Selling a home can be stressful and you might need to be patient when waiting for someone to take an interest in your home. That is why when someone finally does come to check out your property it can be a massive relief. You start hoping and praying that they will down an offer and that your home will soon be off the market. Unfortunately, that offer never comes and instead the buyer disappears. You might not even get any feedback on what they liked and loathed about your property. This can be even more frustrating than no bites at all. It suggests that someone has seen your property and there is been an issue that stopped them from buying. You do not know what that issue is so you cannot fix it.
Now, it is worth pointing out that some buyers will not get back, because they do not feel obligated too. Maybe the house is fine, but it is just not what they are looking for. They do not have any real feedback to give and so never get back in touch. It is possible, but it is also fair to say that if your home makes a potential buyer ghost you there is probably a serious turn off that you are overlooking. So, let us look at a few of the issues that make homebuyers disappear:
It Is A Mess, A Monster Mess
There is a common misunderstanding about selling homes. Sellers often assume that buyers are only interested in the four walls or the real estate rather than what is inside it. But, this is not true at all. Some reports suggest that a mess in your home can cut as much as 20% of the offer a buyer might put forward. Why is this? It is all about the perception it creates. Ultimately, it suggests that you have not cared for the property. This could either be a room in your home, a place outside or even your entire property. Even letting the grass grow too long can make a buyer think twice about putting down an offer.
It is absolutely amazing how many sellers don’t realize that cleanliness is a concern for buyers. The big mistake is tidying the home up for the pictures and then letting it fall back into a state over time. If your home takes months to sell it can be difficult to constantly keep it tidy, particularly if you have kids. But you should try. Otherwise, you might turn away a buyer who may have otherwise put forward the exact offer you had been hoping for.
Signs Of Infestation
Does your home have an infestation? This is quite common in older homes with termites burrowing into the wood. You may also have issues with larger animals or birds in your attic, basement or other unused areas of your home. Infestations can even be a cause of panic in the garden as they could lead to the damage of your property.
Now, you might think that infestations are nothing to worry about. After all, the typical buyer won’t know the signs that you have an infestation right? Wrong, most homebuyers are far more in tune and aware of issues than you think. They will be looking for the tiny holes that termites leave in your wood. They’ll ask to see inside your attic for signs that you have nests up there and they will explore every nook and cranny of your home before they even think about putting down an offer. This should not be too surprising, as these days all the information is online and easy to find. It is even common for some homebuyers to check out a property with an expert in tow. Even if you can hide the signs of an infestation, there is really no point. A survey will show up all the issues with your home anyway. If there is a problem with an infestation, a buyer will almost certainly pull out of the sale.
As such, you need to make sure that you are dealing with the issue before you put your home on the market. Dealing with an infestation will depend on the type you have. For instance, you might have an opossum living on your premises. While these critters are quite cute, they can carry disease and are one of the last things someone wants to see when buying a family home.
An opossum removal service will help you handle this effectively and perhaps more importantly humanely. Other issues can be dealt with more rapidly, because you do not need to worry about a humane solution. For instance, an exterminator can eliminate a bug problem in your house completely. You do need to make sure they do a thorough job however, as if they leave a few alive, the problem can quickly build up again.
Of course, you also need to think about what caused the infestation. If you do not address the cause, it could again become a recurring issue. One of the main causes would be mess. Only this time, we’re talking about food mess. Leaving crumbs and food particles on the floor is a good way to attract insects into your home.
It Is A Cat-Astrophe
You do need to think about pets when you sell your home. While it’s true that a lot of people are pet-friendly, that does not mean they want to live in a home where one has been. Again, they start to wonder about the actual state of your property. Pay particular attention to the smell of your home. If your house smells like wet dog, do not expect buyers to put an offer in.
The easiest way to tackle the issue of smell is with some plugin air fresheners. You can put these all over your property and make sure that you are covering any unpleasant odors. You might also want to think about getting rid of your pet while you are showing your home to buyers. Pass them off to a neighbor, a family friend, or a relative. Do be aware though that if a home buyer directly asks about whether you have a pet, you must tell the truth.
This should shine a light on some of the issues that can make a homebuyer disappear after viewing on your property
