Why is my home not selling?

In today's market and with the tax credits set to expire at the end of the month, sellers now realize that every showing counts and perspective buyers are out in the market and motivated.

Nothing is more frustrating to a seller than getting a lot of showings, but no offers or nibbles. The question then becomes: "Why is this occurring, and how many showings are normal before getting an offer?"

I will answer the latter question first. Usually after the 10 to 15 showings mark, an evaluation is in order. If you have had this many showings and there is no offer, then it is time to find out what needs to be changed.

Which brings us to the first question: "Why isn't the home getting an offer?" First, always have your agent check and go over with you all of the feedback sent in from other agents that have shown the home. Not all agents provide feedback, but do look at all the feedback that was submitted. Sometimes, this tells the entire story on why your home has no offer. Listen to it and adjust to what the buyers and their agents are telling you about your home.

If that does not help, then you can bet your bottom dollar that there are two things that are holding up the sale of your home. Either the listing price is too high or the home is not showing well. Let us say the home is not showing well from the feedback received. Try having a professional stager to come in and give their honest opinion. If you believe they have some worthwhile tips and information, hire them to stage the home to sell.

More than likely though in this market, the reason why your home is not getting an offer is because of the price. Buyers are very knowledgeable and in today's marketplace, it really is coming down to price. Sometimes you are closer than you think on zeroing in on the right price to obtain an offer. Again, if you are getting showings but no offers, you may just be 3-5 percent off. If you are not getting many showings, you may be 5-8 percent off. Additionally, if you are getting no showings at all, you could be 10 percent or more off the real price of your home.

Now is the time to sell and move on to a new, wonderful home!