Why Is My House Not Selling And How Can I Make It Sell?

Looking at the reasons your house is not selling, what you can do to improve your chance of being able to sell your home and how to sell your house.

Selling a house is not a decision that most people take lightly. Whether it is because you are planning to move somewhere else or because you have no choice, it can be a very stressful time.

Whatever your reasons are for selling, if your house is on the open market but you haven’t received any interest, or deals keep falling through then it can make an already stressful experience all the more frustrating.

It can leave you asking questions like “why is my house not selling?”

In this blog post, we will be looking at tips to help make your home sell quicker as well as selling options you can take if you can’t seem to find the right buyer.

Why Is My House Not Selling?

There are many reasons why you may find yourself in a position where your house is not selling. The reasons why a house is not selling can depend on many factors. The following are the most common reasons:

The Asking Price Is Too High

One of the most common reasons why your house is not selling is that your asking price may be too high. Should this be the case, it is very unlikely that potential buyers will view your property, or even know it is on the market.

When searching for homes on property portals, most buyers tend to search from a maximum price and below, meaning that if your property is listed for £305,000, buyers with a budget of £300,000 will be unaware of it.

Photography Issues

A big part of a successful house sale is within the pictures. Before people decide on viewing, they will first view pictures of the property to ensure that it has the right look/feel for them.

If the photos that you are using are not doing justice to your property, then you may be stuck on the market for longer than necessary.

Clutter

Before you take any photos to advertise your property or have people over for viewings, it is critical that you make sure your property is looking as neat and tidy as possible.

Lack Of Key Features Mentioned

It is critical that you mention all of the key features that come with your property in the listing.

Making sure that you include that the property comes with a garden, garage or parking if it is applicable.

Presentation

Another reason as to why your house isn't selling could be to do with presentation.

If your house looks like it could do with a bit of paint, or maybe there are unfinished DIY jobs left in plain sight, then it could be putting potential buyers off.

Not The Right Time Of Year

If your property isn't selling, it may be it is the wrong time of the year to sell a property.

Long Property Chain

Another reason why you may be struggling to sell your property could be because you are in a long property chain.

Property chains can put off potential buyers as it increases the risk of sales falling through.

How Can I Improve My House?

If you have found yourself wondering “why is my house not selling?” then there are many different cost-effective ways you can improve your home, even if you are on a budget.

• Kerb appeal – First impressions always count, so make sure your exterior is ready for any prospective buyers. Get the gardening gloves on and start getting rid of any weeds that are growing in patio cracks and in the grass. Your garden doesn’t need to look like the Chelsea Flower Show, just make sure it is neat and tidy.

• Declutter –Try not to just hide all your possessions in different places. Try to sort through all your things by throwing away items you don’t need, or sending them to charity.

• Touch ups – There may be different areas in your home that need a general sprucing up. For example, a touch up of paint on walls, or places that need glossing never goes a miss.

• Fix it – Small issues that need fixing such as broken bulbs, flushes, or electrical faults, get them fixed. All the small problems can add up and fixing them will convey your home is well-maintained.

What Changes Can I Make To My Property?

If your property has been on the market for a while and you are becoming frustrated with the fact that your house is not selling then there are other changes that you can make to your property and selling strategy in order to generate interest in your property and get your house sold faster.

Take Good Quality Photos

Blurry images or a cluttered room can really affect how people view your home. No one expects your house to look like a show home and, sometimes, having a bit of character can help to attract the right buyer.

However, you need to get the balance right. Make sure that you keep mess to a minimum and take clear photos that really enable potential buyers to see the space for what it is.

If there are any period or unusual features in the property, such as a vintage-tiled fireplace or a fitted kitchen then make sure these have their own photos and are mentioned in the description of the property.

You can really sell a home on its uniqueness so make any unique and quality aspects of the house shine through.

Think Price

Be realistic. Look at the properties around you and, if any are selling or have sold recently, find out what they’ve been priced at and list yours accordingly.

A lot of people think that their property is worth more than maybe it actually is. They’ve invested time and money in the property and it might even have sentimental value to them, but you need to think like a buyer and put your personal feelings aside, where possible.

Consider the parameters of what you would be willing to accept or, even, what you need to make from the sale in order to buy your next property, but be smart.

Unless you’ve completely renovated the property or have top-of-the-range fixtures and fittings included in the deal then you’ll need to stay true to what the market is telling you.

Once you have secured an offer, if it is for more than the property is actually worth then the deal may fall through if the lender believes the buyer is paying too much.

If you believe that your property may be priced too high, then readjusting to a more appropriate price may be the way forward.

Boost Your Potential

You don’t need to completely redecorate, but consider what might make your property more appealing to potential buyers.

Could you make the colour scheme more neutral or give the front door a fresh coat of paint so it looks more inviting? Anything that enables viewers to envisage themselves living in that property is what you’re aiming for.

