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7 Reasons Why Your Carlsbad House isn’t Getting Shown

By
Real Estate Agent with eXp Realty of California, Inc. CA DRE #01490977

7 Reasons Why Your Carlsbad House isn’t Getting Shown

 

Sellers, are you wondering why your house isn’t getting shown, or at least not as much as you think it should?

 

Here are some reasons your home might not be getting the showings it deserves to help it sell:

 

MLS LISTING

 

The information about the home is limited or there are inaccuracies (did you see the listing to be sire it’s correct?) in the MLS. Is the home listed in the correct town or zip code? Is the number of bedrooms correct? How about the price (yep you see homes that should be $395,000 listed at $3,950,000).

 

 

A cluttered messy house impresses no onePHOTOS

 

The photos of your house suck, to be blunt, and there are only a handful or only 1  - they’re dark, blurry, show blank walls and open toilets (we ALL know what a toilet is) ,and otherwise make your home as unappealing to buyers as possible. As with the listing itself, did you see the photos your agent planned to use? Were you impressed?

 

 

THE WRONG AGENT

 

Sorry to say you may have picked the wrong agent, who doesn’t know the market, didn’t tell you the truth about your home’s value, isn’t very good at on-line and off-line marketing, doesn’t respond promptly or at all to calls about showings and does or doesn’t do other things to get your home sold.

 

 

If no one finds you on the Internet will no one come?THE PRICE IS WRONG

 

Wish I could say you are on the “price is right show” but probably not. Positioning your home correctly in today’s market, as in any market, is essential. Either you are overly optimistic, and your agent agreed, or s/he didn’t permission to tell you the truth. Buyers are savvy and they know what is going on.

 

 

WHERE IS YOUR HOUSE?

 

By this I mean no one can find it on the Internet because of a crappy web presence. We know that 90%+ of buyers in most markets are looking on-line for their next home. The broader the exposure the better, the more limited the exposures, well guess what.

 

 

Lousy curb appeal will not help you sell your homeAPPEARANCE INSIDE AND OUT

 

This relates to photos, for the most part, but also people who may drive by and cringe at the lack of curb appeal. Yeah, if it’s a killer location or neighborhood some buyers may overlook this. Your first impression, the first OPEN HOUSE really, comes with your presence on-line (of course if the house isn’t there you don’t have to worry do you?!). Do you want to alienate buyers with a cluttered, dirty looking house on–line, which will probably look even worse IF they decide to see it in person? Do not overlook the power of a home that looks great in photos – I know, as I work with lots of buyers, too, and this DOES make a difference.

 

 

SHOWABILITY

 

Sorry to say but you may be making it so hard to see your house that buyers and their agents don’t bother. Limiting the number of days and times substantially can kill the number of showings. Not responding to requests for showings, and denying them when requested, may cost you a potential buyer.

 

Be honest with yourself. Is it possible one or more of these issues are chasing away buyers? In your gut you KNOW there is a problem, right?

 

If you are not yet listed, this might make a good checklist to make sure YOUR home gets the showings it deserves.

Posted by

Jeff Dowler, CRS
Certified Residential Specialist / Realtor®


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Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

What a very perceptive post.  I think you have set forth the major reasons why homes don't sell.  With the market transitioning, sellers need to read this post.

Mar 21, 2013 11:38 AM
Cheryl Ritchie
RE/MAX Leading Edge www.GoldenResults.com - Huntingtown, MD
Southern Maryland 301-980-7566
Reblogged with this caption! Wow, I love this. This surely puts the facts on the line. Breeze through the bullet points and you find yourself going yep, yep, yep. As a matter of fact, I may go back and hit the suggest button. This is too good to keep a secret. Hang on tight, them me press the SUGGEST button right now! And how!
Mar 21, 2013 12:12 PM
Mary Sheridan
Keller Willliams - 1033 Hamilton Place,Johnson City TN 37604 - Johnson City, TN
Creative Marketing, Buyer Agency 423-943-7655

You took the words right out of my mouth.    I showed one today that was listed i the wrong area and another that had directions that omitted one crucial street.   If I hadn't known where it was, I'd never have found it from the directions.  


I wish there was a way to get this information to sellers who need to know what part of the problem is theirs and how to check on the agent by asking to see the MLS, the photos, the ads, etc.      

Mar 21, 2013 12:29 PM
Nevin Williams
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation - Cary, NC
Senior Mortgage Advisor

Jeff - I love this post.  No fluff or nonsense, straight to the point.  I think some sellers need to hear the truth and this post is their wake up call.  Nicely done. 

I wonder if sellers who behave this way get their inspiration from lovelylisting  (caution- some of these are bad!)

Now.....could you kindly take down this picture of my kitchen!  LOL

Mar 21, 2013 12:48 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Joan - and ACT on these issues too.

