What Really Prevents a Home From Being Sold: Some Excuses I've Heard

Many people will blame the current market condition as the reason they had trouble selling their home. Part of that may be true - these times are tough, no doubt. But, after seeing so many homes that have been on the market for a year or two or more, I have kept a list of the most common excuses sellers have given me for not being more proactive about getting their homes ready for sale. So - I'd like to add that a large part of the blame should be placed on a seller's "Ego," with a capital E.

Here are some of the excuses I've heard...

- I can sell my house by myself - I don't need a realtor

- Why should I repaint the house? It's been fine for us all these years. Why repaint in neutral colors - the purple (or orange, lime green or other loud color)is great - all buyers will love it!

- Why replace the worn carpet - buyers will be able to look past that.

- Yes, I may have some clutter in the home. But I work from home and my kids need all their toys and things. There's nothing I can do about this.

- Why take up the carpet that is covering a beautiful wood floor? The wood is there - and buyers can see that, so why should I bother doing this?

- Why should I reduce the price of the house? The neighbors down the street got that same price 5 years ago. My house is worth every penny and more. This is the price - and that's final.

- Why have a stager come look at the home for a consultation. Our home is fine as it is - we don't need a stager to tell us what to do.

- What wrong with all the wallpaper - we paid good money to have all that done 20 years ago.

- Why put furniture in our vacant home? That's a waste of good money. Buyers should be able to imagine what their furniture will look like in it.

I've been hearing these excuses for a long time now. It's very sad - because these homeowners could have been successful if they could have just put their egos aside temporarily.

If you are about to sell your home or if you are in the process of selling - just take a minute to check if you have said any of the above excuses. Changing your attitude will help you tremendously.

Remember - your home becomes a "product" when you put it on the market. Don't let highly personal colors or furnishings (or clutter) keep you from selling your home. Remove...then rejoice once your home is sold!

And lastly, an investment in staging is always significantly less than your first price reduction.