Everyone loves my home but I still haven’t sold?

Last week I was sat with a new client, Mrs Katherine Harris. She’s talked excitedly about her house, how everyone loves it. The post man asks her about it all the time and says ‘how lovely and peaceful it is’, her decorator said that ‘it is the nicest house he’s worked on this year’, even her roofer ‘adores her home’.

Yet she invited us out because she hadn’t sold.

When Katherine hadn’t sold we asked what her feedback had been.  Surprisingly, instead of focusing on the actual viewers, she replied with what her nearest and dearest had said and how the postman and roofer were complimentary, so she doesn’t understand why no-one had bought, or even offered on her home.

The interesting thing is, most people when asked about a house will be complimentary, of course, because it’s polite. Katherine was very proud of her house and it showed. Meticulously clean, stylish and charming, it really was finished to a high standard, nothing was overlooked and her love of Laura Ashley and John Lewis gave a luxurious finishing touch.

The decorator, roofer and her friends whom she had asked about her house were:

• Not looking to move and
• Not in a position to buy

Therefore any answers they give are not the answers to be focusing on.

If they were in a position to buy, would this 19th century cottage be the house for them? The answer is no. The roofer has a family and would need a 4th bedroom. The postman is nearing retirement and the 4 acres would be too much for him on his own, and as for the decorator – he needs somewhere for his mother in law as she lives with them.

The fact that her house was not selling despite everyone being so complimentary was more than a little confusing to Mrs Harris.

So why was she focusing on her nearest and dearest?

Everyone loves to be praised and complimented

Many people just like Mrs Harris, love to be praised, external validation that you’ve done an amazing job on looking after your home is important to most. You’ve altered and changed and been living in your ideal home for some time and for all this time it has been a reflection of you, your social status and your perfect retreat.

When you go on the market it suddenly thrusts your personal haven into the forefront allowing more of your personal network to see what’s behind the door and for many you still need that pat on the back and a feeling of pleasure and contentment that you have a home that is beautiful and accepted by the outside world.

When you come to sell and it doesn’t go the way you’ve been expecting, every so often you’ll need a reminder that the house is wonderful and it’s not ‘you’ that is the problem.

A shift in thinking

Relying too much on this lovely feedback from your nearest and dearest can have a detrimental effect on your sale as you are looking at it with rose tinted glasses. Taking a more objective view can really help you mentally move out and reach your ultimate goal of moving.

Think like a buyer

Step 1

Find your perfect buyer. Who is the most likely person to buy your home? Is it a a single divorcee perhaps, or an expanding family? If you can work out your most likely buyer your decisions will get much easier.

Step 2

Ask yourself this for each room:

“Is my buyer likely to love [Insert room / item]? For instance: Is the perfect buyer likely to love the collection of animal ornaments on the shelf? If the answer is no, pack them away carefully and replace with something not so personal. Perhaps an Orchid.

Is the buyer likely to love the dining room? The answer maybe a yes? So try Is the buyer likely to love my dining room with the table in, the washing hung up, the ironing board in the corner and the exercise bike near the patio door? Probably not.

Step 3

Ask your agent what he thinks. What is stopping buyers from taking action and how you can overcome this.

Then read the next blog about our ALECC routine when everyone says they love your home and you still haven’t sold

I love to speak to you about your next steps

Warmly

Victoria