9 Home Seller Mistakes
I am an optimist and I like to avoid discussing mistakes, but if experience has taught me anything, it’s what not to do. If you are considering selling your home, see if any of my thoughts below strike a chord with you!
9. Not Providing Easy Access for Showings
Make your house easy for agent to view with their buyers. You might have a tough schedule but if you deny a buyer access then they may just skip your home and look at someone else’s.
8. Trying to Make the “Hard Sell” While Showing- Making the wrong impression
If you are selling your house, don’t be around for showings. You might sell the place on all the reasons you think the house is great to you, but may not necessarily for the buyer. By leaving, you allow the buyers to be objective and unbiased with their agent, which will you in the end.
7. Waiting Until Spring to Sell Your House
Spring is the busiest real estate activity period, but that does not mean that people don’t buy houses 365 days of the year.
6. Failing to Market Your Home in Different Ways
Review potential marketing tools and ask your real estate agent about the marketing they will do. An experienced, successful agent will invest in what works and be able to explain it to you.
5. Picking the Wrong Agent
Interview your agent and get to know how they work. By meeting with an agent in their office you get to see how organized they are. An agent with good operating systems will be efficient and consistent when working for you vs. an agent who is unorganized.
4. Not Hiring an Agent
There’s a lot more to selling a house than just putting a sign out front. It’s important to have someone on who understands real estate transactions and how to negotiate contracts successfully. There is a 25% chance that a contract you get on your home will never make it to closing. Hiring an agent to promote your interests will save you time and may actually save you money.
3. Doing Major Renovations Before Selling
Minor upgrades often have a higher return on your money than major renovations. Research shows that increasing the curb appeal often returns a high value for your money because it gets buyers to come inside. Buyers will typically pay for what they see. By the time they find out you have a new roof they are probably already attached to your home emotionally.
2. Setting Your List Price too High
All the marketing in the world won’t sell a home that’s priced too high. Listen to what the market tells you and respond quickly. If you have a bunch of showings and no offer then statistics show may be priced 4-6% too high. The only home that is going to sell right now in the Raleigh market is one that is priced right and in excellent condition.
1. Not Making Small Cosmetic Changes that Showcase Your Home
You can’t change the market but you can change how the market sees your home. Decorating your home makes it looks nice but staging will showcase your home’s features to a buyer.
