HELP!!! My House Did Not Sell. 

An Expert Guide to Getting Your Home Sold

Selling a home is a big decision, and it can be quite frustrating to have your home sit on the market without selling. Sometimes your home is not selling due to factors outside of your control, i.e. a shifting market. We saw this in 2022 when the interest rates moved from the 3's to the 5's basically overnight and then again throughout 2023 with rising rates. 

Sometimes though, various factors within your control may contribute to your home not selling. Perhaps the home was not priced correctly, or maybe the home needed repairs and/or updates.

Whatever the reason, it is essential to learn from the previous attempt and do things differently to ensure that your home sells this time. In this post, we will look at various factors that help ensure your home sells this time around.

Hire the Right Real Estate Agent

I can not stress this enough - who you hire matters. I see this time and time again where an agent was hired because they are friends or family BUT they are not experts in the area your home is located in.

Real talk here, do not hire your sister's friend who lives in Bellevue when your house is located in Olympia (well unless your sister's friends friend used to live in Olympia). Chances are they are not experts on the real estate market you live in and what prospective buyers are looking for in that area. Which are both crucial to getting your home sold.

Case in point: I recently was sent a referral from an agent in Bellevue for Orting, WA. This home had been previously listed but did not sell. The Bellevue agent had not previously worked in Orting so she employed me to help this client.

She knew she was not an expert in Orting but knew I was and in the long that helped serve the client in the best way possible.

P.S. - I love the little town of Orting. It is seriously so amazing! The trails, that amazing Mt. Rainier view, the parks, etc. A must see place! 

Here are some things to consider when hiring the right agent:

1. Make sure they know the market. Ask them questions about previous homes they have sold in the area. Ask them about what the market has been doing lately - i.e. how many days are homes typically sitting on the market before they get under contract, etc?
2. Ensure they have a solid marketing plan. A solid marketing plan should encompass both an online marketing strategy as well as print material. The right agent will use professional photography and videography for their listings. (ALSO as a bonus having a blog written about your property is really fun!) Bottom - their marketing plan should attract buyers.
3. Finally and this one is really really important! YOU should jive with your agent. Selling your home is a big deal and you are going to be spending a lot of time together so you might as well like them right?

Pricing your Home Correctly is KING

Can someone please say this louder from the back? Your house does not sell more often times than not because of the list price.

One of the most important aspects of getting your home sold is to have a pricing strategy. Not just any pricing strategy BUT the right pricing strategy.

Potential buyers are savvy. They know what homes have sold for in your area. If your listing price is $50,000 above your neighbors you better either have a pool in the backyard OR have a really nice house that blows your neighbors out of the water. If not, you are overpriced. 

This is often where many sellers really get hung up and why it's also important to hire a real estate agent. Your real estate agent has no emotional skin in the game and oftentimes, sellers do. You have invested time, money and made some memories that really can make your home feel more expensive than it is.

The hard truth - it's not though and trusting your agent to help you determine the correct price in the current market is key. Your asking price should be the fair market value. This does help ensure you get more money in the long run.

This is true for all markets conditions even a hot market where listings feel like they are selling left and right. You still must price your home well regardless of how quickly homes are selling - homes sell faster and for more money when they are priced well.

In contrast, houses sit when they are not priced correctly and as those days on the market go up the offer price goes down that a prospective buyer is willing to pay. It is simple math more days on the market less money in your pocket.

Your agent should help you determine the fair market value of your home based on various factors, including the location, home features, comparable properties in the area, and current market conditions. This again is where hiring an expert really is important.

Address Past Listing Issues

If you have had your home listed before, there may be other issues that did not work well the last time around beyond the price. Speak with your agent about why your home sale did not happen, and rectify any previously-mentioned issue(s).

Let's say, for example, you priced your home correctly the first time around but you have deferred maintenance like a new roof is needed or the exterior paint is peeling. This can also be a factor in why your home did not sell.

Deferred maintenance adds up and again home buyers are savvy. Many buyers do not want to purchase a home where they immediately need to fix things up unless the price reflects that.

So, you really need to discuss the best strategy with your listing agent. If you do not want to take care of the items up front your list price would need to reflect that.

The only thing to keep in mind when taking this approach you could potentially attract fewer buyers. Sometimes buyers just don't want to have to do work to the home upon moving in and may skip over your house because of that. You must discuss the pros and cons of either approach.

BONUS tip: Consider staging

Staging is a marketing tool that can help buyers visualize themselves living in your home. A well-staged home makes a strong first impression and can make all the difference in attracting potential buyers to your home. Professional staging can range from a complete makeover to rearranging the furniture to create the perfect ambiance. An experienced agent will walk through your home with you and make recommendations. Often the advice given will help you to make small changes that will make a big difference.

Let's Look at a Real Life Example

I mentioned previously that I recently listed a home in beautiful Orting, WA. This home is located at 209 Orting Ave NW in the White Hawk neighborhood downtown. The home had sat on the market in 2022 for 121 days with no offers.

Total side note - I LOVE solving problems especially solving the problem of a home not selling. It's like putting a puzzle together figuring out what pieces did not work before and making new better pieces that fit.

Immediately I knew why this home did not sell - it was not priced correctly. In fact, it was about $30,000 above where the price should be. When I sat down with the seller to talk about why they thought it did not sell - they actually said the same thing!

My big question then was this, "why did the price not get changed the first time around?"

His response was, "I never heard from my agent."

There you have it - probably the biggest factor in selling your home. COMMUNICATION.

That may sound simple but the area of communication is where agents really differ. If you remember nothing else from this blog post, please remember this: hire a real estate agent who communicates. 

Ask them about how they communicate. Find out what their communication plan is. This may be the most critical factor in your house selling or not selling because an agent that communicates will typically also know their market. They know what to do when the market shifts and what critical conversations need to be happening to get your home from sitting to sold!

Home selling is not always easy and having the right person in your corner will make all the difference.

At the end of the day, you as the seller need to be open-minded and willing to make changes if needed as well. Understand that it takes a combination of pricing, marketing, and communication for your house to go from sitting on the market to being sold. If you can follow these steps, then your home will sell and probably sell for a good price.

BONUS! Hire me I love getting your home from sitting to sold.