Your Costa Mesa home is on the market, but it’s not selling.  What can you do to help?

• Have you made your home available?

Do you allow buyer’s agents to call you with an hour or two’s notice and then come over?  Do you require 24 hours notice.  Is there a lockbox on your door or do you need to be present for the buyer to come over?

• Is your home presentable? 

Have you done everything reasonably possible to “stage” your home and allow buyers to see themselves in your home?  Do you have pictures up of every stage of your children’s lives?  Is you fridge covered in pictures and mementos?  Do you have a pink bathroom and a maroon bedroom that might not appeal to everyone? If there are any damages in your property, now’s the time to undertake those repairs.

• Does your home smell good?

This can be especially important if you have pets, strong cooking odors or smoke.  Make sure that your home smells inviting. You may not notice the scent of your cat or dog or cigarettes, but you can be certain that your potential buyers will. Everybody becomes used to the scents in their home, but this is not true for someone walking in for the first time.

At the same time, make sure that you do not make your home overscented.  In other words, don’t use strong candles, incenses, etc. that might be overpowering.  A nice, light scent that might conjure images of home such as cinnamon apple, baking cookies, etc. can be a very nice touch.

• Let the buyer show themselves your home.

While you may be tempted to showcase the best features of your house by showing the buyers around yourself, what you may actually be doing is making them very uncomfortable. They won’t feel able to poke around, look in closets to make sure their roomy enough or open up kitchen cabinets to make sure they are large enough if you are hovering around.

Let the buyer imagine himself in your home, by giving him the space to explore and fall in love with it like you did.

•  Look at the price of comparable homes.

Even if your home is the most available, best smelling and best staged home on the market, if it is priced way over other comparable homes, it is unlikely to sell.

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About the author: Christine Donovan is a California Residential Real Estate Broker with experience in assisting clients buy and sell residential real estate.

Are you upside down in your home? Is it worth less than you owe? Are you concerned about making your mortgage payment? Contact me at christine@donovanblatt.com or 714-319-9751 to discuss your options.

Want to buy a home or to list your property for sale in Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach or Orange County? Contact me at christine@donovanblatt.com or 714-319-9751 to learn about her system which will make your buying and selling experience easier.

Disclaimer: All information in this blog is deemed reliable but is subject to change at any time and is not guaranteed to be accurate nor are there any warantees either express or implied. This blog is not intended to offer any legal, tax or other advice.

Click Orange County homes for sale to view all OC homes for sale. Copyright © 2009 by Christine Donovan, All Rights Reserved. Your Costa Mesa home is on the market, but it’s not selling.  What can you do to help?

If your home is listed, this is not a solicitation.