La Jolla · Seller guides · Process

Your La Jolla home isn’t selling. Here’s what I’d look at first.

Short answer: When a home sits, the cause is usually one of four things. It's the price, how the home looks online, how easy it is to see in person, or the timing. I'd look at each one with you, in that order, before changing anything big.

If your home has sat longer than you hoped, it’s not a judgment on you or the house. Homes on the coast are often one of a kind, and the right buyer can take a while to show up. Still, waiting and hoping isn’t a plan. Let’s look at price, photos, access and timing, one at a time.

I’m Weston Clark, Founding Member of the Dickinson-Clark Team at Compass. I help sellers in La Jolla and coastal San Diego figure out what’s holding a home back, in plain words, without blame. You can talk about fees with Weston directly. This form does not give a commission quote.

Talk to Weston Jump to FAQ Seller prep checklist

Related: Seller prep · Staging · Home value · Offer strategy · Cost to sell · Guides · La Jolla · Pricing your home · Selling off-market · Listing expired · Home marketing plan

First, look at the four usual causes

When I walk into a home that hasn’t sold, I don’t start by blaming anyone. I start with four questions:

• Price. Does the price make sense next to what buyers can see and what has sold?
• The online first look. Do the photos, floor plan and words make someone want to visit?
• Access. Can buyers actually get in to see it, and does it feel ready when they do?
• Timing and terms. Is the market slow right now, or are the terms asking too much?

Most of the time, one of these is the main problem. Sometimes it’s two. Fixing the right one beats changing everything at once.

Price: what buyers are comparing you to

Buyers don’t see your home alone. They see it next to every other home they could buy. They also look at comps, which means recent sales of similar homes nearby. If your price is far from both, many buyers won’t book a showing at all.

On the coast, good comps can be hard to find. A view, a bigger lot or a recent remodel can make a home very different from the one next door. That’s why I’d look again at which sales we used, and why.

If a price change makes sense, I’d rather make one clear change than a string of small ones. It’s your call, though, and I’ll show you my reasons in writing. My home value page is a good place to start.

Photos, floor plan and the first look online

Most buyers see your home on a screen before they see it in person. That first look happens on the MLS, which is the shared database agents use to list homes, and on the big home search sites that pull from it.

Here’s what I’d check:

• Are the photos bright, sharp and taken at a good time of day?
• Does the first photo show the reason someone would want this home?
• Is there a floor plan, so buyers can picture how the rooms connect?
• Is the description honest and clear, or full of words that say nothing?

New photos and a fresh look can help a buyer see the home again. My staging guide covers how to get rooms ready for the camera.

Showings: can buyers get in, and does it feel ready?

A great home that’s hard to see can sit. If showings need lots of notice, or happen only at odd hours, some buyers will just move on.

When buyers do come, small things matter. Clutter, smells, dim rooms and repair items all stick in their minds. A pre-listing inspection, which is a check of the home before you list, can help you find issues early. See my home inspection guide.

It also helps to have your disclosures ready up front. Disclosures are the forms where you tell buyers what you know about the home. My disclosures guide explains them. Buyers tend to feel more at ease when the paperwork is ready early. If the home is empty, my vacant home guide has tips for that too.

Feedback, timing and terms

Ask for honest feedback from the agents who showed the home. Did buyers like it but balk at the price? Did they love the photos but not the street? Patterns tell you more than any single comment.

Timing matters too. Some seasons are slower, and outside events can make buyers pause. That doesn’t always mean you should wait. It means we should know what we’re up against.

Terms can help as well. A flexible move-out date, or a rent-back (where you stay a set time after the sale), can make your home easier to say yes to. So can being clear about repairs. My as-is sale guide covers selling the home in its present condition.

When to change course, and how I’d help

If the fixes above don’t move things, you still have choices:

• Refresh the listing with a new plan for price, photos and access.
• Take a break, then come back when the timing feels better.
• Rent the home for now. My selling with tenants guide covers what comes next if you sell later with renters in place.
• Read your listing agreement, which is your contract with the brokerage. It sets the end date and any rules for changes.

Whatever you choose, I’ll give you my honest read, in writing, and you decide. I can also walk you through what you’d take home at different prices with my seller net sheet, which is a simple estimate of your take-home.

This guide is general information. It’s not legal or tax advice. For your contract, talk with a real estate lawyer.

More on sandiego.homes

• Seller prep: a checklist for getting a home ready to list
• Staging: getting rooms ready for photos and showings
• Home value: a starting point for what your home is worth
• Offer strategy: price, terms and deposits in an offer
• Multiple offers: what happens when more than one buyer bids
• Cost to sell: the kinds of costs sellers pay
• Seller net sheet: what you’d take home at a given price
• Guides · La Jolla

Talk with Weston about a home that hasn’t sold

Tell me a little about your home and how long it’s been listed. I’ll give you an honest second look, with no pressure.

Or call (858) 997-8998 · weston@sandiego.homes · Search on Compass

Free seller tools: What is my home worth? · What would I take home? · Real estate words in plain English

Have another question? Quick answers to common questions

Sources

• CA DRE — Consumers
• CA DRE — Disclosures in Real Property Transactions (RE 6)
• HUD — Fair Housing Act overview