Although Greater Greenville real estate inventory is high right now, homes are still selling. If you have had your home on the market for several months and have not seen much activity or any offers, chances are that one or more of the reasons below are to blame.

Your price is too high

No doubt about it, the most common reason for a home not selling is that the asking price has been set too high. The reasons for setting your price too high to begin with are many. Ranging from over enthusiastic listing agents who recommend a higher list price in order to get the listing - to unrealistic seller expectations. Regardless of the reason though, if you price your Upstate home too high, you are setting yourself up for a number of obstacles to selling your home.

Even if you do get an offer for your over priced listing, the deal may fall apart before closing because the appraisal won't support the sales price, and the buyer may have problems financing at too high a price. Look at other comparable area homes for sale, ones that are as similar and as close to yours as possible. If they are going for less than you are asking, you may be priced too high.  The fact is, your home is competing against those other homes, and buyers do comparison shop. What buyers are willing to pay is what will determine final sales prices.

The condition of your home

There are a lot of homes for sale in the Upstate real estate market.  Your home has to compete against other similar Upstate homes for sale, as well as competing against shiny brand new Upstate homes.  The more you can do to make your home stand out and look more appealing to a buyer, the better your chances for a quick sale.  Look at your home with a critical eye – put yourself in the buyers position, visit some model homes if you have to.  Many buyers doesn’t want to have to do anything except move in.  Your best “bang for the buck” in improving the condition of your home are paint and flooring.  Make sure that all of the paint is in great condition, both inside and out.  Repainting doesn’t cost too much, and will usually make the biggest impact on buyers.  Make sure all of the flooring looks good too.  You may want to consider putting in new carpet.  Again, it’s not that expensive but it sure does make an impact on buyers coming to look at your home.

Location, location, location

It’s the oldest cliché in the world, but it’s true.  When it comes to Upstate real estate, it’s all about location!  When it comes to Upstate homes, things like how good the schools are, crime rates, visual appeal of the neighborhood and noise or the smell of pollution can all effect how desirable the location is.  If you’re in a bad location, as your Upstate real estate agent, we may help you minimize some of the impact by suggesting improvements to the house.  But the only really reliable way to overcome a bad location is with a lower price.  Simply put, an identical home in a bad location won’t sell for as much as the same home in a better location, and buyers will always choose the one in a better location for the same price.

Your marketing campaign is out of steam

The best Greenville SC listing agents all use an aggressive marketing plan to market their listings.  If your listing agent isn’t making sure your home can be found easily wherever buyers are looking on the internet, isn’t actively touting his or her listings to other agents in the area, isn’t running print ads in real estate publications, then it might be time to change agents.  We even have a 24-hour information/lead generation hotline.  If all your agent has done is put a sign in your front yard and add your home to the local MLS, then that agent isn’t coming close to doing all that can be done to effectively market your home and you will probably get that EXPIRED stamp on your listing after a few months.

The market is slow

You’ll hear it described as a slow market, or a buyers market, or maybe a cold market.  But it all means the same thing.  That home sales in the local area, or market, are slow.  That there are too many homes for sale and not enough active buyers.  There are several things you can do to combat a slow market.  The most effective strategy is to check the trend, price ahead of the market, and sell at a lower price.  Buyers are expecting to find bargains during a slow market.  You can also help yourself by offering to pay some concessions to help a buyer that might not have a lot of cash.  The ultimate way to beat a slow market is to simply wait it out.  But that’s not always an option for many sellers who may be relocating.

Your home isn’t easily accessible

To get your Upstate home sold quickly, it’s important that other Upstate real estate agents show it to as many potential buyers as possible.  When a busy agent is compiling a list of homes to show a buyer, the agent will naturally tend to show those houses that are easiest to gain access to first.  Many homes on the market have “lock boxes” on them.  The lock box is a device which holds a key to the home, that only qualified local agents can access.  Homes that are listed as being “lock box, no appointment needed” will get shown more often than homes listed as “agent has key, call for appointment”, or 24-hour notice required.  If at all possible, you should let your agent put a lock box on your home for easier showing.  If not, you should do anything else you can to make it as convenient as possible for agents to show your home. 

You have an agent nobody likes

Sounds almost silly, but it’s very true.  If your listing agent isn’t liked or respected by other agents in your area, it could slow down the sale of your home.  When an agent prepares to show properties to prospective buyers, the agent begins by talking to the buyer to find out what kind of home they are looking for.  Then the agent searches the Greenville, Spartanburg, or Anderson MLS and other sources for homes that fit the buyer.  If there are a number of good matches to choose from, and one of them has been listed by an agent that is hard to get along with, or arrogant, or has otherwise made himself or herself unpopular, well…  It’s just human nature to tend to skip over someone you don’t like.

I have developed a Unique Marketing Strategy that will give your home the maximum exposure to get your home sold, plus I guarantee my services.

Complete the form below for a no obligation marketing strategy consultation. Please do not re-list your home with another agent without seeing these proven strategies.