Help! My Listing Expired and I'm Never Gonna Sell This Place!

Cute clip-art aside, I know that having your home listing expire without a sale isn't funny or cute: it's scary and disheartening.

I ran a list of expired listings in Bucks County, and boy...there are quite a few. I'm certainly seeing an increase in expired listings, so you are not alone.

You may be panicked at the thought that you will never sell your home. You may feel as if it's a lost cause, or that it'll "never happen."

So, what do you do if your listing has expired?

• Decide whether you want to re-list with your current REALTOR (R). Were you happy with his/her service, marketing, communication, etc? Do you think he's done all he can to sell your home? Contrary to the knee-jerk reaction to find a fall-guy for the lack of a sale, your REALTOR might not be to blame. However, if you think that it's time for a change of REALTOR, you'll have plenty to choose from when they inundate you with mailings :) (Disclaimer: you might see some mail from me. Check it out and give me a call!)

• Start from scratch with a new CMA. Often, when a house is on the market, you live in a fishbowl of your direct price range. Pricing may have changed while you've been on the market, and you'll want to take another look at what's actually SOLD while you've been on the market, and the NET sold price.

• Take all the negative feedback that you've received and handle anything that reared it's ugly head. If someone mentioned the Spongebob mural in the kid's room, paint it. If someone mentioned the carpets were stained, clean them. This is your chance to address all the issues that cropped up and start fresh. View those past Buyer's as your own personal "Problem Finders." If one person mentioned it, you can be sure that others noticed, just didn't remark on it.

• Stage it. This is especially important if you've moved on and your home is now vacant. It's important. It works. You don't even have to go full-bore, but you need to put some furniture in the house.

Take a step back and a deep breath; then evaluate your situation with a clear mind. Then, take the next steps forward to move on...interview another REALTOR (Me! Pick Me!) do another CMA and make a pricing adjustment - fix the problem and get your home back on the market.

Above all, remember that homes are selling every day in Bucks County. Your home WILL sell.