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There are many reasons other than your home being priced too high that can prevent a sale. Buyers have tons of options, your home is just one of the many on the market. Even after falling in love with the marketing online of your home, once they pull up in front to see it in “real life” and the curb appeal passes the test, there could be some turn-offs that are hard to get past. Here are a few:

Noise: If your home is under the flight path of an airport there isn’t too much you can do about the noise. Your beautiful online photos will get them to come to see your home, but once there, they will experience noise pollution be it the train line, a major highway, or under the flight path could prevent the home from selling. Lowering your price could be the best thing you can do.

Neighbors: Your house may be in top shape, but if your neighbors have unkempt lawns, poorly maintained exteriors, or other visual disturbances, your property value will likely take a hit, as well.  Be ready for the issue to come up and be proactive by reaching out, if possible, to the offending neighbor in hopes that you might be able to mitigate those effects and lead to the sale you want.

Layout: Additions, add-ons, or conversions may offer a challenging layout but clever built-in furnishings and a little staging can fix this. Rearrange the furniture to make the space feel more open and inviting. Even consider removing any unnecessary walls to create a more open concept. When a home’s style is outdated, the first thing a buyer thinks about is expensive, major renovations. Meet with your realtor to see what you can do to help buyers see the potential in the home and envision themselves living there.

Musty: This will happen a lot in the basement if there isn’t a lot of airflow and it’s dark, damp, and dusty. It will be a hard selling point, so investing in a dehumidifier can solve many of the problems that come with a damp basement.

Home With A Past: If your home has had a gloomy life, it can be less likely to sell. Whether it’s a haunted house, a home with a notorious past, drug-related incidences, if the house is in a high crime area, or if there has been a suicide or death, buyers may be wary of proceeding any further. Lowering the price and focusing on the positive features of the home may outweigh any negative connotations.

Smell: Even musty smells, pet odors, and cigarette smells cannot be hidden with open windows, candles, or baking cookies. If there’s an issue with mold or mildew, absolutely take care of it before even listing your home. If you have pets, try to remove all evidence of pets and their odors before showing or listing the property if possible. If there are stronger odors like cigarette smells or urine stains, you may need to bring in the professionals to come in and take care of the odor before listing.

Repairs: If you aren’t listing your home as a “fixer-upper” and it needs repairs, it could be deterring potential buyers. Before putting your home on the market, hire an inspector and make sure to fix any major issues such as leaks, cracks, or holes in the walls. If your home needs cosmetic changes like painting the walls or updating the fixtures, get it done before anyone views your home.

Shared Driveway: Many buyers have passed on buying a home that has a shared driveway. Having to negotiate over driveway access and maintenance just isn’t something worth dealing with. Selling a house with a shared driveway can present some challenges, as potential buyers may have concerns about issues such as shared maintenance responsibilities, access, and potential conflicts with neighbors. However, the impact on the sale can vary depending on the specific circumstances, local real estate market conditions, and the preferences of potential buyers. It’s important to disclose the shared driveway arrangement to potential buyers and provide as much information as possible to address any concerns they may have.

The Bottom Line: If your home is not selling due to a displeasing issue, hopefully, you have hired the most seasoned realtor in your area. A good agent should be able to tell you why your house isn’t selling, and they should be willing to give you bad news. While there are plenty of potential problems, having a realtor with top negotiation skills who you trust is so important. They should be able to walk you through the market expectations and prepare you for what will need to be negotiated.

The money you have saved for a down payment is not the only cash you will need when buying a home. You’ll also need an additional amount to cover closing costs. More than half of homebuyers are surprised by the extra money needed at closing as found in a survey done by ClosingCorp.

New regulations have tightened, forcing mortgage lenders to disclose these costs in loan estimates, however, buyers still find themselves shocked when they see the final tally, which can add up to as much as 5% of the total loan amount.

Closing costs are fees and payments that need to be made to different individuals and organizations who are involved with the transaction of your home sale. The fees charged at your closing will be specific to you, your property’s location, and the lender and settlement service providers you choose to work with. They can include:

• Government recording costs
• Appraisal fees
• Credit report fees
• Lender origination fees
• Title services
• Tax service fees
• Survey fees
• Attorney fees
• Underwriting Fees & Processing Fees
• Escrow
• Home inspection
• Property tax
• Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

There are steps you can take to help bring down your closing costs:

• Schedule your closing at the end of the month. Part of your closing costs is prepaid interest charges on your mortgage for the remaining days of the calendar month. If you schedule your closing toward the end of the month, you’ll only pay these charges for a few days.
• Ask the seller to cover some of the costs. In a buyer’s market, and/or if your seller is particularly eager to complete the sale, you can ask them to cover some of the closing costs.
• Compare your loan estimate and your final closing disclosure form. Check for inconsistencies and new charges. If something doesn’t look right, bring it to the attention of your lender.

