Why isn't your Miami home selling?

If you are a Miami seller who knows me and reads miamism, you know I have drilled you over and over on how important it is for your property to show like a model.

You may think I’m exaggerating and may even think that buyers don’t really care if your house is organized or if it is staged, but you are wrong.

When there is a lot of competition, it is crucial that your property stands out, that your house shows better, that you have more to offer. If a real estate buyer is looking at 2 very similar Miami Beach homes in the same location with similar price ranges, they will always pick the property that is clean, pretty and organized.

There is a psychological factor that tells that buyer that the person that is selling the pretty and organized home “takes care” of their home, it also feels more welcoming and ultimately the property they want to buy.

Don’t leave it up to chance! There are properties that are just sitting unsold for months, even years! Is it worth a little trouble of your time to make your house show the best way possible? I really hope so.

When we list a property, Rick and I meet with our seller customers and we go into detail about what needs to happen to the property for it to be in “showing condition”. Of course we understand that sometimes circumstances don’t allow for extreme measures, but there are key factors that need to happen for a property to sell, ignoring those factors will only keep your house on the market longer and will determine how motivated you are to sell.

Any Miami Beach Realtor will tell you that decluttering is the single most important factor when selling a home today. If you refuse to do anything else, you must at least declutter your property.

How do you declutter a home?

put away small decorative items
leave all surfaces clear – including top of dressers and tables
put away personal items like photographs
pick up the mess!
empty closets out as much as possible
if you have too much furniture, store it or get rid of it!
Remember you are not selling your belongings, you are selling the home.

By not taking the time to make your home look presentable, you are sending a message that you are either not motivated to sell, or even worse, that your house is worth less than what the market calls for.

Here are some other articles about preparing your property for sale:

Top 5 Tips for Selling Your Home in a Down Market

To smell or not to sell…..that is the question

First Impressions in Real Estate

When are Holiday Decorations too much?

Please don’t be stubborn! We, as your Realtors will do our job, will market aggressively and will do everything in our power for your property to sell, but we are not magicians and will need your total cooperation to get the job done.

You can look at it as a team effort, all parties need to do their part to get results. *

originally published on Feb. 19, 2008*