So you are trying to sell your home, but it just does not seem to be attracting any real interest from buyers; you have had a few prospective buyers walking though your doors; but, you have had no offers. There are hundreds of homeowners who know exactly what I'm talking about. Having your house sit on the market for many months will surely leave you wondering what you can do to get someone to sign on the dotted line.

 Here are some of the questions you are probably asking yourself:

• Take it off the market for awhile?
• Lower your price?
• List with another broker?
• Fix it up, and then relist it at a higher price?
• Pay to fix it up and leave it at the same price?

Several choices but which if any would be right for you? Of course it depends on your circumstances, but you should be aware that houses that sit on the market for a long period of time fall into two categories:

Stale: Having your house on the market for a long time puts it in a negative light; most people viewing it will believe that it has serious problems and that's why it has not sold. Perception is not always reality, but the buyer looking at it again, after a few months will not know that.

Desperate: Some folk would take this opportunity to make you a low-ball offer, because they rationalize that by now you must be desperate to sell and they could get your house for a bargain basement price.

Suggestions to help you sell your home for a fair price:

• Delist - Remove your home from the market
• Re-evaluate - Is your home fairly priced
• Compare - yours to the competition
• Clean - entire house including windows and doors
• Fix - anything that needs fixing
• De-clutter - store unnecessary items

To get your house in pristine condition you may need to hire a professional stager or re-designer, who will not have any emotional blinders and will therefore see your house in a totally different light and easily prepare it to attract a wider range of buyers.

Here are some more suggestions to help you achieve the look and feel to get your home sold quickly:

Refresh - Maybe you only need to refresh your home. The easiest and least expensive way to re-fresh your house would be with paint, light (fabric) curtains, and more lighting from different areas and sources.

Redesign - Discover how furniture placement, accessories, paintings and the strategic placement of objects can totally change a space and turn your house into your buyer's dream home.  

Renovate - If you want to renovate parts of your home, do not waste money on upgrades that will not give you a high return on your money, time and work. Find out which makeover projects will double the return on your money and which renovations you do not need to make.

After you get your house in a buyer - friendly condition, then and only then should you do the following:

Re-List - Put your house back on the market using a new agent or broker, this time list for only 3 to 4 months. A new listing with a different agent will attract more buyers.

 Post pictures - Post good pictures of the changes that have been done. This will give you that extra edge that you need to get your house sold quickly.

 Reap - The benefits of doing it right. Using a stager or re-designer will cost less than making a reduction on the price of your house.

Joanna Parris, CSP, is a certified Home Staging Expert, a member of RESA, (Real Estate Staging Association) & SEA (Staging Excellence Alliance)
Published Author, Speaker & Staging Expert.
Joanna can be reached at:
E: effectivestaging@rogers.com
W: http://effectivestaging.com