Want to Sell Your Home Quickly?

Avoid these Nine Mistakes

All home owners want to sell their home quickly and for maximum profit. However, there are nine mistakes that are commonly made which prevent this from happening. Avoid these nine mistakes and you will sell your home quicker and at a greater profit.

Mistake #1:  Setting the Wrong Price for Your Home

This is one of the most challenging tasks in selling a home. If you price your home right, you will get more visitors and more full-price offers than if your price your home too high and later reduce the price. The first 30 days are critical. You want the price to be right from the start.

If you price your home too high, it will take longer to sell and you will make less money. If you price your home too low, you will loose a lot of money. Real estate markets change quickly. You must work with a full time realtor that understands your market to determine the best asking price. He/she will do a comparative market analysis of similar homes that have sold in your neighborhood. This will give you a good idea in setting the asking price of your home.

Mistake #2:  Selecting the Wrong Agent Creates Poor Marketing

In today’s market, most people use current technology, such as the internet, to check out a home before they even contact an agent. The days are long gone when you can just put up a sign in the yard and sell your home for maximum profit. You need to work with a full time real estate agent that utilizes the most current technology. This means your house is being marketed every day, all day to anyone that has access to a computer. You must take advantage of the technology to generate as many leads as possible and thus maximize your profits.

Mistake #3:  Not Being Able to See Your Home from the Eyes of Your Prospective Buyer

After you’ve lived in a home for a long time, you become oblivious to the appearance of the home. Clutter and dust don’t bother you as much. Although most buyers may not keep a spotless home, they do expect the home they buy to be well maintained and clean. Many sellers don’t realize that the money that they put into fixing up their home will come back to them five fold. If a seller simply wants to give the buyer a credit to do the repairs, the seller will never get maximum profit from their home. The buyer will always continue negotiating for a lower price.

Make those small repairs, clean and de-clutter the home. You stand to increase your profit by hundreds of dollars.

Mistake #4:  Poor Curb Appeal

Once a buyer has seen the inside of your home using technology, he/she will normally drive by your home. They are going to check out the appearance of your home and the neighborhood. Their first impression is the most important. What do they see when they see the outside of your home? Did you know that a large number of sales are closed because the buyers liked the outside appearance of the home? You want to make sure your home has curb appeal. Ask your agent for ideas on how to enhance the appearance of the outside of your home. Then, follow those suggestions.

Mistake #5:  Make it Convenient to Show Your Home

Most buyers look at homes at night after work and on weekends. Although this may not be convenient to you as the seller, you must make the effort to allow your buyers to see the home when they can schedule. Try to keep you home as tidy as possible, so you can leave within a few minutes notice. Be sure you have a plan set up of where to go while your home is being sold. Remember, it may not be convenient, but this could be the last buyer that will tour your home before making an offer to buy it.

Mistake #6: Disclose all Problems in Your Home

Never try to hide problems in your home. Most savvy buyers today will request a professional home inspection. Any problems that do exist will probably be discovered. Honesty is the best policy. Be honest with your real estate agent and your buyers. It is always better to take care of problems you are aware of right up front rather than wait. You risk the chance of loosing a sale by procrastinating. Even worse, you could face a lawsuit in the future. Almost all problems can be resolved quickly and with minor expense.

Mistake #7:  Giving a Guided Tour of Your Home

One of the worst things you can do is to be in your home when it is being shown. Most potential buyers do not feel comfortable about the homeowner being present. If you have to be home, go to a remote room away from everything else and stay there. Do not offer explanations about your home or discuss repairs that need to be made. Let the real estate professionals do their job. The less you say the better off you will be. If at all possible, leave your home. It may be the difference between a sale and a short tour.

Mistake #8:  Failing to Plan Your Move Ahead of Time
Simply stated… moving isn’t simple. Most people fail to make plans about moving before their contract is signed. Don’t wait until the last minute to make your plans. It can be completely overwhelming. While you’re planning, be sure to have a place where you can place all reports and expenses about your home. Many of those expenses will be tax deductible. You also need to plan how you’re going to mark the boxes before they arrive at your new home, so you’ll know how to quickly and efficiently unpack.

Mistake #9:  Failure to Understand Negotiating

Selling your home involves negotiating. This is why you have a professional real estate agent to represent you. You must be willing to be a little flexible. For example, you may have to change the date of closing, the date you move out, the final price of your home or make some necessary repairs in order to close the sale. Don’t get discouraged. This is part of the process. You don’t want a good buyer to get away. I could cost you a lot of money, not to mention time. Don’t be afraid to ask your real estate agent for advice.