In case you missed Part I 

Moving on:

Location.

Location location location. Yes it is important to the buyer but also relevant to price. They are tied to one another. 2 identical houses, one on a quiet court the other on a busy street, are not going to be valued the same. 

Bottom line with location is to make sure the price takes the location in to consideration. Every property sells even those with less desirable locations...say one with an abattoir behind it or train tracks...whatever the 'pink elephant' is.

 Condition.

Look around yourself but through the eyes of your Mother-In-Law. Then remind yourself the saying goes 'if it isn't broken don't fix it' and NOT 'if it's broken don't fix it...sell it'. Totally wrong. Myself, before the days of self-cleaning ovens my personal motto was if the oven needs cleaning I need to move. Silly, in hind sight...I could have just gotten a new stove...but I digress because I'm trying to help YOU sell your place.

I.)

Really, I can't stress this enough: people do not like other peoples filth and crap. Blunt but so true. If the house is dirty potential buyers will turn around and walk out the door not wanting to touch anything. Harsh...but my lord I've been a potential buyer too many times to count where I've gagged and gotten the panicked look in my eyes as my Realtor says they have to at least stop long enough to leave their business card. I, the potential buyer make a mad dash out the door.

Filth does not sell. An example...as a nosy neighbour (with my house listed to sell) I got a showing of the house down the street from me...OMG! The adult son's bedroom:  gamers chair, tv, cpus, wires everywhere but the little tickle at the back of your throat...the gag response, was activated by the B.O. I mean this was oily smelling B.O. We (my Realtor and I) crinkle our faces and start to back out of the room and that's when we saw it:  the un-made bed with a very visible oily body stain. Come on! Well, at least they cracked the window open a bit....

Have you been out shopping and noticed someone with B.O.? First thought is to get away right? (If you don't know what I'm talking about I would recommend you invest in renting an industrial strength ionizer.

Same goes for pet odours and houses that smell like ashtrays.

The condition of the house (or condo) is perceived to be poor when the house is a mess. Donate, sell, get rid of what you haven't used in the last year. Clean like you've never cleaned before.

II.)

Make any repairs which are outstanding. Make sure the doors are hung straight and close properly. Doors that close on their own are NOT a selling feature. Squeaky door, fix it. Squeaky floor, fix it.

See you've got problems and I'm not just pointing them out...I'm providing solutions! Actually, I will be adding videos showing you how to take care of these simple but distracting petty (yeah, yeah but do you want to have to fix the doors in the house you will be moving in to?) annoyances.

Fix any holes in the drywall, replace the stained carpet, refinish or polish the flooring I could go on and on but will instead write a blog post with a list of potential repairs instead. Bottom line, fix what's broken.

Why is My House Not Selling - Part III - Coming Soon! 

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Opinions expressed in this blog are that of the author!

Dane Caldwell is a decorator and leading real estate home stager in the Greater Toronto Area as well as having clients in the U.S. and the Caribbean! You can read more about Dane and her firm 2 Hounds Design at:  www.2-hounds.com