Selling your home? Avoid these 10 common home selling mistakes

With the market we’ve had over the past several years, it can be easy to think you’ll be able to sell your home no matter what.

But I can tell you from experience that even in a hot seller’s market, there are potential obstacles to getting your home sold that you should be aware of. Ignoring these obstacles and plowing ahead with listing your home can make the process much more difficult and frustrating than it needs to be.

If you’re considering selling your home, make note of these common home selling mistakes and do your best to avoid them.

1. Overpricing Your Home

This is one of the most common mistakes I see sellers making. And it’s understandable that you want to make as much profit as possible on your home sale. 

But overpriced homes don’t sell. 

If you list your home at an inflated price, it’ll just end up sitting on the market until you lower your price. And if you miss that first burst of buyer interest because your home is priced too high, you’ll find it takes much longer to sell your home than it should. 

It’s better to price your home just below market value and let it drive its own price up. 

If you set your price on the low side, your home is more likely to get multiple offers. In that situation, the competing buyers will do the job of driving the price up for you. (Don’t forget: you can always refuse an offer that’s too low.)

When you think about what your home is worth, put yourself in the shoes of a potential buyer. Ask yourself what you would pay for your home…and be honest! If you wouldn’t be willing to pay a million dollars for it, can you really expect a buyer to shell out that kind of money for it?

Find out what your home is really worth with my fast and FREE home evaluation! 

2. Foregoing Home Staging 

Skipping this step could cost you. Potential buyers have a difficult time seeing beyond the mess and clutter of a lived-in home, and will see less value in it than they would a clean, properly staged home.

Take the time to deep clean and stage your home before you list it. If you can hire a professional home stager, great! If not, there are a lot of things you can do on your own to make your home look more appealing to buyers. 

To start with:

• Clean and declutter. Deep clean your home and start packing up items you don’t need.
• Depersonalize. Take down family photos and stash away other personal items. These things distract buyers from seeing themselves living in your home.
• Sweat the small stuff. Fix minor issues throughout your home, like a dripping faucet or broken doorknob. Buyers will see these small issues and worry that there are larger issues they don’t see.
• Stage each room, using a minimal amount of furniture and decor. Less is more here: clearing out excess furniture and clutter will make your home feel more spacious.

From there, consider addressing this list of things buyers notice as soon as they walk through your door.

3. Forgetting About Curb Appeal

Too many sellers forget about the exterior of their home when getting ready to sell. But so much of a potential buyer’s first impression happens before they even walk through the door. 

Make sure you’re making a good first impression by:

• Wiping down windows and power-washing siding
• Sweeping leaves and debris from sidewalks and entrances
• Trimming shrubs, weeding gardens, and mowing the lawn
• Shoveling the driveway and sidewalks (in winter)
• Putting away kids’ toys and lawn equipment and cleaning up dog waste 
• Replacing a worn mailbox and house numbers 

In addition, if your home has a front porch, stage it just as you would an indoor living space. Keep it simple, with a couple of weather-resistant chairs, a rug, and some potted plants (real or fake). If your home’s entrance is inviting, buyers will want to see more.

4. Skipping Professional Listing Photos

These days, curb appeal goes far beyond the curb. It starts online.

Last year, 95% of all homebuyers used the internet to search for homes (and for buyers aged 56 or younger, that number was close to 100%!). The vast majority of potential buyers will look at your home online before deciding to view it in person.

It used to be that taking a few quick snapshots was good enough. But in today’s market, having high-quality, professional listing photos is a must. Talk to your Real Estate Agent about hiring a professional photographer to take your listing photos.

5. Not Cleaning Before Showings

The cleaner and less cluttered your home is, the better. And while it will feel like a lot of work to clean your home before every showing, it’ll be worth it.

You want a potential buyer to walk into a sparkling clean home that makes them want to move right in. Unmade beds, dirty dishes in the sink, and kids’ toys strewn around the living room won’t exactly spark inspiration.

Don’t forget the yard, porch, and driveway as you’re tidying up. And in the winter, make sure the driveway and sidewalks are clear of snow and ice.

6. Not Addressing Buyers’ Concerns or Repairing Items

If your home has a laundry list of maintenance issues and needed repairs, that can be a huge turn off for potential buyers. This is especially true if your listing price is too high.

Ultimately, it all goes back to price and condition: your home’s price has to match its condition. 

If you don’t have the time, money, or ability to make necessary repairs, you’ll need to lower your asking price accordingly. Otherwise, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a buyer.

Start with the most glaring issues, especially anything that affects the safety, structure, or functionality of your home. At minimum, buyers want to see the major systems of your home in good working order: furnace/AC, electrical, plumbing, roof, and foundation. If those items are old or in disrepair, it won’t matter how aesthetically pleasing your home is.

7. Limiting Showing Times

If you want to get as many buyers as possible into your home, get ready to be inconvenienced.

Try to accommodate potential buyers by keeping your showing availability as open as possible. If it’s difficult for them to get in to see your home, they may give up and move on to the next one.

While these interruptions to your daily life can be difficult, keep in mind that this season will be short lived, and at the end of it you’ll have your home sold!

8. Letting Emotions Get the Best of You

It’s easy to get emotional over selling the place you’ve called home for years…especially if it’s your first home sale! But you’ll be much better off if you can keep your emotions in check.

Focus on the fact that you’re selling a piece of property. Remember that you can take all of the memories you’ve made there with you when you move to your new home. 

Doing some minor remodeling and staging before you sell can help you gain some emotional distance from your home while simultaneously making your home more attractive to potential buyers.

9. Not Being Financially Prepared To Sell

Don’t underestimate how much it costs to sell your home and move. Expenses like closing costs, agent commissions (in most cases the seller pays the commission for both their agent and the buyer’s agent), repairs, and moving costs can add up quickly.

Plus, if you buy a new home before you sell, you’ll be stuck with two mortgages for a while. Or if you sell before you buy, you’ll need to pay rent somewhere (and possibly storage costs) until you find your next home.

Talk with your bank or mortgage broker to get a solid understanding of how much you still owe on your home. Then ask your Real Estate Agent to write up an estimate of your net proceeds. This can give you a general idea of what to expect when you sell.

10. Going In Alone

You might be tempted to sell your home without a Real Estate Agent to save some money, but it may not be worth the cost savings, especially if you’ve never sold a home before.

Selling a home is a complex transaction. An experienced Real Estate Agent is worth their weight in gold, and can help you:

• Set a competitive selling price for a quicker sale
• Market your property for a wide reach
• Negotiate with potential buyers to get the best price possible
• Navigate the extensive paperwork involved in a real estate transaction
• Handle any issues that arise during the sale

Your Real Estate Agent will be your partner throughout your transaction, helping you avoid these and more home selling mistakes. Pick someone you are comfortable with and trust—don’t hesitate to meet with a few agents before you choose one. Learn more about what to look for in a great Real Estate Agent in this recent blog.

Want more advice for selling your home? I’d love to help you get your home sold! Give me a call at 612-227-5537 to get started.