If your home is not selling it can only be attributed to one (or many) of the four following reasons: price, condition, marketing, and /or access

Does this sound like a bold statement? Can it really be narrowed down to only four possibilities? Let's take a look at all four scenarios through the eyes of Mike, a frustrated seller who has had his home on the market for several months. Activity has been slow and there have been no offers.

PRICE

Before listing his house, Mike wisely interviewed three agents. Each agent had provided Mike with a written opinion of price, which is called a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) Two agents had recommended a similar price, and the other had suggested a price that was $30,000 higher.

The agent with the higher price was so enthusiastic and convincing that Mike chose him to list his home. After all, what did Mike know about market values? This agent was an expert - and what's the harm in trying to go for the higher price?

What might have occurred, is the agent "bought " the listing by quoting Mike a higher price than the home was actually worth, knowing that Mike's house probably wouldn't sell for that price. The agent might be intending to wait a few weeks before convincing Mike to lower the price. This is commonly known as "buying a listing."

Mike's situation demonstrates a valuable lesson for sellers. If one agent quotes you a significantly higher price than the others, that agent is probable not the right one for you. The market doesn't lie, so each agent you deal with should arrive at similar figures. Golden rule #1 for sellers should be Never select an agent just because they quoted you the price you wanted to hear.

Let's say you list your house for $470,000 but it's really worth $410,000. Qualified buyers in the $410,000 range will never see your home because houses in the $470,000 range aren't on their "go see" list. They most likely can't afford them - and qualified buyers in the $470,000 range will be comparing your house to others that are truly worth $470,000, meaning that those houses will sell while yours just sits there. In today's high tech would it is quite easy to expose the homes that are overpriced.

CONDITION

This can be a very tricky area. The trick is to spend enough money to bring your home to its utmost market value without over spending. All too often I see sellers that spend way too much money preparing their homes for market before contacting their Realtor. They often do those upgrades that they always wanted to have in their home. Many times these expensive preparations were not the ones needed to increase the marketability. Call you Realtor first! This is where your Realtor really earns their keep. Ask (and follow) their advice relating to your specific situation.

Marketing

This area is the responsibility of your Realtor. Ask your Realtor what professional training, education and experience they have in the area of marketing. What did they do before they were a Realtor? The best barometer of their marketing skills might be the marketing tools they used to initially contact you. Were these tools "a cut above" the rest?

Golden rule #2 IF YOU AREN'T GETTING OFFERS, BUT YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT SHOWINGS, YOUR PROBLEM IS NOT MARKETING.

Access

Golden rule #3 HAVE YOUR REALTOR INSTALL A LOCK BOX. If you don't, you'll miss out on a huge part of the buying market When an agent shows homes, they prepare a list of best possibilities, based on the needs of that particular buyer. The first thing the highly organized agent will do is check the showing instructions, separating the best homes into two piles: homes with lock boxes and properties for which the agent must make an appointment. Because both the agent and the buyer are usually on a tight schedule, the agent will place the easy-to-show (lock box) properties on the "A" list so that he (she) can provide their buyer with a wider selection of homes in a shorter period of time.

If the agent must make an appointment to show your house, you're going to miss the first few rounds of showings because your house might end up on the "B" list. So for every showing you do get, just think of how many you've missed! Have a lock box installed. You'll get much better traffic and most likely a quicker sale. Today's lockboxes are much more secure than those of days gone by. It is much easier for the bad guys to break into your home than to break into a lockbox. They not only provide better security, but they let your Realtor know who entered your home, when they entered and when they left.

So if in the past you have had the misfortune of having a "slow sale", think back and I'll bet you'll find the reason was one of the basic four: price, condition, marketing, and/or access.