Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Home

Are you trying to sell your home? The home-selling process can be exhausting. But if you’re smart about it, you can avoid the stressful errors that many homeowners make. If you want to get the most money for your property and make the process as easy as possible, you need to avoid these common mistakes.

1. Pricing too high

The real estate market can be tricky, and it can be hard to know when your home is priced correctly. Here are a few ways to tell if your home is priced too high:

You’ve had the house on the market for a while. When selling your home, time is not on your side. The longer it takes to sell, the longer you’re paying on your mortgage. If you’ve been in the same house for several months and haven’t had offers, consider lowering the price.

If your house has been listed for sale at a certain price, but no one’s come forward with an offer, consider dropping the price. Many homes go unsold because they’re overpriced — buyers don’t even bother looking at homes out of their price range. So, if you haven’t received offers yet, reevaluate how much you’re asking for the property.

2. Poorly done repairs

One of the worst things you can do when selling your home is to have poorly done repairs. A home inspection is not an opinion; it’s an objective evaluation of the condition of every aspect of your home. If there are issues with a repair job, chances are other potential buyers will notice them too — and be turned off.

You might be tempted to do some repairs yourself to save money but think twice. Doing so could cause more problems in the long run. If DIY repairs look unprofessional or shoddy, they could scare away potential buyers (and drive down your asking price).

If you want things done right, hire a licensed, insured, and professional contractor — and make sure they’re willing to stand behind their work. They aren’t worth hiring if they won’t guarantee their workmanship.

3. No staging or poor staging

You should stage your home if you want to sell it fast. Why? Because the right staging can help sell your house faster.

What exactly is staging? It’s making your home look like someone lives there and takes care of it well enough that someone else would want to buy it. Ensure each room has a purpose, is clean and tidy, and has furniture that matches both its function and style.

If you can’t do it yourself, hire a personal stager. A professional stager can do an in-depth analysis of your home’s layout before creating a plan for how to arrange the furniture in each room, so potential buyers will be drawn into them. They’ll also suggest ways to make improvements if time permits (such as paint color changes or installing new flooring).

4. Don’t ignore curb appeal

The house you’re selling should look presentable, clean, and tidy. You don’t have to spend a fortune on it — but make sure the windows are clean, the lawn’s mowed, and the flower beds are tidy. If there’s a porch or steps leading up to your front door. ensure they’re also well-maintained.

Strong curb appeal can help potential buyers decide if they want to come inside (or not), so don’t forget to keep everything looking good from the outside.

5. Emotional mistakes

When it comes to selling your home, make sure you don’t let emotions get in the way of making smart decisions.

When selling a house, if you focus too much on how much time and energy went into decorating or remodeling that house, your emotions might cloud your judgment when deciding about pricing and repairs.

Instead, think like an objective real estate investor. If this were some other people looking at purchasing this property right now, would they pay your asking price?

6. Turning down a lower offer because you think you’ll get a better one

If you think an offer is too low, it’s natural to say no. You might think the buyer will come back with a better one but maybe not. It’s not uncommon for sellers to turn down offers because they think they can get more money. They may be right, but they could also lose a buyer and have to lower their price anyway.

Be realistic about the price you can get for your home, based on market conditions and comparable sales in the area (within a 15-mile radius). This is especially important if there is no urgency to sell quickly. Waiting until things improve may mean another year before you’re ready again.

7. Not hiring the right real estate agent

If you’re going to invest your hard-earned money in a real estate agent, make sure they’re the right one. Consider their experience. Find out whether they’ve sold homes like yours before and whether they can provide references from satisfied clients.  If you’re selling a home that’s unique because of its size, location, or other characteristics, it’s especially important to find an agent who has experience with that type of property. Also, check out the agent’s track record for correctly and successfully pricing homes (including staging).

Why Choose Summer House Realty

At Summer House Realty we help all of our clients navigate the process of selling or buying a new home. If you are in need of an experienced real estate agent to assist you in your next real estate endeavor, contact us today for a free consultation. With two convenient locations and 50+ real estate agents we can help you with selling your existing home or purchasing a new home. Our Florida agents can be reached at (904) 557-3020. Our Georgia agents can be reached at (706) 955-6436.