Home Selling Mistakes
Elizabeth Weintraub has an extensive background in real estate spanning more than 30 years, including experience in related industries that support real estate sellers and buyers. Elizabeth wrote about the most common mistakes home sellers do when selling a house and I decided to publish this information on the blog as well.
Selling your home is one of the most critical activities you will do your entire life. If you are going to sell your home, it is ideal if you secure the services of professionals who can guide you every step of the way. But if you are intent on doing this on your own, make sure you avoid these mistakes most home-sellers make.
- Basing a home’s selling price on your emotions or its perceived market value is another usual mistake home sellers make. As a seller, you must put your pride and love for your home and allow a professional appraiser provide you with your home’s true market value. If you rely on your emotions, you may price your home too low or too high. Peg the price too low and you don’t get what it’s really worth, peg the price too high and it stays in the market longer (thus lowering its market value). Either way, you lose, so it’s best to leave this task to the experts.
- The manner by which you present your home and the renovations you have done prior to putting your home up for sale are also home selling mistakes. Presenting an unkempt or ill-maintained house turns off buyers. Over improving it prior to selling and over pricing it also affects the outcome of your sale.
- Another mistake home sellers make is that they don’t take the first offer seriously. Remember that an offer is an offer. Don’t ignore an offer and keep holding out for a better price.
- Finally, not getting yourself with the legal rights and obligations as a home seller is the biggest mistake you can make. A wrong stipulation or an erroneous document can cost you not just your home, but litigation expenses as well.
Bear these in mind when you are selling your home. If you feel that you’re in over your head, just go to the professionals and let them do all the work.
June 6th, 2007 at 7:09 am
Guys, avoid home preparation mistakes and you will be cool.
Getting your house ready for market goes beyond making the beds and washing dirty dishes. Although I’ve seen plenty of homes with toys scattered throughout and dishes piled in the sink; buyers can’t get out of those homes fast enough!