Cheryl - thanks. I am turning this into a marketing piece and will also include it in my Prelisting Kit. We ALL see these issues far too often, right?

Jeff

Mar 21, 2013 01:16 PM
William Johnson
Retired - La Jolla, CA
Retired
Hi Jeff, You really covered this and I must say, it is brillian and really to the point. Loved it!
Mar 21, 2013 03:05 PM
Wika Hutchinson
Eugene, OR
Broker, CRIS, SFR, CDPE
Jeff, those are good reasons why a listing/ house doesn't get shown. Thank you for sharing!
Mar 21, 2013 04:18 PM
Eric Kodner
Wayzata Lakes Realty: Eric Kodner Sells Twin Cities Homes - Minnetonka, MN
Wayzata Lakes Realty: Twin Cities, Madeline Island

Jeff, I've noticed a surprising amount of that "crappy web presence" you referred to among agents who aren't getting the job done.  It's pretty amazing that some agents are still stumbling around in the dark trying to get their listings seen by the public, without a clue about how to make that happen.

 

Mar 21, 2013 05:05 PM
Wallace S. Gibson, CPM
Gibson Management Group, Ltd. - Charlottesville, VA
LandlordWhisperer

Photos are so very important....I have 20 to 30 per listing and I have the floor plans and I STILL get inquiries for MORE PHOTOS!

Mar 21, 2013 08:26 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Sellers should read this post and take your advice. Good post.

Mar 21, 2013 08:36 PM
Ellie McIntire
Ellicott City Clarksville Howard County Maryland Real Estate - Ellicott City, MD
Luxury service in Central Maryland

There is always someone who can put it into words better than I. You get that award today. The amount of REALLY BAD agents is starting to increase.

Mar 21, 2013 09:10 PM
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance
As always, right on all points. Too bad many sellers' agents and their sellers don't understand. Many sellers harbor the opinion that their home is perfect and can't understand why the buyers in their market are not lined up to throw money at them.
Mar 21, 2013 10:12 PM
Kimberley Kelly, SFR, HAFA, GREEN
HK Lane, Christie's International Affiliate, 760-285-3578 - La Quinta, CA
I do Real Estate like I played polo-to WIN!

So true!  Even on low priced properties here in the Palm Springs Valley, I use a professional photographer and do a virtual tour and make sure the photos are correctly labeled..good grief..those are awful photos!

Mar 21, 2013 10:18 PM
Amanda Christiansen
Christiansen Group Realty (260)704-0843 - Fort Wayne, IN
Christiansen Group Realty

I have been having so many problems with showability lately.  Why won't sellers let us view it???  Good post.                                

Mar 21, 2013 10:57 PM
Michael Setunsky
Woodbridge, VA
Your Commercial Real Estate Link to Northern VA

Jeff, I agree! If there are no showings, there has to be a reason. Analyzing the situation and doing a reassessment will make it more salable.

Mar 21, 2013 11:37 PM
Randy Bocook
Keller Williams Coastal Area Partners - Richmond Hill, GA
Selling Coastal Georgia

We just saw this the other day! A $249k house listed by the BUILDER no less for $2,490,000! Audit processes are critical, always take a second look or assign someone to audit your MLS listing. Maybe that 2nd set of eyes might just give you some great feedback on things that maybe should be added or removed from the listing.

Audit processes, checklists, coaching buyers and sellers, and working as a team to get the home bought or sold is what makes it work!

Mar 22, 2013 12:14 AM
Bryan Robertson
Los Altos, CA

Those are all right on target.  I've seen a lot of homes in our area with prices ranging from $300K to over $2M where the photos and marketing descriptions looked like they were done by a preschooler.  What gets me is when the client doesn't pay attention to any of it.

Mar 22, 2013 01:14 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired
I actually saw an MLS photo that reminds me very much of your photo of that kitchen. When I asked the listing agent why, she responded, she was trying to get a low BPO. It was a short-sale. Ya gotta just love it!
Mar 22, 2013 02:58 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Nice post. Nothing we as agents don't know and keep repeating, keep repeating, keep repeating to potential sellers. So much of this is commong sense, but I still get calls saying "why do you think my house hasn't sold?" Guess what points I cover off with them?

Mar 22, 2013 05:33 AM
Lee & Pamela St. Peter
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Realty: (919) 645-2522 - Raleigh, NC
Making Connections to Success in Real Estate

Jeff, now how did you get a photo of a home I just showed here in Cary yesterday??  Seriously, you are so right!  I was trying to show a home for 2 days where the sellers kept declining the showing.  Once we finally got IN to view it was a pigpen!  We couldn't even see the house for all the stuff strewn all over!  Talk about a seller who obviously doesn't want to sell or an agent who doesn't have the courage to advise their client adequately!!  It's a shame...

Pamela
Mar 22, 2013 11:01 PM