Your house has been postured to be put on the market after getting everything cleaned, refreshed, landscaped, and staged. You’ve interviewed and hired the best realtor. Pictures have been taken, the marketing is perfect and you’re ready to go. But – there is a problem. A neighbor’s unkempt or other various forms of bad neighbors including being noisy or disruptive. These situations can negatively affect your home’s desirability and cost you some real money.

Respectfully and diplomatically, visit with the offending neighbor (s) and have a conversation with them, letting them know that you are preparing to sell your home and would love their help showcasing the neighborhood in the finest light which will also help them. After all, selling your home at a great price only means good news for them!

There are a multitude of reasons someone’s home can look disheveled. A sickness, or a new baby for instance. If this is the case and they are unable to clean up the outside, offer solutions. Maybe do the work yourself for them or hire professionals to get the job done. While it will be money out of your pocket, you won’t be forced to lower your asking price and in the end, you will be able to recoup that when you sell your home.

If your efforts are not successful, make a call to the city hall. Explore how they can help you. Many cities and counties have ordinances that prohibit things such as a vehicle on jacks, old tires, or an inoperable trailer/truck parked on a lawn. Beyond being an eyesore, it could be dangerous to a child who might wander onto the property, thus the police should be contacted. The fire department and health officials might be concerned about tall, dead grass that could be a fire hazard and an attraction to rats or other animals.

The problem may not be the fault of the homeowner if they rent out their home and their tenants aren’t taking care of it or behaving in a way that impacts the neighborhood. If after you have had a kind conversation with them and things still aren’t getting better, you should find the owner. Your realtor will be able to assist you in tracking him down and help in encouraging cooperation from him.

The Bottom Line: A bad neighbor is hard on a house, especially when your home is for sale. A home’s value can be negatively impacted or cause it to stay on the market longer. Good and direct communication is important in these situations. No matter what you do, keeping your realtor in the loop is suggested. They’ve been down this road before and probably have many good ideas.

The purchase of a home is most likely one of the most expensive and important purchases a person will make. The buyer and the mortgage lender must be certain that the home is indeed completely the buyer’s and that no other person or government entity has any right, lien, or claim to the property at all whatsoever. Like most types of insurance, having title insurance is better to have and not use than needing it and not having it available.

Title Insurance companies are in business to make sure the rights and interests of the property are clear, that the transfer of title takes place efficiently and correctly, and that the interests of a homebuyer are protected to the maximum degree.

Hidden issues can pop up after the closing of a home. Having title insurance will protect the buyer from some pretty sticky situations. Some of these unforeseeable title claims can be:

• Forgery | False Documents – for example, the seller misrepresents the identity of the person selling the property.
• Fraud | deception to achieve unfair gain -for example, someone steals identity and either sells the house without the owner’s knowledge or consent or takes out a second mortgage on the property and walks away with the money.
• Clerical error | inconsistent paperwork and historical records – for example, an unforeseeable discrepancy in the property or fence line confuses ownership rights.

Title insurance is a safeguard against loss arising from hazards and defects already existing in the title. While claims on title insurance are rare compared to other types of insurance, they still happen and can be complicated legal issues to fix.

• Outstanding mortgages and judgments, or liens against the property because the seller didn’t pay required taxes.
• Pending legal action against the property that could affect your ownership.
• An unknown heir of a previous owner is claiming ownership of the property.

After the title company conducts an exhaustive search relevant to the property with assurance that no one else has an interest in it, a policy will be issued. Because of this examination of all the records, any problems with the title will be cleared up before the purchase of the home. Once the title policy is issued, if a problem arises leading to a file against the property, the title company pays the legal fee that would be incurred in the defense of the owner’s rights as well as any loss arising from a valid claim. This protects the owner and any heirs as long as it is their property.

The Bottom Line: The title company hired will conduct a meticulous title search, however, the possibility of something being overlooked cannot be eliminated. That’s why it’s crucial to have title insurance. The policy will protect against any unforeseen issues that may arise with the property’s title. Without title insurance, an owner could end up dealing with expensive legal costs and other charges. An investment like a home should be safeguarded and a title policy should be in place before the day of closing.