Are you confused about the property market at the moment?

You are not alone. There certainly seems to be a lot of uncertainty at the moment and the media seems filled with gloom and doom. Here are just a few of the uncertainties.

mortgage rates.
what is happening to prices
are people buying

However, it’s not all gloom and doom. According to Rightmove “the average asking price for a home in Great Britain has increased by 1.8% in May, which has pushed prices to a record high of £372,894.” They further reported that towards the end of 2022 and at the start of 2023, they saw some people pause their moving plans.

Here in the North-West, Rightmove report an average price of £256,088 with prices increasing by 1.5% over the month with a year on year change of an increase of 2.6%. The average days to sell was 55.

In this blog, I’d like to explore what you can do, if your property has been on the market for a while, and you are struggling to sell .

Why Isn’t My Property Selling?

Image of hand holding Post It Note saying the word Why?

It is important to realise that there can be any number of reasons why a property isn’t selling, and these are just a few.

market conditions in your area
pricing
poor marketing
a feature unrelated to the property itself such as a busy road
presentation

If your house isn’t selling, then it’s important to first identify the reason or reasons why this might be.

Your Motivation

When you are struggling to sell your property, it’s very difficult not to become discouraged. I’ve been there, done that, got the T-shirt! It’s that sense of frustration. You keep asking yourself why isn’t it selling? What can I do? At these times remind yourself of exactly why it is you’re moving (whether it’s a positive or negative). Focusing on what life will be like once you’ve sold can you motivate you, and also result in a change of mindset. It can help you to realise that perhaps you need to do something different in terms of your sale. Generally, the motivation behind your sale, will fall into one of two camps, perhaps even both. You either need to make the most you can from your sale or you need to move quickly. What’s your next chapter?

Financial

If you are looking to upsize to a bigger property, reduce your mortgage, or you and your partner are separating, and you each need to buy a property then your primary factor is likely to be how much can you sell the property for, how can you maximise your sale price?

Speed of Sale

On the other hand, if you need to sell quickly, it could be because you need to move nearer an elderly relative. In order to provide care or support, you or a partner might have relocated for work and are therefore currently living separately. Perhaps you’ve seen that property you’ve had your eye on for years has just come up for sale and you need to sell yours quickly in order to secure it.

Presentation

Image of a beautifully dressed bed in a bedroom

When it comes to selling a property, the issue of presentation is very often not mentioned. I wonder if this is a British trait? Generally we tend to be polite, we tend to want to avoid offending other people whether it’s the decor in someone’s house or what they are wearing. We don’t want to upset them or hurt their feelings. This is laudable but not always helpful. Always remember that selling a property is, at the end of the day, a business transaction (I know that this can be incredibly difficult). Offering advice on presentation is not a criticism. I will explore this further below.

Investment

Your home is your biggest asset and therefore it makes sense to maximise its potential. When selling, you need to flip your thinking and regard any money you spend on presenting it as an investment rather than a cost. Styling your property for sale is still a relatively new concept in the UK but in the US it is commonly an integral part of the sales process. Let me share a story. Ion one occasion when I was moving, I decided to widen the driveway which was only big enough to accommodate one vehicle. It wasn’t cheap – about £1300 if I remember rightly. The reason I decided to do this was because I believed it would make the property more saleable, even if it might not actually add value. My house was on a side road where many properties did not have off-road parking and finding somewhere to park on the road was quite difficult. I was aware that the likely buyers would have more than one vehicle so providing the capacity for a second vehicle would be a selling point.

Room by Room Analysis

Image of an open notebook with pen on a desk. There are pots plants in the background

My staging process involves a room by room analysis, including the exterior of the property. I will look for the best features of each space with the aim of highlighting those. I then look at each space as if viewing it as your ideal client. I will consider what elements of the space might be having a negative impact, for example, too much furniture can prevent buyers seeing the true space. I decide on a solution.

Bespoke

One size does not fit all. Every property is different and I will work with each property on an individual basis to stage it in a way that suits that particular property and its target buyer . Bespoke also means that the service is tailored to the circumstances of each individual home owner.

Packages

Image of a row of different coloured doors

Just as each property is unique, every client’s circumstances are different. For example, you may need some advice, but are happy to implement the advice and make the changes yourself.

You may live at a distance from the property and are therefore not ideally located to take action yourself. You need someone to do it for you or you may have other commitments that make it otherwise difficult for you to implement the advice yourself. I offer a range of packages to suit varying needs, and if necessary these can be adapted for you.

Respectful

I am always aware that when I am staging a property, unless it is a new build or a refurbishment, the property is someone’s home or has been. I will take the time during the initial chat to get to know you, learn about the history of the property, and the reasons for the sale. Homeowners are generally proud of their houses. Home staging is not about criticism, although it may be necessary to have some difficult conversations. At the end of the day, it’s all about helping you move on to the next phase of your life, which is something that cannot happen until the property is sold.

Collaborative

Image of a laptop with hands pointing at the screen. Suggests two people collaborating

I collaborate with you in two ways. The first is by ensuring that you are completely happy with the proposed changes. This means that if you are uncomfortable with the advice given, but I feel that the advice is essential to what is needed, then I will suggest perhaps staging is not the right approach or the timing is wrong. I collaborate with you in the sense that the starting point is to work with what is already there. Sometimes changing the layout of the room can have a major impact, furnishings might be moved to different spaces where they will work better, or maybe there are pieces in your loft that can be used.

Moving On

Image of a model of a house on a table with a set of keys alongside

The term “moving“ is apt in the sense that you are moving physically from one property to another. It’s also appropriate in the sense that a house move or property sale, represents a move from one phase of life to another. With the aim of making your property, more saleable (attracting more interest and therefore more likelihood of sale) staging your home shortens the period your property is on the market. Whatever your reason for moving, you are able to move on more quickly.

So if you are on the market but haven’t sold, then do give me a call on (07745) 876182. I offer an initial free, no obligation chat and cover the Wirral, Cheshire and North Wales

Struggling To Sell Your Property?