01/10/2020
Avoid These Mistakes When Selling Your Home
Mistake No.1: Being Emotionally Involved
Once you decide to sell your home, it can be helpful to start thinking of yourself as a businessperson and a home seller, rather than as the home's owner. By looking at the transaction from a purely financial perspective, you'll distance yourself from the emotional aspects of selling the property that you've undoubtedly created many memories in.
Mistake No.2: Not Hiring an Agent
Although real estate agents command a hefty commission (usually 5 to 6% of the sale price of your home), it's probably ill-advised to try to sell your home on your own, especially if you haven't done it before. A good agent will help you set a fair and competitive selling price for your home that will increase your odds of a quick sale. An agent can also help tone down the emotion of the process by interacting with potential buyers so you don't have to and by eliminating tire-kickers who only want to look at your property but have no intention of writing an offer.
An agent will also have more experience negotiating home sales than you do, potentially helping you get more money than you could on your own. Further, if any problems crop up during the process—and they commonly do—an experienced professional will be there to handle them for you. Finally, agents are familiar with all the paperwork and pitfalls involved in real estate transactions and can help make sure the process goes smoothly.
Mistake No.3: Minimizing What Agents Do
Some people do sell their homes themselves. You'll need to do your research on recently sold properties in your area and properties currently on the market to determine an attractive selling price, keeping in mind that most home prices have an agent's commission factored in and you may have to discount your price as a result.
Mistake No.4: Setting an Unrealistic Price
Whether you're working with an agent or going it alone, setting the right asking price is key. Remember the comparable market analysis you or your agent did when you bought your home to determine a fair offering price? Buyers will do this for your home, too, so as a seller, you should be one step ahead of them.
Mistake No.5: Expecting the Asking Price
Any smart buyer will negotiate, and if you want to complete the sale, you may have to play ball. Most people want to list their homes at a price that will attract buyers while still leaving some breathing room for negotiations—the opposite of the underpricing strategy described above. This can work too and will allow the buyer to feel like he or she is getting good value while allowing you to get the amount of money you need from the sale.
Mistake No.6: Selling During Winter Months
Winter, especially around the holidays, is typically a slow time of year for home sales. People are busy with social engagements and the cold weather makes it more appealing just to stay home. Because fewer buyers are likely to be looking, it may take longer to sell your home, and you may not get as much money. However, you can take some consolation in knowing that while there may not be as many active buyers, there also won't be as many competing sellers, which can work to your advantage.
Mistake No.7: Skimping on Listing Photos
So many buyers look for homes online these days, and so many of those homes have photos, that you'll be doing yourself a real disservice if you don't offer photos as well. At the same time, there are so many poor photos of homes for sale that if you do a good job, it will set your listing apart and help generate extra interest.
Mistake No.8: Not Carrying Proper Insurance
Your lender may have required you to acquire a homeowner's insurance policy, but if not, you'll want to make sure you're insured in case a viewer has an accident on the premises and tries to sue you for damages. You also want to make sure there are not any obvious hazards at the property or that you take steps to mitigate them (keeping the children of potential buyers away from your pool and getting your dogs out of the house during showings, for example).
Mistake No.9: Hiding Major Problems
Any problem with the property will be uncovered during the buyer's inspection, so there's no use hiding it. Either fix the problem ahead of time, price the property below market value to account for the problem, or list the property at a normal price but offer the buyer a credit to fix the problem.
Realize that if you don't fix the problem in advance, you may eliminate a fair number of buyers who want a turnkey home. Having your home inspected before listing it is a good idea if you want to avoid costly surprises once the home is under contract. Further, many states have disclosure rules. Many require sellers to disclose known problems about their home if buyers directly ask, while others decree that sellers must voluntarily disclose certain issues.
Mistake No.10: Not Preparing for the Sale
Sellers who do not clean and stage their homes are throwing money down the drain. If you can't afford to hire a professional, that's okay, there are many things you can do on your own. Failing to do these things will not only reduce your sale price but may also prevent you from getting a sale at all. For example, if you haven't attended to minor issues like a broken doorknob, a potential buyer may wonder whether the house has larger, costlier issues that haven't been addressed either.
Have a friend or agent, someone with a fresh pair of eyes, point out areas of your home that need work. Because of your familiarity with the home, you may have become immune to its trouble spots. Decluttering, cleaning thoroughly, putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls and getting rid of any odors will also help you make a good impression on buyers.
Mistake No.11: Not Accommodating Buyers
If someone wants to view your house, you need to accommodate this person, even if it is inconvenient for you. And yes, you have to clean and tidy the house before every single visit. A buyer won't know and care if your house was clean last week. It's a lot of work, but stay focused on the prize.
Mistake No.12: Selling to Unqualified Buyers
It's more than reasonable to expect a buyer to bring a pre-approval letter from a mortgage lender (or proof of funds for cash purchases) showing that he or she has the money to buy the home. Signing a contract with a buyer whose purchase of your home is contingent on the sale of his or her own property may also put you in a serious bind if you need to close by a particular date.
