10 Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t Selling

St. Louis and St. Charles County homeowners listing a home for sale have a common goal – getting their home sold as fast as possible, for the most amount of money. But  what if you have a home for sale in a neighborhood that has historically attracted buyers and it isn’t selling? This frustrating situation can come up for several reasons. We’ve listed ten possible reasons your home isn’t selling along with the remedies below.

1. Overvaluing the Property 
Overprice homes simply do not garner the attention or offers that competitively priced homes receive. Look at recent sales of other homes that are similar to yours in your area to get a better idea of its true value. Experienced Realtors will provide you with a competitive market analysis to help you determine an accurate price for your home. Another mistake is tacking on the cost of any renovations made to the home. Not all renovations translate to added value.

2. Poor Listing Marketing 
One of the top reasons homeowners give for hiring a Realtor is for their home marketing expertise. It is important that your listing description is well written and includes multiple high quality images of the home. Buyers will often skip over listings with poor descriptions and few to no images. Work with your Realtor to create a listing that attracts the attention of buyers and highlights the unique features of your home. Be sure to include multiple high quality photos of both the interior and exterior of your home.
 

3. Being Present at Showings 
While you want to protect your home during the sale process, being present at the home showings can make the sale more difficult. Depend on your Realtor to handle home showings. Know that there are systems in place to track all who enter your home. But mainly, buyers don't want to have the seller lurking over their shoulder during showings or at an open house. They want to be able to discuss the home freely with their agent without unwanted pressure that could make them uncomfortable or chase them away.

4. Being too Attached 
When an offer does come in, if you find yourself unwilling to negotiate even a penny off the sales price, it’s likely you've become too attached to your home. Remember, while you are trying to get the most money for your home, the buyer is trying to spend the least money on the purchase. If you’re not willing to negotiate, you are going to have a lot of difficulties coming to an agreement with a potential buyer. Proper pricing (#1) also minimizes the need for extensive negotiating.

5. It’s too Cluttered/Not Professionally Cleaned 
A cluttered, dirty house will leave a bad impression on potential homebuyers. Even if your home is clean, clutter can make it appear dirty. Consider renting storage or at least boxing up extra items and putting them away to ensure a tidy and clean-looking home. Also consider hiring professional cleaners for windows, carpets and other areas. Check out our cleaning and home prep tips here. 

6. It’s Not Staged
If you've already moved out of your home the empty rooms make it difficult for buyers to imagine living in them. Stage your house with furniture and decor that gives buyers a better idea of how big every room is and how it can be used. This way you make buyers feel more at home when they are taking a tour. Get tips on staging a home here.

7. Too Many Personal Items 
Homebuyers touring your home like to imagine what it would be like if they lived there. It’s hard to this if you have all of your family portraits up. Go ahead and pack up personal décor so that potential buyers have an easier time imagining themselves living there.

8. Overly Custom Home Improvements 
While you may have fallen in love with wallpaper, it doesn’t mean that potential homebuyers will. Same with the brightly colored feature wall and ceiling mural. Though you may find these customizations dreamy, buyers may be calculating the costs of removing these customizations as they look at your home. So if you have a lot of customizations, consider making the home more neutral and inviting to all tastes. This way you won’t scare off buyers who don't want to pay for customizations or features they don't want.

9. Maintenance is Needed
The more repairs that are needed for a home, the less likely a buyer will make an offer on your house. In a busy world most buyers simply don't want to deal with the cost or effort of home maintenance and repairs. So be sure that any repair work is completed, even if it's just tightening a handrail or replacing a broken tile. Well-maintained homes bring more offers. 

- Learn about selling a home that needs repair. -

10. You Chose the Wrong Realtor
Choosing the right Realtor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when selling your home. Not sure how to find a good Realtor? We’ve put together some great interview questions that will help. After all, a good Realtor can make all the difference in selling your home in a reasonable time frame.

