Situation 1 of 10
Your house isn't selling and nothing's happening
Your house is on the market and nothing's happening. Find the version that sounds like you.
“Lots of people are looking online, but nobody books a viewing.”
How to improve it
- Buyers are clicking and leaving, so it's the advert or the price. Ask your agent how many views turn into enquiries.
- Change the first photo to your best room or the front on a sunny day. It's the only one most people see.
- Check you're not sitting just above a search price band (see price bands).
“We've had loads of viewings, but nobody makes an offer.”
How to improve it
- Ask your agent for honest advice and buyers' feedback word for word, not "they loved it". Look for the thing that comes up twice.
- Do a House Doctor walk-round, like Ann Maurice used to on TV: beds made, toilet seats down, bins out, pet bowls away, lights on, and windows open for ten minutes before every viewing.
- Fix what you can cheaply: smells, clutter, a tired front door, an overgrown garden.
- If the feedback is about price, compare with houses that have actually sold nearby and make one decisive cut.
“It's been on for months and it looks stale.”
How to improve it
- Buyers notice when a house has been on a long time and assume something's wrong with it.
- Relaunch properly: new photos, a new price, and a rewritten description, all at once.
- If your agent has run out of ideas, check your contract's tie-in and notice period, then consider moving.
Tried all of this? See every way to sell, side by side.
Other situations
- Your house sale has fallen through
- Selling a house you've inherited
- Selling a house that needs work
- Selling a house during separation or divorce
- Selling a house with tenants in
- Behind on the mortgage
- When you owe more than your house is worth
- Selling your house when you're relocating
- Selling a parent's house to pay for care