Selling a home is a complicated process in which you should seek the assistance of a professional. There is so many aspects that you have to pay attention to even before you place your property on the market for sale. On top of all of the administration and logistics involved, add in a ton of emotions that have you attached to your home and you need someone to help protect you and guide you through the process to ensure your protected and maximize the value of your home. It is crucial that you avoid the top five mistakes sellers make when selling your home. There are many mistakes prospective home sellers can make but we are going to review some of the top ones that ultimately can cost you money. You should also request to know your homes value.
The Top Five Mistakes Sellers Make
5. Having the ability to be objective about your home is a challenge – Everyone is emotionally attached to their home and it’s hard to take a step back and be a critic. However, every potential buyer that comes into your home to view it is going be that critic. This is not meant to be mean or give reason for submitting a low offer. It is them objectively looking at the home and seeing how much money it is going to cost them to get the home in the condition and way they want it. For this reason it’s better to not be home when buyers are coming by to view the home. Buyers can sense a desperate seller a mile away and they do not feel they can communicate with their spouse or agent if you are present.
4. Increasing your homes curb appeal – Curb appeal is one of the biggest factors in buyer’s decision as to which home they are going to purchase. Not to mention this is the first impression a prospective homebuyer has of your home and when they pull up, they envision if they can see themselves pulling into that driveway everyday. The good news is, you don’t have to invest thousands of dollars to make it look appealing. Trimming back your bushes, adding a few plants and a fresh coat of paint goes a long, long way. Your house can look amazing on the inside but if buyers are turned off when they pull up, it’s a tough sale for anyone.
3. Must love dogs – Sprucing up your home is important for showings. I love my English Mastiff dearly! However, when your home is shown you should try to ensure the signs of pets is a small footprint. The yard should be picked up and free from animal left overs and the home should be clean and free of pet odors. I’ve had many prospective homebuyers literally walk right in and out of a home because of pet odors. This will also apply to anyone that may smoke in the home. I’ve had many clients walk right in and out of a home because it smelt like smoke. Again, you have to be objective about your home and ensure it’s ready for everyone to view and anyone would feel comfortable in it.
2. Are you available? – If you want to sell your home you have to be able to have the home available to show. 34 percent of Realtors report availability as a top reason that homes do not sell. If you plan on living in your home up until the closing date then you must consider the buyers schedules when you list your home for sale. If you put a criteria such as viewing only on Wednesday from 10:00 to 10:15AM, then you really just cut the market down to a small percent of people that are available to view at the time. In the same token if you have them call for an appointment and it’s never a good time for them to view it, then it’s going to be hard to sell. Most buyers are viewing when they are off from work, which is traditionally early evenings and weekends. To maximize the amount of offers on your home you have to have it accessible.
And the number one mistake is…
Money, Money, Money! – Everyone wants to maximize the amount of money they can get for the sale of their home. Like we mentioned earlier, everyone is emotionally attached to their home, and all the improvements they have personally done to it. The cold hard truth is, you do not determine the price of your home, your Realtor does not determine the price of your home, the only person that determines the price of your home is the person willing to pay the amount that their offer is. Sure, we use comparable like properties to give you a market analysis, determine average price per square foot estimates, and give you the best estimate of what we feel your home will sell for. Everyone wants to get the most bang for their buck, but more often than not deals are won and lost by as little as a couple of thousand dollars. Asking for an extra 10,000 may not seem like much to you but when like properties have all sold around you and yours is still on the market 3 months later and no one is viewing it anymore because they are wondering why it’s been on the market for so long with no offers it can end up costing you more money in expenses especially if you have to move. Then, when you have to do the inevitable price reduction, buyers and agents are asking why they had to do a reduction and what’s wrong with it?
To avoid the top five mistakes sellers make and many more mistakes sellers are apt to make, Please give me a call today (623)824-6274, so I can work with you and help maximize your profit and make the process as seamless as possible.