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If you’ve listed a home with one of these things, now you know how to rectify it. The Boehmer Team assists St. Louis and St. Charles County home sellers in achieving their home selling goals. We do so by ensuring the items on this list are attended to. Want expert assistance to sell a home. Contact The Boehmer Team for a no-obligation interview. 

 

Do Open Houses Have Value?

Home sellers listing a St. Louis or St. Charles County home for sale are often most interested in how to best market the home. This is an area where Realtors can offer their experience, connections and marketing systems to get the home the attention it needs to sell in a busy marketplace. An important part of good home marketing plan is holding an open house so that potential buyers can physically tour the inside of the home. Open Houses also allow a non-pressuring opportunity to view a home at your own pace. 

Of course there are ways to see the inside of a home without holding an open house. We take great listing photos and create video tours. New technology even offers 3-D models of homes. But even after implementing all of these strategies, homebuyers ultimately want to tour a property for themselves to take in the details that pictures don’t impart. For example, photos can be very forgiving as lenses and lighting can conceal dirt, defects, broken window seals and smells. Often times, a home has an entirely different feel from the photos used to market the home. 

It’s true that individual showing appointments allow buyers to tour a home for sale with their buyer’s agent. But this means that at any time, your home will need to be available and ready to be toured by buyers. Holding an open house creates a specific time that homeowners can prepare for where multiple potential buyers can tour the property.

Holding an open house also creates more marketing opportunities. In addition to marketing your home for sale, your Realtor can market the open house via special signage, print marketing, Realtor network marketing, email marketing, open house listings, and open house searches on hundreds of websites.

Visitors attending an open house are required to sign-in with their name and contact information. This enables your Realtor to follow up with potential buyers that attended the open house. They can answer any additional questions open house attendees may have as well as alert them to any changes to the status of the listing whether it is upgrades, price changes or other items.

So the answer to, “do open houses have value?” is, “yes!”  If you interview an agent that is not interested in holding open houses, more than likely they do not want to hold open houses.  At The Boehmer Team, we find open houses to be extremely beneficial and often result in a sale.  Check out the great tips we’ve put together to assist you including: preparing a home to sell and seller etiquette for open houses. Also, you can search our blog for even more helpful information to help you sell a home for the most profit.

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If you are considering listing a St. Louis or St. Charles County area home for sale, contact The Boehmer Team. We expertly implement open houses as part of our maximum exposure home marketing plan. You can rely on our 55+ years of real estate experience to deliver a successful home sale. Contact us to set up a time to interview us about how we can help you sell your home for the most value.

Tasks Realtors Perform for Sellers

Listing a home for sale and getting the transaction through to closing is an involved process with numerous steps. Much of this work is performed behind the scenes and thus goes unnoticed by home sellers. This sometimes leads to the myth that Realtors “just put a sign in the yard.” But there really is so much more that we do. There is a reason that real estate agents sell homes for more money than for sale by owner listings. To better explain all that we do for every real estate listing we’ve put together a list of ways Realtors help home sellers.

80 Tasks Realtors Perform for Home Sellers

1. Research all comparable listings and recent home sales in the neighborhood
2. Analyze the current market conditions and future projections
3. Explain past market performance
4. Assess your home’s marketing position by analyzing all homes for sale in the neighborhood
5. Provide a full Comparative Market Analysis regarding your property
6. Counsel home sellers on the process of listing a home for sale
7. Discuss timing of the sale and the pricing of the home in order to meet client expectations
8. Explain your legal obligations as a seller in the area of disclosure
9. Thoroughly review the entire listing contract and all accompanying documentation regarding the signing of the listing agreement
10. Help you review and fill out the mandatory Lead Based Paint 11. Disclosure required from all sellers
12. Provide the appropriate Seller’s Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS) form for the disclosure of all known conditions required of every seller
13. Review completed disclosure forms to insure compliance with required disclosure obligations of all sellers
14. Counsel on the necessity and advantages of a home warranty program
15. Counsel and assist home sellers to stage the interior and exterior of the home to look best for showings
16. Photograph the interior and exterior of the home

