Seven of the Most Common Mistakes Made by Sellers
- Dont limit the time your house can be shown: If you are serious about selling your home you must have it ready and available to be shown. Make sure that the dishes are done, the beds are made and the dirty laundry is not littering the floor. You should be ready to show your house at a moments notice seven days a week. If you are going to be away for the day or on vacation, let your Realtor know. This is a perfect opportunity for an easy show. Make sure the dog is out of the house or out of the way, some buyers are afraid of dogs or just dont want them sniffing around. Be aware of smells. Get someone else to tell you if your house smells. And dont use room deodorizers. Buyers think you are covering something up. A cup of water with cinnamon in it put in the microwave for one minute gives your house the smell of fresh baked cookies.
- Advertising isnt the only way to sell your home: A good realtor will market your house, not just advertise it. There are many ways to showcase your home. Print advertising is one of the least effective ways.. Seventy-five percent of home sales begin on the internet. Your agent should be providing a strong web presence, virtual tours, along with print. In order for your house to be attractive to buyers your agent should be able to tell a story that is captivating and would make someone look at your home and see the special aspects of it. The New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal are not the answers to selling your home. Interview Realtors and listen to what they offer. Remember, you are not the expert on how to sell a home, they are.
- Dont stay home for the showing: You, your family, and your pets should not be at home for any showings if it can be avoided. Buyers feel very intimidated when the Seller is around. Your Realtor wants to be able to help the Buyer imagine living in the home. This might mean that the Realtor is picking up on aspects of the house that the Buyer doesnt like. Your Realtor can be open and honest and show them how to make it to the Buyers liking. Your home is your most precious asset and you have put your heart and soul into making it what you want. If you hear negative responses it will upset you, yet this might just be the Buyer that will purchase your home.. Buyers want to sit in a chair and see how the room feels; they want to walk the property to see if it suits their needs. If you are there, or your dog is trying to play ball the Buyer is uncomfortable and will not focus on your home.
- Pricing Your Home: Your Realtor is the person you should rely on to price your home correctly. Many Sellers think they know the price that the house should sell for because they know what their neighbors were asking. What the asking price is and what the home actually sold for may be two different things. A Seller that sets their own price and does not listen to their Realtor is treading on dangerous ground. If the house is over priced, the days on market will affect the sales price. Your Realtor can provide for you a Comparative Market Analysis which will compare your house to other similar homes that have recently sold. Through this process a market price will be established. This is the price that you should list your home for, not the price you think it should sell at.
- Failing to Disclose: If there are any problems concerning your house, or problems that you have fixed in the past, they must be disclosed. If there is anything that might affect your property such as new electrical lines being installed, a dump going into the neighborhood, you must disclose. Failure to do so can cost you your life savings or worse. Your Realtor can provide you with a Sellers Disclosure Form that you can fill out. This will be provided to a potential Buyer making them aware of facts concerning your home. Remember when in doubt, disclose.
- Paying Attention to Details: Because you live in your home you do not see the flaws that exist. Sellers will ignore simple things like switch plates, light fixtures, stained tiles, and worn floors. It is essential to go through your home with the eye of a Buyer and look for flaws that make your home look tired and unkempt. Ask your Realtor to make suggestions of areas that you can improve on. See what Realtor offers free guides to Staging Your Home and ask for one. The cleaner, more spiffed up your house and property are, the better able you are to hold to your price.
- Not Hiring a Professional: Many people think that they can sell their house themselves. They think a newspaper ad and a yard sign will bring the Buyers. It is important to realize that your Realtor spends thousands of dollars to get their name and their product out to the public. You do not have access to the MLS system, Realtor.com, extensive mailing lists and or a large referral system. Are you aware of all the permits that must be provided to the Buyer, do you know if your property is in compliance with the state and local rules and regulations, do you even know what they are? Are you prepared to negotiate on your own behalf? It has been proven that a Realtor can get more for your property than you cam. Do you have the web presence and the optimized search engines to showcase your property? Is the person that comes to see your house qualified to purchase it, have they been to a mortgage broker? These are just a few of the aspects that your Realtor does for you. Remember this is what your Realtor does for a living. Would you want to perform your own surgery. NO, you want a trained professional doctor. Imagine the amount of time it would take you to keep track of all these details, or how much your lawyer would charge. You can be elsewhere making money doing what you do best, while your Realtor takes charge of your selling your home.
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