A recent survey on ActiveRain a community of real estate professionals resulted in the top six mistakes sellers make when trying to sell their home. Most of these are things you can do something about and avoid problems later.
Obviously pricing is the biggest mistake, buyers are seeing every home on the market and they have a very good idea of the market value of any home they see. They will just pass on a home that is overpriced.
Showing availability is ther second biggest mistake sellers make. PLEASE make it easy for buyers to see your home. Often when we have problems getting access, we look and see the days on market far outweigh the rest of the homes for sale. If the buyers cannot see the home they cannot buy it.
Clutter - there have been so many reports and article that staging a home or organizing the pieces you have in your home sells it quicker that this really should not be an issue. Get your home ready before you list it, this may take some time and some effort and once you declutter give it a good cleaning as well. It is not easy living in a home for sale, it is not how you normally live. It is like living in a goldfish bowl and you need to be ready at the drop of a hat, sometime this is hard when you have kids, but try to make it a game for everyone with prizes for those who can keep their rooms tidy and neat.
Pets, our best friends can hinder a sale, empty those litter boxes regularly, and that cleaning, be rigorous, there are plenty of products that will help reduce pet odor, and it may mean you need to give Fido a bath and keep him or her clean. Did we mention that selling your house is hard work and not how you normally live.
When you do get an offer, you need to know that it is always a good idea to negotiate, however far off your asking price that initial offer is. Negotiations today seem to be taking longer and whilst for you it is highly emotional for some people they view it as a game. There are many terms to consider not just price, and knowing your motivation before you list your home will help you to stay focused on achieving your real goal at the end.
Also remember, it is far cheaper to fix things before you list than after it has come up during a home inspection. Before, you can often do it yourself, after you will be required to use a licensed professional. So take a moment before listing and look at your home through the eyes of a buyer, what might they see that they will want fixing. Not everyone is handy and many buyers on moving in will not have time to tackle the items they are asking to have fixed, so try to be helpful, if something has come up in the home inspection and you cannot afford to have the work done out of pocket ask your contractor if he will be willing to get paid at settlement or offer a credit to allow the buyer to get the work done post settlement. Remember, keep your eye on the goal not just this one thing that can cause the deal to fall apart.
Data provided by ActiveRain.com. ActiveRain is an online community of real estate professionals who exchange best practices, write real estate blogs, and get free education from the industry and their peers.
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