17. Add the listing to the multiple listing service (MLS) for IDX distribution to national and local real estate websites18. Arrange for the placement of the For Sale Sign
19. Create and print flyers to market the home on site
20. Create marketing materials to be distributed via email and social media
21. Point out areas that are likely to be targeted by buyers on any requests for repairs
22. Provide counseling and guidance in regard to showing so that the home gets its best appearance
23. Locate and provide area and street maps to potential buyers
24. Schedule open houses to attract buyers
25. Market open houses with announcements, postings and signage
26. Make certain that all advertising is in compliance with the Code of Ethics and Fair Housing requirements
27. Take safeguard precautions to minimize risk of any loss or vandalism that may occur during an open house
28. Create custom sign-in sheet for buyers who visit the open house
29. Follow up with all buyers that attend the open house
30. Answer phone calls and inquiries regarding your property
31. Arrange and schedule showings of your home at the request of buyers and/or their agents
32. Be available on evenings and weekends when buyers are most likely to want to see your home

33. Answer and address questions posed by buyers regarding the property and its condition
34. Counsel on periodic price changes that may be demanded due to changes in market conditions
35. Receive and review all offers and terms from potential buyers
36. Review the buyer’s LSR and analyze the provisions of their loan to assure that they can get financing
37. Present and discuss all offers that are received
38. Counsel and advise in multiple offer situations
39. Outline the pros and cons of offers received from potential buyers
40. Negotiate offers and counteroffers with the buyers and/or the buyers’ agent
41. Monitor and coordinate the escrow process
42. Properly handle the earnest money deposit
43. Counsel on the rules surrounding the handling of the earnest money deposit
44. Review title company charges and fees
45. Schedule and arrange any inspections requested by the buyer such as appraisal, termite, radon, etc.
46. Make certain that the buyer gets any necessary Home Owners 47. Association information
48. Review the Buyer Inspection Notice and Seller Response (BINSR) request from the buyer as well as any buyer’s requests for repairs

49. Counsel you on responses to the buyer’s requests for repairs
50. Provide professional references for any repairs needed in order to complete the sale
51. Review the preliminary title report for the status of liens, encumbrances and taxes
52. Ensure that all requirements on the preliminary title report received from the escrow company are being met and handled prior to closing
53. Monitor the deadlines and time frames that are contained in the purchase contract
54. Negotiate any necessary changes in the timelines on the purchase contract
55. Counsel on the pros and cons of addendums regarding changes in the timelines
56. Advise on the appraisal process and your role in the appraisal process as a seller
57. Provide regular updates and status reports regarding the progress of the transaction
Assist you in relocation or buying another property
58. Collect utility information and advise on the handling of utilities at the time of transfer
59. Discuss and advise on the exchange of occupancy
60. Update and monitor status of MLS listing to “Sale Pending”
Advise and monitor removal of loan contingency
61. Contact and discuss loan status with buyers loan representative and confirm the processing of the buyers loan
62. Check on the status of delivery of buyer’s loan documents to the title company
63. Confirm the completion of all repairs
64. Coordinate the collection of the repair invoices and receipts
65. Deliver all receipts and invoices to the title company as required
66. Review the HUD-1 Settlement statement and correct all inaccuracies
67. Coordinate and schedule the closing of the transaction
68. Negotiate and arrange any final extensions of the closing date that may be necessary

69. Counsel and advise you on the closing process
70. Schedule all final walk through inspections that are demanded by the buyer
71. Attend and address issues raised in the final walk through inspections
72. Final check with the escrow officer to make certain that all required documentation is in place
73. Review the closing documents
74. Attend and accompany you to the closing to address any issues that you might have
75. Advise and counsel you on the final transfer of funds
76. Assist in the providing of wiring instructions on the day of closing to the title company
77. Assist in the transmission and delivery of any final documentation that may be required by title
78. Review and explain the role of title insurance in your transaction
79. Assist in the correction of any errors or mistakes in the final closing documents
80. Arrange for the exchange of keys and possession

