You Have Decided to Sell Your Home - Smooth Sailing or Choppy Seas?
Decisions of this magnitude are not made frivolously. Either the desire or the need is there and a minority of the homeowners (outside of Realtor homeowners) have experience selling their home. The results of the sales effort vary greatlywith some sellers closing very quickly and for a great price, and other properties languishing for long times without so much as an offer.
Recently, thousands of Real Estate Agents were asked to identify the biggest home seller mistakes. The results are in and I have the Top Ten with explanations. Unlike a certain late night host, I'm not going to fire these off in rapid order. There is just too much for one article so here are the...
Bottom 5 Mistakes:
10. It's a Mistake to Pick the Wrong Agent - This is not something that is done every day. Get references from friends, relatives and others that you know have sold recently. Interview several of what you feel are the best picks. Aunt Minnie may be mentioned, or fraternity brother Ralph may be referred, but unless they have a great marketing plan and pass the same tests that you apply to all agents applying with flying colors, be warry of picking an agent without experience or a GREAT PLAN.
9. It's a Mistake for the Seller To Play Tour Guide - Sellers, you are proud of your home and you want to show it off. What if the potential buyer isn't so well taken with the your taste in upgrades. Your presence will tend to make the buyer nervous and will likely stifle buyer to Agent discussion.The survey was almost unanimous - Agents feel the seller should leave the home during showings.
8. It's a Mistake to Show A Messy Home - There are different definitions of messy, i.e. 1) Not Clean, 2) Cluttered 3) well lived in, 4) not picked-up etc. Remember: the prospective buyer wants to be able to envision this as being their home. Don't make the mistake of thinking that buyers can envision themselves living in your mess. They want to see a well cared for home. If the seller can't present a clean, well organized home, what major systems are also not well maintained?
7. It's a Mistake to have Bad Photos in the MLS Listing - It has been shown that attractive Photos can help sell homes. The more pictures the better. These photos will be seen buy a vast audience possibly World Wide. They are the "First Impression created of YOUR HOME". They need to be good quality shots, well lit, colors true to life with no perspective distortions. They need to be interesting, and reflect the home in the best possible condition. AND, The photos need to be on the listing the first day the listing hits the MLS. NO PHOTOS? Buyers wonder what you are hiding! Even though the agent or photographer is responsible for taking the photos, it's still your responsibility to approve of how your home is being represented. You can never get great photos when your home is a mess.
6. It's a Mistake for Sellers to be Unwilling to Negotiate with Buyers - Sellers should know that the pricing of a home is always an estimate of what the market will pay. The REAL PRICE IS DETERMINED BY WHAT THE BUYER IS WILLING TO PAY FOR THE HOME. Buyers never want to overpay and sellers never want to give the home away for less than it is worth. If both parties are stubbornly locked into only their position, sales will be lost. If you did a good job and did not make mistake number 10, your agent will know how to go about resolving these differences through professional negotiation.
So far, the survey has revealed terrible mistakes that can all be deal breakers if not handled properly. If you are a potential seller and just reading this, you can see that we have a lot to talk about. Please feel that you can call me at 909-816-7333 if you have any questions about these first Mistakes - let's talk. I'll gladly share my experience to help you sell your home.
Tomorrow, I'll bring you the next few Mistakes. Trust me.... you haven't learned the worst mistakes in the survey yet. This is all because.....
You've Decided to Sell Your Home - Smooth Sailing or Choppy Seas?
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