10 Reasons Why Your Listing Isn’t Selling
The first three mistakes are all within the listing agent’s control.
1. The listing is poorly presented.
Little or no staging and other issues — clutter, questionable smells, messy or dirty and dark — all create problems. The goal is for the listing to show like a new construction model home. Add shoe covers in a basket in the foyer and a “Please remove your shoes or cover them to protect the floors which may someday be yours!” sign. Asking visitors to cover their shoes sets a good precedent that this is a well-kept home.
2. The listing has a non-compelling description.
This includes plain vanilla words like ‘open and airy floor plan.’ Don’t make it sound like every other listing. The description can convince others to show this property first. Write more descriptive and uniquely crafted words than the typical listing language we all see every day.
3. The listing has terrible pictures.
This includes tiny iPhone pictures, pictures with kids sleeping in their beds, kitchen pictures with dirty dishes, and worse. You’ve seen pictures where the agent’s reflection is in the kitchen mirror, holding their iPhone to shoot photos. Yes, it makes a difference!
Another mistake here is what I call “showing it all.” I like to think a carefully curated group of photos are better than a large quantity of photos. Show all the shots taken by the photographer, while still representing the home in its honest and best light.
The next 3 mistakes that cause a listing to not sell are in the homeowner’s control but are directed by a good listing agent.
4. Something could be wrong with your actual MLS listing.
Maybe your pictures aren’t loading, the description doesn’t make sense or is not categorized correctly. For example, in some MLS systems, if you don’t put in the square footage and someone is searching for it, your listing won’t pop up. Maybe an agent is searching for 1,500 to 2,500 square feet for their buyer. If you didn’t enter the square feet, the agent won’t even see your listing. There are hidden methods as to how a listing is inputted by an agent so that it shows up in a broader variety of searches and isn’t missed. This is an important tool in the trade.
5. The listing could be in the wrong pricing segment.
If you’re at $509k, you’re possibly the least attractive listing for a search from $500k to $750k. The price should be $499k to make it the BEST option for someone searching from $350k to $500k. This has been analyzed many times and some contend that the right price would be $500,000 so that it appears when you search from $350,000-$500,000 as well as $500,000 to $750,000. See what works best for you.
6. The listing looks clearly overpriced when compared to its competition.
If there are 10 listings that meet a buyer’s criteria, and your three-bedroom listing is priced as if it’s a four-bedroom, you’ll always look overpriced and go to the bottom of the showing list. A price adjustment may be the only remedy here.
7. The listing has a confusing floor plan.
For example, a modern home in a colonial area with split levels or anything unusual needs to have extra staging so buyers and buyer’s agents understand how the floorplan works. If you can’t tell what a room is supposed to be, the home just won’t resonate with a potential buyer. They may not put their finger on the reason — they’ll just say that it didn’t feel right.
8. The listing has negative feedback that never gets remedied and the price doesn’t improve to reflect it.
Repetitive negative feedback regarding something in particular is what causes listings to expire. Allow your agent to be proactive if there’s something that can be changed and get estimates to address condition issues. Ultimately, if the price doesn’t reflect the problems, it could be an unsellable listing. Bottom line – some things can’t be changed and a price reduction is the only way to accommodate to be competitive. The challenge is knowing when and how much in an educated way.
9. The listing shows too many personal items like family pictures, degrees on the wall, specific artwork, etc.
These items can distract the buyer from focusing on the property and how they would live there. Buyers want to think about their stuff, not the seller’s stuff. We’ve all heard people walk through a listing and imagine where they’d put their couch, wonder if their dining room set would fit, and talk about which kid would get each bedroom. Too many personal items can make sure that conversation never happens and the buyers move onto the next option.
10. The listing has obvious detriments like bugs, dog hair, cat litter smells, a green swimming pool or water feature, or other off-putting items that make the buyer run away.
Either price the listing to reflect the condition or fix the condition. While the property may be amazing, getting there and driving past something not so nice can also affect the price and limit offers. It’s important to be realistic about that.
Your listing agent should be proactive and effective at communicating with you the seller. When there’s competition in the market, you must have a proactive strategy for being the listing that wins. Work to eliminate these potential issues. If that’s impossible, you must price the home to be more competitive. It’s no longer good enough to just be available. The home you are listing must SHINE and be the clear choice for any buyer who sees it.
