then there are a few things you can try. First reduce the price, that is one of the main causes of not selling a home. If you feel your home is priced very competitively then what i have done with some of clients that will not lower the price is to offer to buyers for paying their non recurring closing costs ( make sure to put it in writing that closing costs should not exceed $$$ amount ). Another thing you can try is to advertise locally on the open house section. Exposure is very important. Make sure your home is advertised online. Hope this helps. Good luck.
Leonardo.

The truth is that selling quickly is a thing of the past. Is your home priced correctly? did your home get many showings? what was the feed-back ? these elements are important to know in order to provide you with advise.