Steps you can take if your home isn't selling

1. Get some of your best neighbours to greet potential buyers at the door with a welcome basket or small gifts. Hopefully, this will exude some warmth and a feeling of community that helps a buyer envision themselves as part of it.
2. Compile a little scrapbook detailing the history of your home, including funny anecdotes, notable events, and any famous visitors. This adds a personal touch and a sense of narrative to the property that will certainly attract buyers.
3. Find out if your potential buyers have pets. If they do, coordinate with your neighbours to have a "pet parade" on the day of an open house. Encourage everyone in the neighbourhood to walk their pets, showcasing the pet-friendly community which will enthral your pet-loving home buyers.
4. You can also place personalised fortune cookies around the house with positive messages about the buyer's future in their new home. Oh what a delight!
5. Turn a corner of your home into a "time capsule" perhaps that the buyers would love

Keep your pad photo-ready and clutter-free for viewings, nobody's signing up for a treasure hunt. Remember, your home's got a story, not just walls. Sharing how this place matched my life's chapters clicked with buyers. And here's a pro tip: play detective a bit. Get the lowdown on your viewers from your agent – kids, hobbies, where they're from. Then, during the tour, highlight what makes your local area a goldmine for their lifestyle. It's about selling a lifestyle, not just square footage. Make them see their future in every nook and cranny

Use multiple Estate Agencies once you are free from any sole agencies you might have originally been talked into. We believe the more the merrier and stops agents from resting on their laurels and makes them competitive.
Refresh any pictures that are being used by agents, summer view pictures when it's snowing outside give an immediate "Oh why has it been on the market so long" feeling to new buyers to the market.
De-clutter your house as much as possible, no-one likes viewing a messy and untidy house - it gives the wrong impression on how you have maintained the property to buyers.

How about asking your neighbour to move his 'vintage' motor he's been working on for the last ten years off the blocks and off the driveway. This might be a bit of a relationship killer, but better than your sale dying because next door looks like a breaker's yard.

Generally, anything that makes things look a bit more uniform is pleasing to the eye. That said, you don't really want to end up having to commit to matching your gate posts with your neighbours with a pair of rampant faux marble lions just to make your gaff look 'classy.'

A bit tongue-in-cheek, but after 20 years in property, I've seen just about every type of deal-killing eyesore. They do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I draw the line at candy stripe bathroom paper and shelves displaying those crochet loo roll holders with Barbie dolls stuffed inside. Yikes!

As a recent first-time buyer with experience marketing homes, make sure the home is tidy in photos AND during viewings. While it doesn’t need to be perfect, viewers really don't want to see your clutter. Also, don’t be afraid to share the unique story of your home during viewings—it's more than bricks and mortar. As a buyer, learning that the sellers were in similar life stages and shared aspirations enhanced my connection to the property. So, be proud, narrate the story, and market your home beyond its physical features. It's the personal touches that often make a house a dream home.

Slash the price to get some competition going - nobody wants to miss out on something everyone wants, so if you can cut the price to the extent that you drive a lot of interest, you may well find people making offers over asking price to make sure they don't miss out!

I think it may be possible to look from the other angle and maybe try to get some information about the viewers to see if they have children, where they live etc (some soft facts from the estate agent) and then when they are shown round emphasise all of the local benefits that could then appeal to their family dynamic - or am I going a bit too stalkerish??

For higher-value properties, a more common strategy is to sell "off-market". This can make it more desirable as it is only offered to a select number of people.

Also, potential buyers do not know how long it has been on the market for, sometimes people unfairly think there is an issue if the property has been on the open market for a while.

However, you would want to do this before putting it on the market rather than once it has been on for a while.

A lot of clients we deal with that look at properties over £1m consider using a buying agent where they can access off-market opportunities. This is even more popular for HNW/UHNW clients buying above £10m.

If its not selling, there must be a reason and there must be a cure.
Maybe work out if reducing the price by £20k is the same as paying £20k to a landscape gardener... Your estate agent should be able to tell you some more thing that would help in your area

There is a street in Didsbury, South Manchester with a tank parked on it. I recently asked some local estate agents if they think it would affect the value of the surrounding properties. They seemed to think not, to my surprise but I think I’d raise an eyebrow if I saw it parked outside my potential new home.

[I am publishing an article on this on Friday on my blog, get in touch if you want me to send the link on Friday]

Declutter your home, even if this means putting things in your car or your neighbours shed. Let the buyers see the space for what it is so they can visualise living there.

Tidy your front garden and make sure things like bins are in a bin store or neatly stacked away.

Ensure trickle vents are open and the heating is set at the right temperature, make buyers feel cosy but not stuffy.

Add cost effective features such as battery powered wall sconces and fresh flowers in a vase.

Make sure your boiler is serviced and up to date with maintenance, many buyers want to be sure they aren’t walking into day one maintenance costs.

Fix any doors that are catching or not opening properly by tweaking the hinges.

Shampoo and clean carpets, sofas and fabrics especially if you have pets.

Finally, a fresh coat of paint everywhere, light colours and basic palettes will make a massive difference, especially after decluttering.

Ensure the property is presentable and any maintenance is done before viewings start. When marketing the property, ensure the media is up to date in and includes a floor plan. The description should also be accurate and include all ground rent, lease, and service charge details.

When people look at leasehold properties, they often also look at the building they are buying in, so make sure that all communal areas are kept or maintained in a presentable manner as your unit is.

Probably the most relevant tips in today’s market would be to educate yourself on the current market and be realistic about the price point. Buyers are motivated by price points at the moment as mortgage rates are still relatively high. If you are truly interested in disposing of your investment, this will be a very important tip. Manage your expectations when it comes to exchange and completion dates. Conveyancing has been taking longer which has caused a large percentage of fall-throughs.