Struggling to sell your home, property lingering on the market, no offers, low offers …

How about giving your Estate Agent a helping hand?

Perhaps, they need help to sell your home faster!

Perhaps, you think, they should have sold your home by now, been inundated with offers for you to choose from …. Or, at the very least, shown around a viewer!

I agree, if you’ve a property to sell, if your home is on the market and let’s face it, most of us enlist the help of an Estate Agent when selling; they need to do their job.  They must market your home, advertise it, promote it, show your property, attract a buyer, get you a good price, sell your home, liaise with solicitors, stay on top of the transaction, calm any nerves, and (this is very important) keep you informed!

So, what if you’re struggling to sell, what if you aren’t getting any viewings, is it all down to your agent or could some of the responsibility lie with you too?!

Assuming your home’s currently on the market and you are having problems attracting a buyer – take action now.  If you have to or want to sell quickly and for the best market price, you need to be geared up to promote your home too.

Stop quibbling about dropping the price (in fact… don’t rush to drop the price) focus on the marketing message you (and your home) are sending out. Use these simple ideas that to help you sell your home faster;

Read your property details.  Thoroughly read them, in print and online. Are they describing your property accurately? Is there a floor plan, clear room sizes, has anything been missed off or described incorrectly? Does the thumbnail photo of your home online stand out amongst the crowd?

Study the photos.  Have your agents captured the best rooms, the best aspect? Do the photos highlight your home; are they too dark, too light? You know your home better than your agent; if you don’t feel the photos are representative don’t be afraid to say so.

Keep it seasonal.  If your property has been on the market a while and winter has turned into summer, make sure your photos reflect that.  Refresh and renew as necessary.

Is the price realistic?  Did you go with the agent who gave you the highest (but not necessarily the most sensible) valuation? Or, perhaps you were adamant your home went on the market for ££££’s more than your neighbours because you have a conservatory, and next door hasn’t.  Most property will sell if it’s correctly priced.

How is your property presented?  Would you view your own home? Does the outside make you want to come in or drive by; are the rooms cluttered, have you washed up, is the toilet seat down?!  Many small improvements will cost little but add (high) value.

Ask for feedback.  If you are getting viewings, insist on regular feedback and act on it if you can.  Ask your agent for Rightmove statistics, to see how many have looked at your home.  This is a good indicator of how appealing your property is, how well it stands out/gets noticed online.

Accept criticism.  If for example viewers are saying the third bedroom looks small, can you do anything about it; is this the room that’s currently housing 10 years worth of treasures?!

Banish the animals. Not forever, but please remove the food bowls, litter tray, dog bed, cages, smells and the animals for the duration of the viewing.

Let the agent do the viewings – without you at home!  Leave before the viewers arrive and stay out until they have left.  Don’t turn up with kids and dog in tow crowding into the hallway to catch a glimpse of your possible new purchasers – what the viewers might have decided was a lovely spacious home, will suddenly have become small, cramped and not for them in that very instant!

Be ready – for viewings.  If your agent calls to arrange a viewing do you keep putting them off; have you got people staying, are you holding a dinner party, wanting a lie in, cant be bothered to tidy up? There are times when rearranging a viewing makes sense (if your home really does look like a bomb’s hit it or the cat’s left you a present in the living room) but, if its something you tend to do regularly, potential buyers will simply move on to the next house. Stay prepared, make the beds, take out the trash, clean the bathroom!

Make friends with your agent. I don’t mean you have to invite them to dinner or call them all the time.  However, you chose them, interviewed them (or you should have), trusted them to sell your biggest asset.  Keep in touch, keep things friendly, ask their advice, and push for feedback positive or negative.  Challenge their sales methods, viewing techniques, marketing details etc (sorry EA’s!) if you feel they’re not right.  Let them know they have a motivated seller on their books.

Don’t be afraid to change.  So, if you have done all of the above and you’re still not happy or don’t feel you are getting the right sort of marketing advice for your home, then yes, much of the problem could lie with your current agent.

Perhaps it is time to change …. Or at the very least, lend them a hand 🙂