If you are thinking about listing your home for sale, you should be careful not to make the same mistakes that other sellers have. Once you have decided that you are ready to move, you should be fully committed to making it a successful experience. Well prepared home sellers, sell their homes faster.
Review these mistakes that are commonly made by homeowners whose homes have been sitting on the market for months. If you want to list, and sell your home in a reasonable amount of time, then by all means avoid making bad choices in the process.
You Have Priced Your Home Too High – This is a common mistake made by Home Sellers. This single mistake can leave your home sitting on the market much longer than other homes. If you have an ideal number in mind for the pricing of your home, you may want to keep it to yourself until you speak with an experienced real estate professional. The first thing that you should ask your agent is “How Do You Determine What I Should List My Home For?”. Your agent should be able to explain to you in detail, all of the factors that they are considering when coming up with a listing price for your home.
There is some risk in telling an agent what you “want” to get for the home in your first conversation. You may find an agent who agrees to sell your home at the “Unlikely To Sell” list price and then after several months on the market, numerous showings and Open Houses you have to reduce the listing price to what should have been the initial recommended listing price right from the start.
The bottom line is, if you feel that you MUST get a specific amount of money for your home, or you do not agree with the price that an agent has given you, you may want to consider not putting your home on the market at this time.
Poor “Buyer Eye Appeal” – You may have heard of the term “curb appeal”. This term refers to how people see your home when they drive or walk past. What impression will they get when they first look at the outside of your home? If your home does not appeal to the eye of a possible buyer, they are not likely to want to tour the inside of your home.
Buyers do notice overgrown bushes and trees. They have a good eye for spotting missing shingles or torn window screens. Weeds, unkempt yards and gardens aren’t only a turn-off to prospective buyers, they also scream out to them just how much time and energy they will need to spend fixing up the outdoor space of the home.
Before listing your home, take the time to have a good look around your yard and the exterior of your house and get it fixed up and cleaned up. You want every possible buyer visiting your home. You don’t want to miss that one special visitor as a result of an untidy or poorly groomed home exterior.
Your Home is Cluttered – We all manage and arrange our homes in different ways. However, the common factor that most people can agree on is whether a living space is too crammed or cluttered with furniture, accents and various items. Cluttered spaces will make your rooms look smaller, and also give the impression of limited space. The best thing to do is to start to pack up boxes before listing your home. Start putting all those trophies, trinkets and treasures away. Reduce materials from table tops and shelves. Don’t forget to de-clutter your closets too! Organized closets look more spacious and functional.
For a perspective buyer to see your home as their future home, you will need to remove any of the personal belongings that make them see the “YOU” in the home and therefore they cannot see “THEM” in the home. Your family photos, your collections and even children’s artwork should be packed away. If you are not sure where to begin you can always ask your real estate professional for some resources that will help you out.
Your Home Needs To Be Cleaned – Clean and sparkling homes are very attractive to home buyers. Nothing feels fresher then entering a home that is spotless from baseboard to ceiling trim. Giving your home, a floor to roof thorough cleaning will be easier after you de-clutter and depersonalize each room. It’s also easier to polish up your home when there are less items to wash and dust around.
If you are including the appliances in your sale, take the extra time to clean and organize them as well. No buyer wants to spend the first days in a new home, cleaning your Thanksgiving dinner out of their new oven. Dirty appliances also have a tendency to look poorly maintained or cared for. After all, this will be a home buyers new fridge or stove, so do your best to shine it up!
A fresh coat of paint always adds a touch of clean to a home. Choosing neutral colours are your best bet. Buyers and sellers rarely have the same tastes in design and decor so keeping things neutral is the smartest way to go.
You Have Major Projects On The Go – Home buyers are always a little tentative about considering purchasing homes that have major projects that have been started but not completed. Whether it’s a half finished fence, or a basement ceiling left incomplete, you may want to consider finishing the job before listing your home. The extra time it takes to have the jobs completed will be well worth it. Your home will show better, and you will reduce possible deterrents for perspective buyers.
Putting a home on the market that is overpriced and not properly prepared for sale can cause a lot of undue stress for you as a Seller. You can reduce some of the stress by taking some positive steps before that For Sale Sign goes in your yard. After all, if you are serious about selling your home, you will want every prospective buyer to come through your door.
Thanks, Deb Rhodes
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