I’ve always hear the importance of the term “street appeal”. How does the place look with a simple drive by?
If someone passes by and notices one thing that bugs them they may just not even bother looking further.
How does the driveway look? Concrete? Is there anything growing out of any cracks. Asphalt? Does it need a simple coat of blacktop?
How does the lawn look? Plush green and watered? No weeds. Always cut. Sidewalk, walkways, and driveway edged nicely.
How about foliage? Bushes and trees trimmed. No low brances.
How about the garage door and gutters? Any peeling paint?
And I’d clean the windows daily inside and out with windex.
And how about the mailbox? A brand new one costs $25 and will be shiny and new.
Where do you keep your garbage cans? Can you see them from the road? It would be better to keep them inside your garage.
Any ugly antenna or satellite dish on the roof? Get rid of it.
Got enough color outside? Get some pots and very colorful flowers and place on your front porch, along the front walk, on the side of the garage door, etc.
First, you have to identify the root of your problem. Is it that people are not coming to see the house, or that the people who come to see it are not interested?
Nothing modest you do to the house will get you more showings. Basically, you have to lower the price, or do something big that will make the house description more desirable.
On the cookie angle, get some packaged cookie dough and whip up a small batch just before leaving for work, or before the buyers come to look. Leave the cookies out with a note “enjoy”. You get the smell, and a tiny bribe, and don’t have a silly looking pot of cinnamon on your stove. Do not do this if you have an ant problem.
You say it’s a huge house. How about dividing (and selling) it in smaller units?
Well, you didn’t like my “lease” idea too much, but have you seriously considered just waiting maybe a year or two?
I know that’s pretty obvious but sometimes we get so wrapped up in a problem that we overlook the simple solutions.
Whatever you do, good luck.