This list shows why full-time Realtors like The Boehmer Team keep so busy. Realtors handle negotiations, deadlines, paperwork, communications and marketing as well as managing a cast of characters involved in every transaction. Our team structure enables us to streamline and double check all parts in the process. We strive to provide client experiences so great that our clients will refer us to their friends and family. Is moving on your mind? Contact The Boehmer Team for expert real estate assistance. 

St Charles County Real Estate Market Report - First Half 2018

To be a well-informed homebuyer, seller or investor, it is important to understand the current real estate market conditions. Part of our job is making sure our clients have the information necessary to make the best real estate decisions possible. To help, we’ve put together a report on the real estate market conditions in St. Charles County, Missouri for the first half of 2018.

Number of Homes for Sale

This first chart depicts the number of active real estate listings by month over the past 3 years. As you can see, late spring and early summer have the most homes listed for sale. In 2018, the number of homes listed for sale in January was 1047, while currently there are about 1375 homes listed for sale in the St. Charles County area of Missouri.

Also notice that while summer is a busy selling season, there are still a LOT of homes for sale in the middle of winter. So you can buy or sell a home any time of year.

But when you compare the number of homes for sale in the first half of the year to the two previous years, you can see that 2018 has fewer homes on the market. These conditions point to a sellers market, where there are a similar number of homebuyers looking for homes and a smaller number of homes listed for sale.

Average Sales Price

With a similar number of homebuyers and fewer homes listed, the average sales price of residential property in St. Charles County, Missouri has increased. However unlike 2016 and 2017, where prices increased every month, 2018 has had fluctuations. This may be a sign that prices are leveling or at least not climbing as quickly. If you’ve been thinking about listing a residential property for sale, now is a great time.

- Learn how to Prepare Your Home to Sell -

Percentage of Original Price Received for a Residential Property

While sellers like to get the most money they can for their property, buyers want to pay the least they can for a home. Through the negotiation process the price received for residential real estate is often a little less than the original price the property was listed. The first half of 2018 shows that with more competition for residential properties, sellers are netting more money for their homes. Look closer at this chart and you’ll notice that homebuyers who purchase in the first quarter of the year (during the winter months) are more likely to get a better deal on their home purchase.

Days On Market

A decreasing number of days on market are another indicator of a sellers market. This points to competition among homebuyers - as there is often more than one buyer looking at and bidding on each home. Homebuyers are sometimes learning this the hard way, when they try to see a home for sale and find out that it already has an accepted contract.

- See how our Buyers' Agents Help Homebuyers -

For St. Charles County, Missouri, the first half of 2018 is keeping a similar fast pace of home sales as 2017. Homebuyers should be prepared when looking at homes to act quickly when they find a home they like and prepare for possible bidding wars with other buyers. Working with a great buyers agent, like the buyers agents on The Boehmer Team, will increase a homebuyer’s chances of finding a great property for sale before it is sold.

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Contact The Boehmer Team for expert home buying or investing assistance. We know the St. Charles County, Missouri real estate market and have information on homes that are not yet listed for sale. Or if you are ready to get the most from a residential home sale in the current market, contact us to help with a smooth home selling experience. 

Open House Etiquette For Homebuyers

When visiting an open house, homebuyers can expect to tour the inside and outside of the home for sale. But what do home sellers expect from homebuyers visiting the open house? If you plan on touring a St. Louis or St. Charles County, Missouri open house you’ll want to learn these ground rules to be a great guest and an astute homebuyer.

