The Stars Of Unsellable Houses Say These Mistakes May Be Why Your Home Won't Sell
The housing market is nerve-wracking whether you're looking to buy or sell a home. You have to deal with high interest rates as a buyer or do everything you can to capture a homebuyer's attention to get them to buy your house. If you've had your home on the market for weeks or months without a single offer, it's time to make some changes.
The HGTV stars of "Unsellable Houses," Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis, are masters at sprucing up a home with tricks and tips that will get it off the market in a short time. They've had their fair share of homes staying on the market for longer than they wanted, so they know what to do and what to avoid when listing a property. One of the mistakes sellers often make is not creating a detail-oriented listing that captures the entirety of the house. If the pictures on your listing are taken at an awkward angle, if your place is furnished like a doctor's office, or if it's just not prepared enough to buy, it can cause homebuyers to scroll away and check out other properties.
If you're struggling to sell your home, we understand the pressure you might feel when you're racing against the clock, grappling with high interest rates, and competing with other sellers. But the truth is that skipping over minor details can prolong the process of getting your home off the market. Luckily, Lamb and Davis have solutions to these common mistakes. You might find yourself tweaking one thing or three things, but making the changes will increase your chances of selling your home. Here's what you need to do.
Don't upload a listing without a quality representation of your home
When listing your home online, whether you're using Zillow, Realtor.com, Homefinder, etc., it's easy to fill in the required information and upload a few pictures. Still, your house will stay on the market if the presentation isn't captivating. Homebuyers are using their cell phones to look for homes, so you want to capture their attention in the few seconds you have before they might move on. HGTV's "Unsellable Houses" real estate agent Leslie Davis told Realtor.com, "Most people are finding their homes right on this little device. So you have this tiny little square to present your property, and if your pictures, verbiage, and the way you're present that property doesn't entice somebody, they're going to just scroll right past it and go to the next home."
Since social media has become more popular, especially TikTok, and has decimated people's attention spans, folks will give a video five seconds before they decide to continue watching or scroll to the next bit of content. HGTV host Lyndsay Lamb said it happens the same way with house hunting. Creating a good, detailed, and welcoming first impression is paramount. She said, "If we don't catch [the homebuyer's] attention in the first five seconds, they scroll to the next property."
But it's not just first impressions that matter. To get potential buyers' attention beyond those initial five seconds, you want to be as detailed as possible and make them feel like they're inside the home when they're looking at the listing. For instance, give a rundown of what the property offers and take high-quality photos. Your photos can affect the chances of your house selling.
Make sure you have high-quality photos and colorful interiors
The presentation of your home online should reflect what it's like in person. If you're not taking high-quality photos that indicate the size of the space, chances are that homebuyers will scroll past your home. Many sellers will take pictures at different angles and zoom lengths or showcase only half of a room. Real estate agent Leslie Davis told Realtor.com, "Selling a home is telling a story." You want to make potential buyers feel emotions when looking at your listing. They should be able to visualize themselves living in your home. By taking high-quality photos, you're setting the stage for your homebuyer and letting them already imagine what it will be like to look at the house in person. If you're not a fantastic photographer, ask a friend or family member to help you, or hire a real estate photographer.
The home's appearance can also affect a homebuyer's decision. "You walk through a home, and if it's just a white box, you're not going to feel anything," Davis said. "You're not going to have emotions evoked. You're not going to remember that home from the other five, 10 homes you see that day." Focus on properly staging your home, and stay away from bland decor. Consider giving the walls a new paint color, even if it's another neutral color like beige or light gray. Or rearrange the furniture in a way that showcases the size of the room.
Take the time to prepare your home for sale
While you can take the time to answer every question on the listing sites and ensure you produce adequate photos, not taking enough time to prepare your home for buyers can prevent you from selling it. "Unsellable Houses" host Lyndsay Lamb told Realtor.com, "Sellers aren't taking the time to remember that there is competition. Everything isn't selling overnight. ... You have to do something special and different and present it in a great way for a buyer to come along and make that offer." Even if you have a beautiful home, if you don't think competitively, you might not be able to capture a buyer's attention when they're looking at other gorgeous homes.
A few key elements you can prep around your home are removing any clutter in the rooms, letting the natural light filter through the windows, and replacing original pieces with updated, versatile features. In HGTV's "Unsellable Houses" Season 4, Episode 9, "Peach Freak, Grandma Chic," Lyndsay Lamb and Leslie Davis update an old-fashioned home to get it ready to sell. They redo the windows by swapping out heavy draperies with sheer curtains to allow natural light inside, opening and brightening the room. In addition, the hosts transform the peach bathroom interior into a modern white-and-gray look. Buyers won't want to buy the home when spaces have dated and personalized features. Instead, give yourself the time to make a few adjustments around your house that will appeal to buyers.