Be Honest

Prospective buyers will fit into one of two categories – keen to renovate or not wanting to renovate at all. If your property requires work then be upfront about it. Marketing your property as ‘unmodernised’ or similar will make sure you attract the appropriate buyer. By being as upfront as possible, you’ll prevent yourself from a potential chain break, if buyers decide they can’t afford to undertake the work and back out.

Become Your Own Agent

Market your property yourself using an online home seller. There are plenty of them out there at the moment where you pay a one-off fee and could save thousands of pounds IF your house sells.

This is a bit of a gamble, especially in the current housing climate, however, it gives you slightly more control over who views and, hopefully, buys your home.

If, after all of that, you’re still getting nowhere then get in touch with us. We’ll even cover all of the legal fees so what we offer you is what you’ll get.

Viewings

Finding the correct buyer can seem like an uphill struggle, but there are ways to improve your viewings that could boost the chances of you selling.

To start, make sure you are professional and polite with any prospective buyers.

Previous to the viewing, try to clean everywhere in your property.

To reiterate, first impressions count so try to have all areas of your house as clean and tidy as possible.

If you have children or pets, see if you can call in a favour from a family member or friend, and ask them to look after your delights for you.

This will allow buyers to walk around your property freely and undisrupted.

Research

When selling your home, research is a crucial part of the full procedure. Start by looking at all the properties around your area.

Discover how much houses are selling for so that you can understand whether your asking price is either too much or too little.

Great websites to use to help with this research is Rightmove and Zoopla.

How Long Is Too Long When Selling My House?

According to research done by The Advisory, a house sale on the open market takes an average of four months to complete. A house sale can take even longer if you are part of a chain of sellers and buyers. Property experts believe that you should wait for around a two to three-month period before lowering the asking price of your home.

What Are My Options If My House Is Not Selling?

If you have tried these changes and you are still stuck wondering “why is my house not selling”, then it is time to start looking at other routes to sell your property through.

Rather than selling through one estate agent, you could:

• Look at switching agents; consider using a multi-agency agreement. This would allow you to advertise with a local agent and a nationwide agent so you get more exposure

• Sell through a quick sale firm such as The Property Buying Company

Each of these options brings its own pros and cons.

Switching Estate Agents:

By switching your estate agents, you will be allowing your property to be marketed by a different team of people. A big advantage to selling through an estate agent, regardless of whether you switch, is that they will undertake all of the hard work for you in exchange for a share of the final profit.

An estate agent will oversee all aspects of the sale, from creating a listing for your property to advertising it for you.

However, the downside to switching estate agents is that even if you do switch to a new company, there is no guarantee that they will be able to find you a buyer on the open market and you may find your property is still on the market for some time.

Another downside to selling through an estate agent is that even after you have taken time off work for viewings and paid the estate agency fees, you will still have other costs to pay such as legal fees and removal costs. All this extra spending adds up and can eat away at the final profit considerably.

Multi-Agency Agreement

Selling through a multi-agency agreement means that you can use as many agents as you like to market your property at the same time. The advantage to selling this way is that you stand a much better chance of finding a buyer as your property will be marketed to a wider group of people in various locations.

Another advantage is that you only have to pay fees to the agent that finds you a buyer.

However, the downside to selling this way is that the fees are higher than if you sold through a sole agency.

This is because of the reduced chance of any single agency finding the buyer, they charge more for their services. On average you would be charged 1.5% plus VAT more in fees than if you went through a single estate agent.

If you sold a property for £300,000 this would mean you would be paying an extra £5,400 on top of the legal fees.

Genuine Cash Buyer

One of the best ways to avoid the dilemma of your house not selling is to sell to a genuine cash buyer.

A genuine cash buyer will have the funds readily available to buy your property immediately and put an end to the search for a buyer on the open market.

Another advantage to selling through a genuine cash buyer is that they will buy your property regardless of condition, meaning you save money on having to fork out for home repairs that a buyer on the open market would need completing before the sale.

They can also complete the sale in a timescale that suits you, with many being able to complete in as little as two weeks.

Does this sound like something you might be interested in?

Then look no further as here at The Property Buying Company, we are here to help! We are a cash buyer of houses who buy any house in any location in a time scale that suits you!

Plus, we cover all fees for you – even the legal ones!

We only require one quick viewing to make sure that our cash offer is accurate and as we are a genuine cash buyer, once you have accepted our offer, that is the amount that you will receive in your bank in FULL.

We are also a member of the National Association of Property Buyers and The Property Ombudsman, as well as being rated excellent on Trustpilot, allowing you to feel safe in our hands.

So, if you have a house not selling on the open market, give us a call or fill in our online form for a free, no-obligation CASH offer which we could have in your bank as soon as you decide…