Today, we present another guest post written by my ever-so-talented assistant, Chris. (She sure writes better than 
I do!) It was precipitated by showing her the picture below of a laneway of a chalet in Blue Mountain that I tried to show. The four foot icy snowbank was a show stopper. How can you sell a house you can't even get into?
Here, just a few more dead honest reasons why maybe your house didn't sell:
1. This is a ski area, we know. People also like to snow-shoe around here. Buyers, however, do not come to a showing expecting to have to use their snowboard, skis or snow-shoes to get into your home for a showing. FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER-get that walkway shoveled. If you don't, please make sure your liability insurance is up-to-date.
2. Although your 36 year old son's kindergarten drawings may be of great interest to you, most buyers would prefer not to see them during a showing at your house: DECLUTTER
3. To you and yours, your home is priceless, just like in one of those Credit Card commercials, but to prospective buyers, being 25% overpriced just isn't just the seller adding in some negotiating-wiggle room - it's sheer madness: PRICE YOUR HOUSE RIGHT FOR THIS MARKET!
4. Speaking of the market, about 1 in 3 houses are selling. Guess what - that puts buyers in the driver's seat, not sellers. Do everything you can to attract buyers, because IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET! You can be part of the 70% of listings which are for sale or you can be part of the 30% that are sold. Which appeals to you?
5. There is a lot of information about everything on the internet. There are a lot of people you know who think they know everything about real estate. Knowledge is a great thing, but a LITTLE knowledge is a DANGEROUS thing. Even though your aunt's second cousin's sister is a mortgage broker in Calgary and she thinks you should be listing your Blue Mountain chalet for $600,000 when your home is probably more realistically worth $350,000, this might not be good advice for you to follow. Your local REALTORS® have experience in the local market and can provide you with some appropriate guidance. This is one of those cases when it may make more sense to LISTEN TO YOUR REALTOR® instead of your mother, brother, neighbour, uncle, bar tender, dentist...
6. There is an old adage, "cleanliness is next to godliness." Well, you may think that toast bits on the carpet, greasy finger prints on the wallpaper, beads circa 1970 hanging in front of a cupboard where a door should be and dog poop on the walkway are not a big deal, but to most buyers, they are. TIDY up, CLEAN up, and TOUCH up. Modernize where you can.
7. Lenders of mortgage money are tightening up their criteria for approving people for financing. If you're lucky enough to receive an offer on your listed home, work with it seriously. Don't let your ego get in the way. PREAPPROVED BUYERS - we like them... we like them very, very much!
8. Smoking. If you're a smoker, you are most likely in denial about the smell of smoke. It's on the walls and in the air. Many people have an allergy to smoke and won't even go into a house with a strong smoke smell. Combat the effects of smoking on a listed property by not smoking in the house. Wash down all the walls with TSP or put on a fresh coat of paint. Febreze® is a good air freshener to help mask the smell of smoke. A fresh dish of pot-pourri can help as well. Clean your ashtrays out, too, before a showing - they smell and are unsightly.
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