Homeseller 911
By Melanie Chambers • Bankrate.com

Mark Fortais is stumped why his house won't sell. With more than 58 mature trees on his property in a quiet cul-de-sac in a London, Ont., suburb, it's the perfect location for a young family.

It's not for a lack of interest: one couple viewed the house seven times. But the house has been on the market for more than four months, and Fortais is starting to get anxious. Adding to his anxiety is the fact that he's already purchased a new home. 

But with spring around the corner -- the time of year when most families start looking -- Fortais and his agent are making one final push. "My agent started to probe people coming through the house to find out what they would change," recalls Fortais. And on their suggestions, the first thing to go was his life-sized King Tut replica at the top of the staircase. "It's certainly not mainstream, so I put it away."

Realtors and brokers have lots of tips to help you sell your home, and Fortais has learned many new selling techniques in his quest to sell his house. Read on to find out how to sell a home that just isn't moving.

Location, location, location
If the housing market in Red Deer, Alberta, these days is crème brulé, then the market in Windsor, Nova Scotia, would be Jell-o. The two housing markets couldn't be more different.

That's why when you're selling your home, you need to understand the local market. Is your market hot, where buyers are everywhere and demand for homes is high, or are you in a rural town where people rarely move?

In the small town of Windsor, it's not unusual for a house to be on the market for 60 days. In fact, realtors might not even bat an eyelash after six months, says Duane Simmons, a broker for Minas Realties.

On the other hand, if you're in a red-hot market like Red Deer, you might start to panic after two months, says realtor Aaryn Lightbown of Royal LePage. And there's usually one reason why it won't sell -- price.

 "If you're going over 60 days, then it's probably -- definitely -- a price issue. Most things in this market will sell as long as they're priced accordingly," says Lightbown.

The price tag
When Fortais had his house assessed by an outside agency not involved with his realtor, it was priced at $40,000 more than what he's selling it at now. "I already dropped it by $15,000 and I'll probably drop it another $10,000 to sell it," he says.

But dropping the price can also backfire. Home-buyers may begin to wonder what's wrong with the house if the price has been lowered too many times. 

Another downfall of overpricing is that your ill-priced home will be compared to more expensive homes that will be more spacious and offer more because they are priced as they should be.  The disparity between your overpriced home and their sensibly priced homes will be evident to savvy home-buyers.