There is a buyer for every home, unless a home is sitting on a toxic waste site or it was the location of tragic event.

Then why is it that some houses can’t get a contract?

1) Unrealistic price –Home staging, smart home prep, and the right Realtor are all key factors in the successful selling formula, but so is realistic pricing.  An overpriced home won’t sell, period. All the work put into listing a home, such as the beautiful furnishings and hiring the an aggressive agent, won’t matter if the property is priced too high.

2) Bad photography –Today’s home buyers shop online before they decide to tour a listing. The listing’s photography is the home’s first impression to the market. Hire a professional real estate photographer. Always have them shoot the key rooms and include images that showcase the lifestyle features of the home in a more magazine editorial style.

3) The wrong Realtor –Home Frosting has worked with hundreds of Realtors in the Tampa bay area. We’ve seen a pattern of behaviors that positively impact sales success. A great Realtor tells the homeowner the truth about price, home improvements and marketing. They focus on what it takes to sell a home, not providing lip service to get the listing. If you are a home seller and need a recommendation for a great Realtor in Tampa, give us a call. We know who they are.

4) Not show ready –Selling a home is no different than selling a product.  You have to package the listing to look its best, to get noticed, attract the largest pool of prospects, so that it will sell for the highest price and quickly. This means making smart investments on key home improvements, like painting and repairs. It also means creating a bright, happy, clean, and move-in ready home. It means presenting an aspirational lifestyle with home staging.

Here is an example of a Valrico home that was on the market for over 6 months with no offers and not many showings. The home seller was frustrated and changed Realtors to the Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s, Kathy and John Ervin. Home Frosting has successfully worked with this team on many other listings.

The home was built in 1987, had been recently updated, but it felt dark and lacked that move-in ready and inviting lifestyle feel. Our team of home stagers created a presentation where the rooms had a purpose. We added more lighting and on-trend furnishings and decor. In just a couple weeks, the home was under contract with no reduction in price!

Before Home Frosting’s home staging.
The rooms felt dark and cold. It was difficult for prospects to imagine how furniture would work in the space.

Vacant rooms don't sell. Staged homes do.

After Home Frosting’s home staging. The rooms were bright and welcoming.

Lighting helps sell homesSpecial thanks to Febre Frameworks Photography

5) Penny wise and pound foolish home sellers – What a smart British saying.
Home sellers often hire a home stager based on the lowest price, instead of evaluating the value they bring to the outcome. Sure, they may be cutting their monthly costs and save a few hundred bucks, but in the end, their home may sit on the market longer and their cheaper choice may cost them a lot more in the end.

When you are weighing out all of your investments, calculate the big picture. Look at your carrying costs on the home, potential price reductions and the real cost of emotional stress and the time distraction of having a home on the market.

After a home is staged, it sellsSpecial thanks to Febre Frameworks Photography

Bottom line, it’s a healthy market to buy and sell real estate. Take the right steps to prepare and market the home, and a sale is around the corner!

Karen Post: Founder of Home Frosting