3 mistakes you can't afford to make when selling your home.

The 3 most common mistakes people make when selling their home are also the 3 you can least afford to make.

These are the things your Realtor® should be pointing out and working their hardest with you to prevent.

#1  Relying On buyers to "see the potential" in your home.

Buyers do not see potential, they only see their own perception of reality.  Let's face it, you have spent a lot of time in your home and you know the condition and the potential.  Buyers on the other hand, are coming for a 15-20 minute visit.  This is not enough time to take in the basics AND to discover the potential.

This leads buyers to make certain assumptions about your home based on what they do see.  If the home is messy, they will assume you do not take care of it.  If there are missing outlet or light switch covers, they will wonder about the condition of the other systems in the home.  If all of the curtains are drawn and the house is cold and dark when they enter, they will not feel welcome or comfortable and they may cross your home off their list before they even consider it's potential.

Since the reverse is also true, you can save yourself some headaches and take excuses away from potential buyers by showing them the potential.  If the home is neat and orderly, buyers will assume the home has been well maintained.  If all of the "little things" are taken care of, buyers will assume the major systems are in good order.  If excess furniture and clutter is removed, buyers will see the home as spacious and welcoming.  And if the home is bright, warm, and cheerful, they will begin to see themselves living there.

#2  Believing that all agents are the same.

Myth:  Any real estate agent can sell my home.  All they have to do is put it in the MLS, stick a sign out front, and it sells itself.

Truth:  Those days are long gone!  (If they were ever real in the first place)   Today's challenging market requires a new breed of Realtor®.  This market requires strategic and aggressive marketing, effective use of new technologies, and the skills and resources to go out and get the potential buyers instead of waiting for them to come.

This includes a strong internet presence, blogging, video, actively promoted and multi-media open houses, buyer call capture systems, selective mail promotions, systematic buyer follow up, and even good old fashioned door knocking to get the word out about your home.

#3 Pricing your home high to leave "wiggle room."

You might also call this one "pricing your home high just to see what might happen."  Let's face it, we can throw a lot of things at the wall just to see what will stick, but your home is most likely your largest and most valuable asset.  Ironically, overpricing will actually COST you money.  This is not the time or the market to play that game.

Properly priced homes in our area are currently selling for between 96%-100% of their asking price.  With all of the choices buyers have, pricing your home too high to allow for wiggle room will most likely result in buyers passing over your home in favor of the homes that are priced correctly.

You may think that you are protecting your investment, but most buyers assume that a seller will be unreasonable during negotiations if they have started off by asking too much for their home when compared to others on the market.

This is why a thorough and detailed market analysis is so important.  You need to price your home in such a way that you can attract buyers AND net the highest amount possible at the closing.

For more tips on selling your home, visit theunsoldhome.com