Ask the Experts: Why is my house not selling - 10 common reasons

There are many reasons your house is not selling. A good estate agent should advise on many of these elements before you list to ensure you have the best chance of selling your property fast. However, there is only so much an agent can do and some elements really do rest with the seller. One way to use love2move is if you are uncertain or not sure you want to commit to improving your current property with DIY, new interior/exterior, investment, etc. then dip your toe in the water and market your property as it is. If it sells within 4-8 weeks, happy days! If it doesn’t, we can take it off the market, you can make home improvements and re-list for £895 inc you get 12 months of marketing and this doesn’t have to be consecutive, it allows you to be flexible. Another great thing about the love2move platform is if you want to convert to your agent's full service you can without losing your fee (which you would with purplebricks etc) this way you will re-list with their core brand after changes and get more hands-on viewer feedback to make changes to your property & re-list. Most of our clients do what we recommend in order to get the right price for their property from the get-go.

Here’s our 10 common reasons why your house is not selling:

1. Being on the market at the wrong price; it is vital your estate agent values your property accurately and you list it on the market as advised. Some sellers have a figure they have chosen and want to stick to and therefore go to the market with a price that isn’t achievable. Before doing major home improvements we would always recommend getting an agent out to advise if it will add the value you expect from your investment.

2. Poor photography: if your property isn’t photographed attractively it won’t get the attention it deserves when people are looking for their next potential buy on property portals. You need an agent with professional standard photography skills.

3. It’s been on the market too long and is now stale. We use a ‘stale doughnut’ analogy here at love2move. If you have had a doughnut on display a while, there is nothing you can do to make it more attractive. You’ll need to bake a new doughnut and showcase it again. If we use this on your house; viewings will dry up if your property has been marketed for some time. You’ll need to take your property off the market and freshen it up, get an agent out to give their opinion on whether it needs interior or exterior improvement, new windows, a lick of paint on the front door, new kitchen, etc, make the changes and re-list. Love2move is great for this, as you can test the waters if you are uncertain if a property will sell.

4. Poorly presented: when people ask, ‘why is my house not selling?’ one reason for this is your property being poorly presented; we recommend that you walk through your home and pretend you’re the potential buyer, would it appeal to you? Remove pets where possible, the power of smell is often overlooked. Make sure there are no strong pet smells, damp, or overly strong food odours, try to put a coffee pot on, or fresh smelling bread or cakes will make it more appealing.

5. If your house is too cluttered it can prevent potential buyers from imagining themselves living there. It is best to de-personalise a property so they can fully envisage living there and see the full potential of the property, don’t completely remove all elements as then it won't feel homely, but less is more. It is best to de-clutter for the photographs and then if you’re serious about selling keep it looking like that until it’s sold. Ensure that every room is brightly lit and clutter-free - put the toilet seat down, open curtains, switch on lights, plump cushions, and make beds at the very least - as small touches make a big difference.

6. If a home doesn’t feel ‘homely’ it can have a negative impact on a potential buyer. When moving home and investing so much financially lots of people need to get a positive vibe when they enter your property for a viewing. This is an emotional connection and lots of the time there isn’t too much you can do to impact their ‘feelings’. However, if you stage your home and make sure it is welcoming, have fresh flowers out, bring the outdoors in, now we don’t want clutter, but houseplants can help with this. Lighting helps too, make sure its not too bright or too dark, add layers of light- main lights and lamps. As above the aroma of a home can impact, perhaps vanilla-scented air fresheners could help here.

7. Another reason your house isn’t selling could possibly be the stigma associated with the property, if your property has had success and offers, but unfortunately, the sale fell through, people may associate the property with having something wrong with it.

8. Key features aren't mentioned in the listing. A good estate agent will make sure to check that the listing of your property on websites and portals such as Rightmove and in their agent's marketing materials is accurate and highlights the key features of your home. Words such as ‘garden’, ‘garage’, ‘parking’, ‘freehold’, and ‘detached’ are all popular search terms, so make sure they're included in the description if applicable.

9. Make sure your agent values your property in the same price brackets that Rightmove caters for. This means the property will show up top of the searches. If your property is priced unusually or not in the brackets listed on their search fields then it can result in the property showing up at the bottom of search results and could allow buyers to choose a property to view that is served to them at the top of the list.

10. Sometimes the time is just not right. The housing market is incredibly unpredictable, with prices fluctuating in response to wider, uncontrollable factors. This means that it can quickly turn from a seller’s to a buyer’s market, and vice versa.

How to maximise the value of your property

Here’s 5 ways to get the most value from your property:

• Let in light! 
• Repaint any bold wall colours 
• Clear that clutter 
• Clean, clean, clean! 
• Repair and fix 

For more ways to get a higher price for your property click this link: https://www.love2move.co.uk/blog/follow-our-12-top-tips-to-maximise-your-homes-potential/