Home sellers are susceptible to making a wide variety of mistakes. Here are the six most important ones that should be avoided.
Now that we’ve passed the holiday season, I’m hearing from a lot of prospective home sellers about what they can do to their home to make sure it sells fast. To do this, it’s important to also avoid the common pitfalls that doom other sellers. If you follow these simple guidelines, the process will be as stress-free as possible. Do everything you can to avoid making the following mistakes:
1. Picking the wrong agent. You want an agent who will return your calls, get back to you promptly, and answer your questions. The agent should know the houses in your area because they are the local real estate expert. The right agent will be honest and straightforward with you. They won’t just tell you what you want to hear.
2. Overpricing your home. Price is one of the biggest issues when selling a home. The more realistically priced we are, the quicker your home will sell.
3. Failing to make simple repairs. You know the ones I’m talking about. Whether it’s a dog that has chewed something or a carpet stain that the buyer will see immediately, you want to repair any minor damages before putting the house on the market.
4. Neglecting to declutter your home. Buyers are looking at the home online. If they’re seeing clutter instead of rooms, there is less chance that they’ll come to see the house in person. Store your clutter in the garage or a storage unit so nothing gets in the way of your pictures and showings.
5. Not allowing adequate access to your home. For every 10 buyers that can’t get in to see a home when they want, about eight of them never reschedule. I know this can be a stressful time, but your home needs to be show-ready when agents need to see it, not just when it’s convenient for you.
6. Emotional attachment to the home. This is understandable, especially if you’ve raised your family in the home. However, when it’s time to list, you need to see the home as an investment and an asset. There will be lowball offers, but you have to be okay with that. The goal is to get as much money as possible for you on the sale of your home.
If you have further questions about this list or real estate in general, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
