Why Your East Or North London Home Reamins Unsold.

29th July 2020

Selling a home can be a nerve-wracking experience.

You want to move relatively swiftly and for a good price.  But frustration can easily creep in if your house has been sitting on the market for a few months.

If your home isn't getting many viewers and time is ticking on, these factors might be playing a part.

The wrong Estate Agent

I might as well get the elephant in the room covered first.

Estate agents aren’t all created equal and some sellers may have been seduced to use a particular agent by their ambitious expectations on price and or the fact they offered the cheapest fee. 

Choosing an agent based on these two factors alone can often lead to frustration, delay and quite often the need to start afresh and appoint another agent.

Asking Price Too Ambitious

Though the post lockdown market is proving resilient, buyers can still be price sensitive and reluctant to view if they feel the asking price is too high.

Have a review of what other houses are available for sale locally and see how your property compares and try to be as objective as possible.  Your agent should be discussing the competition with you at least every few weeks to see how your property's performance is shaping up against other similar properties locally.

Photos & Floorplan

The majority of buyers start their search for a home online and that's why it's very important to have good quality images and video showcasing your property.

Run a mile if the agent doesn’t use a professional photographer to do the photos.  If they are cost cutting on photography, what other corners are being cut?

I should also mention that buyers love floorplans  and the best agents always use them.

Clutter

We all have lots of stuff but it’s vital to create a more minimalist environment for viewers. 

I always suggest keeping hallway, landings and worktops clear.  Any bedroom used as storage should be cleared in order to truly show off the size of the room. 

Repairs

You want to make a good first impression but if your home is in need of some TLC, it could leave the wrong impression.  

Loose tiles, floorboards, damp patches etc should really be sorted.  Buyers often calculate the cost of repairs to be much higher than they often are which would then be reflected  in any offer they make.

Repairing a blown double glazed window or a damp patch in the bathroom are worthy investments to make with the sale.

Buyers always ask how long a property has been on the market and if it’s over 3 months they may incorrectly assume there must be something wrong with the property. 

If you want a less stressful property sale, don't let your property gather dust.