1. Inspect and Respect the Neighbors  

When arriving at the open house inspect the neighborhood and the neighbors, as these could one day be your neighbors. Take note of the condition of the neighbors’ homes and if they maintain their property. When parking, be respectful. Don’t block a neighbor’s driveway or cut through their yard to get to the front door of the open house.

2. Show Up Early

Showing up early at an open house will help you avoid any crowds. This will also give you more time to speak with the agent or seller holding the open house and ask pertinent questions. But don’t monopolize the agent’s time if there are multiple people viewing the home.

3. Remove Shoes

Many home sellers will ask open house attendees to remove their shoes. This is often because the sellers have had their floors cleaned, waxed or shampooed to make their home look its best. Some home sellers may provide cloth booties to put over your shoes. Other home sellers won’t mind if you remove shoes or not. Knowing this will help you decide if you want to wear slip-on or other easy-to-remove shoes to open houses.

4. Sign In

The home seller or real estate agent hosting the open house will likely ask you to sign in and if you currently have an agent. The information you will be asked to provide when signing in is usually name, phone number and email address. Use your real information. This gives the seller or agent the opportunity to follow up with you if the home is reduced in price or other changes are made. If you’re working with an agent, let them know. If not, this is a good opportunity to interview the agent.

5. Special Instructions

There may be special instructions for those visiting the open house. A family pet could be crated or enclosed in a specific area that you should be aware of so you aren’t startled. Or there may be construction being performed on an area of the house that could be dangerous for children or those not paying attention. So check if the agent or home seller has special instructions you should be aware of. You may even learn something about the home that you would not know otherwise.

6. To Open or Not to Open

When touring a home for sale home sellers usually expect that homebuyers will open and look in cabinets and closets to inspect for size and space but it is a good rule of thumb to ask if you can do so. Do not open furniture that is not attached to the home such as dressers, side tables, armoires, jewelry boxes or other furniture where the sellers keep personal items.

7. What to Look For

When visiting an open house get a closer look at the home’s major systems and appliances to see the condition. Use the opportunity to check for foundation cracks or old plumbing or wiring. Also check for dampness in the basement or if the land around the home is graded to keep water out of the home.

8. Ask Questions

If questions arise as you tour an open house, ask the home seller or agent holding the open house. Since the listing description that appears on websites and the multiple listing service won’t be able to tell you every single detail about a home, this is a great chance to get more information. Asking about the neighbors, neighborhood, the age of the roof and major systems like the furnace and air conditioner, and if the appliances stay with the home are all good questions. Keep in mind that agents holding an open house are not allowed to say if a home seller is willing to take less for a home.

9. Use a Buyer’s Agent

A listing agent holding an open house represents the seller’s best interest. Keep in mind that working with a separate buyer’s agent means that you have an agent on your side that represents your best interests as the homebuyer in the transaction. A buyer’s agent doesn’t have to go to open houses with you, but having one means you’ll have an expert on hand to represent and negotiate for your best interests as well as follow up on what you saw at the open house.

- Find out how a buyer’s agent helps in a competitive market. -

Is moving on your mind? The Boehmer Team has experienced buyer’s agents to help you navigate and procure the home you want in a competitive real estate market. If you are thinking of buying a home in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area, be sure to interview TheBoehmer Team. You can learn more about The Boehmer Team and search for open houses in the area and price range of your choice at www.TheBoehmerTeam.com. If you’re selling a home and would like to know what is expected from home sellers for an open house, check out our article Open House Etiquette for Sellers. 

The Home Buying Process

Purchasing a home in St. Louis or St. Charles County, Missouri may seem daunting. However, knowing what steps to take and having a great real estate team to assist you makes the process smoother, easier and can even make home buying a good experience. To make things easier we’ve put together a step-by-step guide to the home buying process.

