Biggest Home Seller Mistakes
Biggest Home Seller Mistakes
Home Seller Mistakes:
Real Estate Agents Rank Biggest Home Seller Mistakes
Written by ActiveRain Real Estate Network
Education & Training with ActiveRain
A recent survey of real estate agents by ActiveRain has confirmed that there are certain things a seller should avoid if they are trying to get their home sold for the best price in the least amount of time.
The results of this survey are no surprise to real estate agents, but sellers need to understand that eliminating as many hurdles as possible to the sale of your home will help you achieve your desired outcome.
Of the top mistakes, most are ultimately in the hands of the seller. Working with your real estate agent to minimize the impact of each of these mistakes will make the sale of your home a reality.
Here are the top mistakes real estate agents commonly see made by homeowners looking to sell their house.
1. Overpriced Home
2. Showing Availability – It’s Difficult to Set a Showing
The chances your home will sell when buyers can’t get in to physically inspect the property are minuscule. Sellers need to understand that listing a home for sale is going to lead to some inconveniences in your normal routine. Many serious buyers may want to physically inspect a property during times which may not be convenient for the seller. Knowing this, motivated sellers need to understand that flexibility in when you allow the home to be sold could have a direct impact on the sale of your home.
3. Cluttered Space – Unwilling to Depersonalize or Remove Clutter
Sellers are sometimes unwilling to either make the effort, or unwilling to compromise how they live in their home during the time the home is on the market for showings. Serious sellers realize that by depersonalizing the home and removing unwarranted clutter, it allows potential buyers to more easily visualize their own things in the house.
4. Unpleasant Odors in the House
Nothing will stop a potential buyer in their tracks faster than a strong odor of any sort. In some cases this could just be the left over smell from last nights dinner. In more extreme cases, agents tell horror stories of entering homes that have a bad smell of pet urine or smoking.
5. Seller Unwilling to Make Repairs Prior to Listing
No seller wants to spend a few thousand dollars making repairs to a house you are about to sell. Agents understand that. But they also understand that few buyers want to move in to a house that needs a bunch of work done immediately upon moving in.
One of your objectives to selling your home is to make it as appealing as possible to as wide of an audience as possible. If the seller is unwilling to make repairs, and a buyer doesn’t want a bunch of work upon moving in, you’ve shrunk the pool of potential buyers for your property.
6. Sellers Unwilling to Negotiate with Buyers
Setting a market price on a home is not an exact science. Many real estate agents will give the seller a range in which they predict the home will sell. As a seller, you should always want the most money the market will bear. That being said, the unwillingness to negotiate with buyers can turn away even the most serious buyers.
Price is not the only condition which is open to negotiation. Buyers and sellers can negotiate on dates, fixtures that might stay with the home, repairs and a host of other sticking points. Sellers that refuse to negotiate and are set on digging in their heels are much less likely to find a willing and able buyer.
7. Bad Photos in the MLS
This one will most likely fall on your real estate agent. But knowing that bad photos in the MLS can be an impediment to the sale of your home, as a seller it’s imperative that you demand great photography from your agent.
Studies show that greater than 85% of people are going online as a part of their research for buying a home. Most buyers will probably first be introduced to your home online. Poor photos could be cause for them to disregard your home before they ever set foot in it.
8. The Home is Just Plain Messy
You were late for work this morning so you ran out of the house without picking up from last night’s dinner. Not a big deal…..unless you have potential buyers that will be stopping by.
Some people may be able to look past the dishes stacked up in the sink, but enough buyers won’t be able to look past the mess. Remember, buyers want to envision their things in your house. The more obstacles you put in the way, the harder time they have connecting with the home emotionally.
Take the time every day to make sure everything is cleaned up and the home is in showing condition.
9. Sellers Who Like to Play Tour Guide During Showings
Almost every real estate agent who participated agreed that sellers should leave the house during showings. Some sellers want to stick around and make sure buyers see all the important features of a home. The problem with that………as a seller you don’t know what’s important to a buyer.
Sellers that hover around during a showing will make the buyer nervous. They won’t feel comfortable discussing things they like or dislike about the house with their agent. In addition, most buyers like to explore a little bit. Interested buyers tend to do things like open cabinets and check in closets to get a better sense for the entire home. A hovering seller can make this very uncomfortable for some buyers.
Bottom line……leave the house when it’s being shown.
10. Picking the Wrong Agent
You decided to list with your aunt or with your friend that is an agent. You paid no attention to their experience or what they do to market a home. Maybe not the best idea.
Real Estate agents will often suggest interviewing more than one agent. You’ll never know if your aunt is going to do a good job of marketing your home for sale if you have nothing to which to compare her.
Don’t be scared to ask a real estate agent questions about why they are a better choice than anyone else you may be considering. Just like with any profession, there are good real estate agents and there are bad real estate agents.
Bottom Line: Successful Real Estate Transactions Require Marketing
By Dianne McKenzie, associate broker for Equity New Mexico
Just putting a house on the market in the MLS, posting a sign on the property and then praying that a buyer will come along is not enough. Even the best homes that are well staged need marketing: marketing to other agents in the local MLS and to agents outside your area where buyers come from. Marketing to Buyers is also a necessity in a marketing strategy. Blogging and social media are essential tools in today’s real estate market as it is a known fact that 87% of the home buyers today use the internet for online house hunting. We also know that 92% of home buyers use the internet to screen homes and determine those homes they would like see. Internet buyers also spend nearly three times as much time investigating real estate markets before contacting a REALTOR® than traditional home buyers do.
I am a proponent of marketing real estate through social media, online exposure, blogging and marketing to other real estate agents. It is important to distinguish your home in the real estate market with an individual property website, which helps us to market your property in the online place where the most potential buyers are looking, and thus sell sooner.
Working with me at Equity New Mexico, I research and market properties to suit your needs & goals, negotiate on your behalf and help you manifest your dreams. I am acutely aware of current trends, the housing market and the current, pending & expired listings, so I can help you find or sell your home.
I am readily available by cell, text, & email and returns calls promptly, seven days a week! Call me for a consultation today: 505.603.9300.
For a current PDF of Aldea Homes & Lots for sale contact Dianne »
