Groundhog Day

by Chuck Roper 3. February 2017 13:25

Today is Groundhog Day, a day which reminds us to change our strategies if we want to achieve different results.  Unless you are Bill Murray, you cannot keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results.    This principal could not be more true for listing and selling homes.   If your home has been on the market 60 or more days, we need to rethink our strategies and make some changes to appeal to prospective buyers in a more compelling way.

 There are things we cannot change and there are things we can change.   We cannot change the home’s location, the lot characteristics and the home construction.  It is futile to focus on things we cannot change.  There are many things we can change … and should change.

1.       Price – The price is your invitation to a specific set of buyers to come visit your home.  If no one has accepted your invitation, perhaps you are inviting the wrong group of buyers.  Perhaps the buyers in this price range expect a larger home, more bathrooms, new kitchen.  If other homes are selling in this price range, then perhaps you are being displayed among the wrong group.  You should ask your agent to update the Comparative Market Analysis and determine how your home compares to the others which have recently sold.  If you had showings, what did those prospects end up buying?

2.       Landscaping – The drive by is often the buyer’s first impression.  It is imperative that you continually freshen your landscaping.  Keep leaves raked, gum balls removed, flower beds trimmed and mulched.  The front walk should be swept clean.  Nothing says “this listing is stale” more than old, droopy landscaping. 

3.       Staging – Giving your home a fresh look can bring buyers back to take another look.  Have you completely decluttered?  Neutralized the colors? Rearranged or removed mismatched and overly large furniture?  Stripped wallpaper?  These small changes can help prospective buyers see your home in a different light.  I recommend consulting with a professional stager to get ideas on how to change the look of your home to appeal to more buyers. 

4.       Photography – We know that almost all home buyers are searching the internet for homes.  Change your photography (especially after you have painted and decluttered).  Photograph your rooms from a different perspective and remove photos which captured negative aspects of your home. 

Happy Groundhog Day and Happy Selling!

Janet Horlacher

Principal, Janet McAfee Inc.

TextBox

Tag cloud