Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Home
We all know it ‘s good to be a seller in today’s market, but there’s still mistakes you want to avoid to keep the process smooth. The following are the top 5 most commonly seen mistakes sellers make when putting their house on the market:
- Hiring any real estate agent that you come across. The process of selling a home can be a frustrating process. If you don’t have a realtor that knows what they’re doing, stays on top of the process and stays in good communication with you, you’re going to wind up being extremely frustrated and possibly extending your closing date. It’s important that you find people who are going to take care of you and get you through the process as smoothly as possible.
- Pricing a home incorrectly. Most people are attached to their home because of the history and memories they’ve created there. But you must look at the home objectively, and understand that what matters most is square footage, # of bedrooms and bathrooms, lot size and condition of house. Your real estate agent should help determine the value of the property by looking at recent sales in your area with similar characteristics. Remember that they are an expert in the field and do this for a living.
- Underestimating cleaning up – Buyers cannot see themselves in spaces that are untidy and overcrowded with your personal items. Oversimplify each room and put away everything you can. When there are too many items or pieces of furniture in a room, it appears smaller than it really is and hurts the look of your home. Also make sure to take down all personal photos so the new buyers can see themselves in the home and not just you and your family.
- Lingering during showings – Not only do you put extra stress and pressure on your agent, but the possible buyers seeing your home. Buyers are less likely to see themselves in your house if you’re present. If you’re worried about items going missing, lock them up.
- Skipping over a home inspection beforehand. Depending on the age of the house, it might be a good idea to get the house inspected before putting it on the market to save time, money and a lot of aggravation. Knowing the age and condition of your house can give you time to fix anything needed instead of allowing the buyer to find these problems and having to re-negotiating the price.
Don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, comments or referrals.
Your Lender for Life,
Lauren
Lauren Minnard 