What makes a home harder to sell

From searching for agents to negotiating closing costs, we all want the sale of our home to go smoothly. If yours is taking longer than expected to sell, despite plenty of attention, it could be because of something relatively minor, or a factor that's completely out of your control. Buyers are notoriously picky, so here are just a few reasons they might be passing your house up.

Keep it simple

As Realtor.com pointed out, sometimes it's the most awesome features of your home that make it less enticing to buyers. The truth is, everyone has their own unique needs and desires when it comes to their home purchase, and quite often, you may find these don't align with the reasons you bought this house in the first place. You may love the fact that you live directly across from a great school or a lively block of bars and shops, for example. But plenty of buyers look upon these features as a nuisance and not a convenience. Of course, there's not really anything you can do to assuage these buyers, so the best you can do is be upfront and honest with them. The age demographic of the buyer may also come into play when considering your home. Realtor.com notes that older buyers typically don't want to spring for a home with a massive staircase that could be difficult to climb. Similarly, they may be turned off by a lush, spacious lawn that they aren't able to maintain. Some potential quibbles may seem trivial. Tile flooring often serves as a point of contention between buyers and sellers. Since it can be difficult and expensive to remove, a buyer without similar taste will likely skip you over if they don't like the look of your floors.

The home inspection

If a buyer is particularly interested in your home, chances are they will order a home inspection to make sure there aren't any expensive problems lurking beneath the surface. A good home inspection will be able to suss out nearly anything that might be amiss in a home. A property inspection will reveal hidden issues throughout the adjacent land on the lot. Getting a mold inspection will allow a seller to identify any fungal growth in the walls of the home which could be very hazardous if not treated. Having a radon inspection and an environmental inspection completed will also offer peace of mind against rare but dangerous chemicals in the home. A bad report back on any of these things could lead the prospective buyer to ask for a lower price on the home. They might even walk away from the deal altogether. It would be worthwhile to conduct a pre-listing inspection in order to catch these issues before putting your home on the market, especially if it's an older house. Being ready for any surprises ends up saving an untold amount of time and money.

Nothing personal

If buyers aren't warming up to your home, as HGTV recommended, you should consider making it more of a "house." Buyers want to be able to easily picture themselves in your home, so anything they see on a tour that's just too "you" might contribute to their ambivalence quite significantly. Take any extra "stuff" that's on display and put it in storage, or at least in the closet if you have the space. Even family photos might be a little off-putting to some. It may seem cold and impersonal to do so, but remember that the buyer still sees this as a business transaction at this point.