1. Interview an agent.
A great place to start the home buying process is to find a reputable REALTOR or real estate team to assist you with your home purchase. One reason starting here is important is that an experienced REALTOR will be able to help you with all of the other steps in this process. This includes recommending other experienced servicers in the real estate industry such as lenders, inspectors, title companies and more. Not sure how to determine who is a good agent? Check out our article Interview Questions for Real Estate Agents.

2. Find a reputable lender and get pre-approved for a home loan.
Ask your REALTOR which mortgage loan officers that they have the best experiences working with. Also, ask any friends or family who have recently purchased a home about their experiences working with their lender. Then interview each lender about how they work, what their rates are (based on credit score) and any other vetting questions. Finally, choose the best one to meet your needs. This important part of the process can save you thousands of dollars, so be sure to check your options.

3. Determine the must-have features of your next home.
Do you require a 2-car garage, a fenced yard, main-floor laundry to reduce wear and tear on sore knees? Create a must-have list to ensure that none of these items are overlooked during your home search. Not sure what must-have items you need? Try our handy worksheet to help you determine the items you must have in order to purchase a home.

4. Begin your home search.
Now that you are clear on exactly what your next home must have, use these requirements when searching for a home. Most home search portals, like the one at www.TheBoehmerTeam.com, allow you to choose these features when searching online. Be sure to choose your must-have features or you could find yourself looking at homes that aren’t a good fit for your lifestyle. Also, rely on your agent! REALTORS often know of homes that are about to hit the market or that are exempt from the local multiple listing service that will match your needs. This is another great advantage to getting the help of a REALTOR early in the home buying process.

Did you know that our online home search
is better than Zillow? Click here to lean more.

5. View homes for sale in person.
Seeing a home online versus seeing it in person are two completely different things. Ask your REALTOR to make appointments for you to view the homes you are interested in, in-person. NOTE: Don’t just call the number on the sign. The number on the sign in front of a home goes to the listing agent. The listing agent’s job is to look out for the interests of the sellers and make them the most money possible. This is just one reason why it is important to work with a buyer’s agent to represent your interests.

6. Make an offer.
Making an offer on a home can be a complicated decision. What price should you offer? Are there any competing offers that you are up against? This is a great time to lean on an experienced REATLOR. REALTORS are well versed in the legal documents used in home sale transactions. They can help you determine the best strategy for your offer as well as put together the Purchase and Sale Agreement contract. 

7. Get inspections completed.
Once your contract for a home has been accepted, it is time to more thoroughly vet the home for any issues. This is the time to bring in an inspector to take a closer look at the home’s major systems including heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical. Also major parts of the home’s structure will be inspected including the roof and foundation. If an inspector finds signs of insect presence or damage this is the opportunity to bring in termite inspectors. Another inspection you might choose to do in the St. Louis area is a radon inspection as certain parts of the city have been found to have radon.

8. Negotiate for your best possible outcome.
Once you know the results of your inspections you’ll be able to negotiate for any needed repairs based on the findings in the inspection report. This is another great time to rely on an experienced REALTOR who knows which items people ask for and receive most and how to best negotiate for these things.

9. Finalize financing, title and escrow.
Despite pre-approval, there are a few more steps to completing the mortgage loan process. Check out the process here. Homebuyers will also need to review the record of title on the home and find any discrepancies. A good title company will make sure that the title is free and clear of any leans. Finally, the escrow process ensures that all parts of the contract are complete and should be monitored by your REALTOR. 

10. The home closing.
At closing all documents are signed by both the buyers and sellers. Both parties will pay any settlement fees and the documents will be officially recorded. (Don’t worry; any fees will be outlined to you in a settlement statement that you will receive prior to closing.) At the end of closing, you’ll get the keys to your new home!

So who wants to go home shopping? The Boehmer Team offers many tools and all the advice you need to assist with the process. If you are thinking of buying a home in St. Louis or St. Charles County, Missouri, interview The Boehmer Team. You’ll get to know us better, can compare us to other local REALTORS and we can show you in person how we help create positive home buying experiences. Contact us today.