Buyers Information

Common Mistakes People Make When Selling Their Homes

When it comes to selling your home, there are seven common mistakes home sellers are likely to make. I’ve listed them here, with the hope that you’ll be savvy enough to avoid them:

Not knowing why you’re selling. Are you selling because you’ve lost your job and have to move as quickly as possible? Are you selling because you or your spouse or partner just received a big promotion and you want to find the home of your dreams? If you know why you are selling and how quickly you have to move, it will help you better target your initial list price.
Not preparing your home to sale. Dirty, disorganized, and dark are not the words you want prospective buyers using to describe your home. When you put your home up for sale your home must shift from “live in” mode to “showing mode”. To properly prepare your home to sale, you need to clear out the clutter, get your home into a state of hyper-cleanliness (and then maintain it that way), and make your home as light and bright as possible. Do you need some fast ideas? You could paint your interior white, wash you windows and cut back tall bushes and trees that block your views.
Choosing the wrong real estate agent or no agent at all. If you want to sell your home quickly, choose an aggressive agent who has innovative ideas for marketing your home. If you are going to try to sell on your own (or with a discount broker), give yourself a set number of weeks or months to try your best. If you still haven’t received any offers, then list your home with a full-service agent who specializes in selling homes in your area.
Overpricing your home. Some people believe that all homes eventually get sold. This is not the case. In a balanced market, where there are roughly an equal number of buyers and homes for sale, it can take several months to sell your home. In an unbalanced market, where there are more homes for sale than buyers to buy them, your home may never sale. Your home can be “a needle in a haystack of needles”.
Being present during showings and open houses. Unless you’re selling “by owner”, the last thing buyers want is the seller hovering over their shoulder as they open your linen closet. When a buyer is alone in your home with a real estate agent they feel free to ask questions and express their true feelings about your home.
Letting your house go stale. If your house has been on the market for more than four months without an offer, local agents and prospective buyers are probably starting to wonder how serious you are about selling or if there is something wrong with your house.
Failing to recognize a good offer. Agents like to say that any offer is a good offer. All offers should be taken seriously, even if the price is ridiculously low. Try not to be offended by a low offer. Look at all offers as signs of interest in your home. They are a starting point in the negotiation process.

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