Activerain.com recently conducted a survey of top seller missteps. Since the seller can control most of these mistakes, working with your real estate agent to eliminate or minimize the impact of each of these will make the sale of your home a reality. The following graph & remarks explain the the results of the survey:
1. OVERPRICING THE PROPERTY
This was by far the most common mistake given as to why houses don’t sell.
If you overprice your home, there is a good chance no one is going to want to buy it. Real estate agents do not set the real estate market. A great real estate agent will suggest a range of price at which to list your home based on comparable homes that have already sold in the market. Overpricing a home to 'see if you can get someone to bite' will lead to missed opportunities with buyers that are serious about buying in the range at which your home should be listed. Further, your home will likely compare poorly with others in the higher price range.
The first week during which a home is listed is generally when interest in the property is highest and the largest potential pool of buyers will be reviewing the listing. Setting a price that reflects the market is essential to selling! This is exacerbated in a downward trending market. Many sellers have lost thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars chasing a market down after setting a listing price that was outside what the market was willing to bear.
2. SHOWING AVAILABILITY-IT'S DIFFICULT TO SET A SHOWING
The chances your home will sell when buyers can't get in to physically inspect the property are minuscule. Sellers need to understand that listing a home for sale is going to lead to some inconveniences in your normal routine. Many serious buyers may want to physically inspect a property during times which may not be convenient for the seller. Knowing this, motivated sellers need to understand that flexibility regarding showing times is critical to the timely success of the home sale.
It's common for buyers to see 8, 10, even 20 homes during a showing tour with their agent. If your house isn't on that list because you show only on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm, you will miss out on ready, willing and able buyers.
As a Seller, realize that the more people that can see the home in person, the greater chance you’ll have to find the buyer that wants your home.
3. CLUTTERED SPACE-UNWILLING TO REMOVE OR DEPERSONALIZE CLUTTER
Sellers are sometimes unwilling to either make the effort, or unwilling to compromise how they live in their home during the time the home is on the market for showings. Serious sellers realize that by depersonalizing the home and removing unwarranted clutter, it allows potential buyers to more easily visualize their own
things in the house.
When you live in your home day in and day out, you become comfortable with your own 'things'. In many cases, however, your 'stuff' can make a room feel smaller than it actually is and in some more extreme cases, your 'stuff' can completely distract someone from visualizing the potential of a room. For a buyer, this stuff is only a distraction.
Many agents will make recommendations about ways to remove clutter or depersonalize your home. Some will even suggest that a professional home stager be brought it to completely maximize the space and create a setting to maximize the buyers’ ability to visualize their own things. The key thing to remember here is these suggestions are not personal and you may have to be a little uncomfortable so that your house puts its best foot forward.
4. UNPLEASANT ODORS IN THE HOUSE
"Mr and Mrs. Seller, your house stinks!"
Most agents aren't going to be this blunt. But in some cases they wish they could be. They'll take a more tactical approach and say something like: 'During the listing, it might be a good idea to smoke outside'.
Nothing will stop potential buyers in their tracks faster than a strong odor of any sort. In some cases, this could just 
be the left over smell from last night’s dinner. In more extreme cases, agents tell horror stories of entering homes that have a bad smell of pet urine or smoking.
The main concern for the buyer is: Is the house going to smell like this once we move in?" Real estate agents confirm that many buyers have passed on a home after coming to their own conclusion on that answer.
Your agent isn't suggesting a fresh coat of paint and new carpet because they don't like how things look. He or she is making this suggestion because they realize that the smoke odor in your home is going to be a major turn-off for anyone thinking about buying your home.
5. SELLER UNWILLING TO MAKE REPAIRS TO HOUSE BEFORE LISTING
No seller wants to spend a few thousand dollars making repairs to a house you are about to sell. Agents understand that. But they also understand that few buyers want to move in to a house that needs a bunch of work done immediately upon moving in.
