Trouble selling? Your listing may not be attracting buyers or their agents.

As a buyer’s agent, I am constantly amazed and quite frankly, disappointed, in the information found in the average listing available through the multiple listing service.  Whether intentional or not, agents leave out vital information – information that is crucial when I’m making a decision about whether or not to show a property.  If you currently have a house on the market and it’s not selling or being shown, ask your agent for a copy of the listing as it appears in your local MLS.  You should do this anyway after your agent takes the listing.

Here are some things agents frequently leave out:

Photo(s).  Seems obvious but many agents leave out photos.  If there is a photo, there will be only one and it won’t be a good one.  The Coop MLS (Hartford, New Haven, Middlesex, New Haven ,Litchfield & Tolland counties) mandates at least one photo but your agent can enter as many as ten photos.  The photos should show your home in its best light but also true light. 

Accurate description.  Some listings describe a house as it is and others describe it in a way to sell it.  One listing I showed recently claimed to be in “move-in” condition.  Maybe my definition of move-in is different from the norm but if my buyer has to scrape the grease off the kitchen cabinets, replace the counter-tops because there are cigarette burns, spray bleach on the bathroom ceilings and repaint every surface in the house, then that really doesn’t qualify as move-in.

Room dimensions & location.   Without dimensions, I can’t point a client toward or away from a property.  Some clients have furniture they’re buying a house to fit.  In this case, a house that shows out large rooms will be a plus.  Other clients want a bedroom on the first floor for a guest room, in-law or master bedroom.  Too many listings leave out this information.

Important details.  Omitting details like special assessments due in a condo complex, one bathroom missing a toilet, or the fact that the roof has just been replaced.  Depending on the buyer, these can be positives or negatives.  For example, a special assessment due in an aging condo complex for a roof may alleviate fears of the unknown for a buyer and signal that the property is well-maintained.  Or, the assessment may just be beyond the reach of a buyer and it’s better for them to know this in advance. 

Poor or no showing instructions.   I recently made an appointment to show a condo in a gated community.  When I made the appointment to view the property with my client, the listing office said nothing about the gate being locked during the day.  I arrived and after finding it locked, I called the management company, then the listing office and then finally the listing agent to get a code.  She responded that all I needed to do was wait for someone to drive in or out of the community and then pull in.  When I complained to her that she should have been clear with her instructions in the listing, she responded that no one else had called before.  Seeing as how this agent never followed up to see how my showing went, I seriously doubt that she would have any idea whether agents had actually shown the property.

With a growing number of active listings on the market, sellers need to make every attempt to make showings easy, pleasant, and worth the drive.  The better and more detailed your listing is, the more agents will show the property and the more exposure your home will get.