If you live in one of the hottest real estate markets in the United States, like in Texas or Florida — you should expect tons of interested buyers and a quick sale after putting your home on the market.

That said, it’s pretty much every homeowner’s worst nightmare to list their home on the housing market — and be greeted by exactly zero potential buyers. This may lead you to ask yourself: “All the other houses in my neighborhood and local area are selling fast — why isn’t my house selling?”

In this post, we’ll explore the top reasons your house isn’t selling. Before considering a price drop to entice potential buyers, we want to assure you there are other ways to get your home to sell for the asking price. Follow our advice and we guarantee you’ll attract tons of prospective buyers and sell your home for the listing price in no time.

1. Your staging was cheap (or nonexistent).

We’ll start with the most important tip first before we dig into all the reasons your house isn’t selling. In a competitive real estate market, you need excellent staging (not just good staging) to sell your home for the asking price. Period.

In a buyer’s market, there are literally thousands upon thousands of active listings at one time. What makes you confident that your vacant home (or worse, a home stuffed with all your personal belongings) will stand out to buyers? We’ll put it bluntly — it won’t stand out at all.

So, if your home has been on the market for several weeks or months and you still haven’t had any interest, it’s probably time to invest in home staging. 90% of people can’t imagine their life in a vacant home, and staged homes sell a month faster than empty houses. A professional stager can help create an emotional connection between your home and buyers with the right furniture, decor, and design so that it stands out — even in a competitive buyer’s market!

2. Your photos are unprofessional.

Let’s imagine you did have your home professionally staged, and it’s still not garnering any interest at market value. At this point, you might need to ask yourself — “is my staged home being showcased in an appealing and professional way?”

Well, if your listing photos were snapped on an iPhone by you or your realtor, there is no way they are good enough to attract home buyers in a hot market. At the least, you need to invest in professional photography. However, if you really want your home sold fast, it’s also smart to invest in videography, drone footage, and a “walkable” virtual layout to improve the virtual home selling experience.

3. Your curb appeal is lackluster.

A beautiful interior may be what sells your home, but an eye-catching, attractive exterior gets most buyers through the door. Suppose the interior of your home is impeccable, but the exterior of your home could use some TLC (think exterior paint, windows, siding, and landscaping). In that case, a lack of curb appeal may be why your home isn’t selling.

Aside from basic maintenance, a good rule of thumb for exterior improvements is to look at similar properties in the same neighborhood. You want your home to stand out, but you also want it to “blend in” in the neighborhood. For example, if other homes in the area have neutral-colored front doors, consider painting over your green front door that stands out like a sore thumb. A home’s curb appeal (or lack thereof) can be one of the reasons your house isn’t selling.

4. Your house is over-stylized.

An over-stylized home can be another of the reasons your house isn’t selling. A professional home stager understands the delicate balance between under and overdecorating. The way you design a house to live in is not how you stage a house to sell.

Buyers need to be able to picture themselves living in your home during open houses or while browsing online — so if you choose an over-the-top design concept or a ton of quirky furniture, they’ll look elsewhere during their home search. In fact, stylizing your home too much is almost just as bad as leaving your home vacant.

That said, choose timeless furniture, neutral decor, and inviting colors when staging your home. Think about what you’d see in a model home — this is what you’re going for when staging a house for sale. Your home should be filled with necessary furniture but also serve as a visual “blank slate” where buyers can imagine their own personality, style, and uniqueness infused into the home.

5. You need a better real estate agent.

If nothing is wrong with your house, it’s possible that something might be wrong with your real estate agent. A good agent will not only help you through the listing process but should be just as motivated as you to sell your house for the most money possible. A bad real estate agent shouldn’t be one of the reasons your house isn’t selling. If your agent seems apathetic, disinterested, or could potentially be turning buyers off with their lackluster personality — it’s time to find a new agent.

6. The price is too high.

If you’ve invested in professional photos and home staging, improved your home’s exterior appeal, and hired a reputable real estate professional, and your house still isn’t selling — there is a possibility your home is priced too high, and a price reduction might be necessary. However, adjusting the pricing should always be a last resort if nothing else works to garner a sale. If you haven’t addressed our other suggestions don’t assume it’s one of the reasons your house isn’t selling.

Real estate professionals can perform a competitive market analysis to compare your home to similar houses on the market. This will allow you to see if your asking price is on par with other similar houses or if you need to adjust the pricing to attract buyers.

Get Your Home Sold Faster (and for More Money) with THE STAGING COMPANY

We’re confident that lowering your listing price to sell your house will be completely unnecessary after investing in professional home staging from THE STAGING COMPANY. In fact, home staging won’t just help you sell your home 88% faster — you could even boost the asking price by $10,000, $50,000, or even $100,000. That is the power of excellent staging!

Contact us at THE STAGING COMPANY, and we’ll ensure your property in San Antonio, Austin, Tampa, or other cities across Texas and Florida sells for the asking price (or can even be priced higher!) with our seamless home staging process, including design, planning, delivery, and removal.