One of your objectives to selling your home is to make it as appealing as possible to as wide of an audience as possible. If the seller is unwilling to make repairs, and a buyer doesn't want a bunch of work upon moving in, you've shrunk the pool of potential buyers for your property.
Some sellers may want to offer the buyer a credit at closing for certain repairs. That strategy isn’t better than making the repairs yourself before putting the house on the market.
6. SELLERS UNWILLING TO NEGOTIATE WITH BUYERS
Setting a market price on a home is not an exact science. Many real estate agents will give the seller a range in which they predict the home will sell. As a seller, you should always want the most money the market will bear. That being said, the unwillingness to negotiate with buyers can turn away even the most serious buyers.
Price is not the only condition which is open to negotiation. Buyers and sellers can negotiate on dates, fixtures that might stay with the home, repairs and a host of other sticking points. Sellers that refuse to negotiate and are set on digging in their heels are much less likely to find a willing and able buyer.
Don't be insulted by low offers. Buyers want to get the home for the best price and on the best terms they can. Just like a sellers wants to sell for the best price on the best terms. It's rare that either party walks away from a negotiation with everything they want. Motivated sellers understand this and are willing to negotiate.
Several years ago, one of my seller clients refused to negotiate with buyers over an offer that, based on the market at the time, was quite reasonable. Click here to read the entire story & learn the outcome.
7. BAD PHOTOS ON THE MLS
This one will most likely fall on your real estate agent. But knowing that bad photos in the MLS can be an impediment to the sale of your home, as a seller it's imperative that you demand great photography from your agent. The photos used to market your home are generally the first impression any buyer will have of your home. A great listing agent will ask if he/she can temporarily remove clutter from a room before taking the photo. This means no clutter anywhere, including all those magnets on the refrigerator, the dish towel hanging on the stove, shoes in the entryway, etc.
When picking an agent to list your home, ask to see examples of photos from previous listings. Do their photos make you want to take a look at the home? Never let your home go on the market without photos! If it means waiting a day or two before listing, wait. A large number of potential buyers in your market will be exposed to your home the first day it goes on the market. Having great photos the first day the home hits the market is a must.
8. THE HOME IS VERY MESSY
You were late for work this morning so you ran out of the house without picking up from last night's dinner. Not a big deal.....unless you have potential buyers that will be stopping by. 
Some people may be able to look past the dishes stacked up in the sink, but enough buyers won't be able to look past the mess. Remember, buyers want to envision their things in your house.The more obstacles you put in the way, the harder time they have connecting with the home emotionally. Let’s call this the HGTV effect. Buyers expect a certain degree of cleanliness when a home is on the market and when the house falls below that expectation, an offer is very unlikely.
Take the time every day to make sure everything is cleaned up and the home is in showing condition.
9. SELLERS WHO LIKE TO PLAY TOUR GUIDE DURING SHOWINGS
Almost every real estate agent who participated agreed that sellers should leave the house during showings. Some sellers want to stick around and make sure buyers see all the important features of a home. The problem with that is, as a seller, you don't know what's important to a buyer.
Sellers that hover around during a showing will make the buyer nervous. Buyers won't feel comfortable discussing things they like or dislike about the house with their agent. In addition, most buyers like to explore a little bit. Interested buyers tend to do things like open cabinets and check in closets to get a better sense for the entire home. A hovering seller can make this very uncomfortable for some buyers.
Bottom line: leave the house when it's being shown. Your presence there will only make things worse.
10. PICKING THE WRONG AGENT
You decided to list with your aunt or with your friend that just got in the business. You paid no attention to their experience or what they do to market a home. Maybe not the best idea.
Real Estate agents will often suggest interviewing more than one agent. You'll never know if your aunt is going to do a good job of marketing your home for sale if you have nothing to which to compare her. Don't hesitate to ask a real estate agent questions about why they are a better choice than anyone else you may be considering. Just like with any profession, there are good & bad real estate agents.
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