Things that keep homeowners awake into the night include figuring out the right sale price, deciding whether to sell it themselves or use an agent, wondering what needs fixing that they might not see, as well as wondering if anyone will want their little piece of heaven. It sounds so easy to sell a house and move into a new house. Check off these things that could make your house more difficult to sell.
1. Unpleasant Aromas
The front door opens with a swoosh of enough vanilla air freshener to knock out Godzilla. Another front door opens to stale air accented with pet odors. The smell of cigarette smoke assaults your nose upon entering another house. Suddenly, these homes no longer seem attractive to you.
Lots of homeowners bake cookies and pastries to display on the kitchen counter. The smell of baking gives buyers an idea of what living in the house could be like. On the other hand, when the smell of the cat box cancels out the smell of the cookies, you have a problem. There will be no selling my house fast in Dayton Ohio.
Experts advise homeowners selling their homes to clean the house within an inch of its life. Deodorize the carpets, clean the walls, baseboards, and door frames, and clean appliances until they look new. Open the windows for fresh air. Ask a friend to do a nose test for you. Don’t use too much air freshener. People want to see “real,” and smell it, too.
2. Location
No one wants to live too close to potentially bad parts of town, the airport, massive shopping areas, or college dorms. If these or a noisy super-highway grew up after you built or bought the house, then they could present a problem to a sale.
Location is one of the biggest aspects of selling a house. However, if the above things sprang up after you bought the house, there isn’t much you can do about it. About all you can do is play up the house’s and neighborhood’s advantages along with dropping the selling price.
3. Unreasonable Sale Price
If you wouldn’t buy a used car that was unrealistically priced, why would you buy a house that was priced too high? Everyone looks for something different in a house due to everyone’s lives and needs being unique. That’s why you bought the house in the first place. Today, however, buyers are looking for other things.
Before the house even goes on the market, homeowners are advised to check online to see at what price houses like theirs in similar neighborhoods are selling. Comparable homes often reflect the cost of repairs in the sale price. Ask a few real estate agents what they think. Get the house appraised. Then price the house realistically.
4. Not Enough Natural Light
Have you ever felt uncomfortable or uneasy in an office or store with little to no natural light? Many older homes were built with too few windows. Those who bought the houses might have put new windows in, but this isn’t allowed in historic homes.
Research has shown us that natural light benefits the body and its health. We think more clearly, our eyesight is better, our mood is happier, and we get lots of Vitamin D from the sun shining in the window. We aren’t uncomfortable or uneasy but move confidently.
If cutting new windows isn’t in the budget, try painting the interior in eggshell or reflective light shades. Lose the heavy curtains, and hang plain or lace sheers at the windows to let in more natural light. Use mirrors advantageously to reflect natural light throughout rooms and hallways. Add reflective glass backsplashes in the kitchen or reflective tiled areas in the bathrooms.
5. Issues With The Structure
Not keeping up with maintenance will make any house unsellable. This makes a potential buyer wonder if a house is worth it when they see:
- Curly roof shingles
- A cracked foundation
- Cracks running up and around the outside of the house through brick, stone, and siding
- Sagging gutters
- Water damage on walls and ceilings
A house is the biggest expenditure people make in their lives. The structure has to be sound. Not only that, if the structure isn’t sound, the potential buyers’ health could be at risk.
To sell the house, homeowners will have to make a major investment. The foundation, roof, cladding, and walls will have to be repaired. The plumbing, wiring, and HVAC will need maintenance or might need replacement. Any water damage must be fixed. Mold and mildew cause physical problems like the inability to breathe, which could be deadly to an asthmatic.
Since all of these are generally expensive structural repairs, homeowners might want to put a sale on hold until they’ve got the repairs well in hand.
6. Outdated Rooms And Over-The-Top Renos
Homeowners wishing to sell my house fast in Dayton Ohio might make renovations that are just too much for the house. Redoing the basement, for instance, with top-of-the-line Berber carpet, columns, marble fireplaces, and too much can lighting can put potential buyers off.
Likewise, rooms with paneling, shag carpet, kitchens with unattractive counters, and outdated bathrooms can severely lower the selling price. While outdated rooms can be updated, renovating outdated fireplaces, kitchen, and bathroom counters, and replacing the flooring can run into some serious bucks.
Experts advise homeowners to renovate, but not to go overboard. Going crazy with renovations can make potential buyers uneasy just as much as viewing outdated rooms. For example, sometimes a kitchen or bathroom could benefit from a simple coat of paint. If the counters are outdated, replace them. If the shag carpet has to go, then replace it with affordable engineered hardwood floors or carpet tiles.
7. Unwilling Sellers
There are times when the seller is the barrier to a house sale. Sellers unwilling to put in the work in maintenance, storing their belongings, staging the house, going to the movies when the house is shown, and who exhibit an aura of uncooperativeness can kill a sale just like a cracked foundation can. Sellers are advised by the experts to remove themselves, so family and agents can sell the house.
