Selling your home can be a stressful and challenging process. Why would you want to make it doubly so by irritating potential buyers? Here’s what you want to avoid when putting your home on the market.
1) Not being show ready
If you want your home to sell for top dollar you need to be prepared. You’re doing yourself a disservice if potential buyers walk into your home and feel like things are not clean, things are cluttered or there are too many personal belongings. Before opening up your home for showings, you need to thoroughly clean, remove clutter and relocate personal items. Remember – you want buyers to be able to envision themselves living in your home. Make their job easier by neutralizing spaces, getting rid of old or worn-out furniture and packing up all your personal belongings like family pictures and sports team memorabilia.
2) Not accommodating showings, or lurking around during showings.
How can you sell your home if you don’t show it!! While it can certainly be an inconvenience, you need to accommodate buyers when they request a showing. This means being ready to leave at a moment’s notice Also, potential buyers do not feel comfortable looking at a home if the seller is present. If you make it difficult for anyone to view your home, it can hurt you down the line during negotiations. Be amiable and understand you’ll be inconvenienced from time to time during the showing process.
3) Price to sell…or at least generate interest.
If you haven’t done your homework and you overprice your home, you’ll likely extend the time your house is on the market by many months. You can be sure that buyers have done their homework and are aware of what comparable prices are in your neighborhood. If your home falls outside of this range, it is quite likely many potential buyers will simply overlook your home. Working with a knowledgeable agent will help ensure that your home is priced appropriately from the start.
4) Disclose everything
If you know your home has problems, it is best to be upfront about them. Whether it’s a funky smell or issues with the roof, trying to mask problems during the selling process is only going to hurt you in the end. These issues will eventually come out during the home inspection and could delay or endanger the sale and even possibly involve you in a legal battle. When it comes to any repairs that will need to be made to the home, honesty is the best policy.
5) Try and keep your emotions out of it
Yes, you have an emotional attachment to your home – that’s normal. But when it comes time to sell, you need to set those emotions to the side and realize this is a business transaction. Potential buyers may have different ideas about what they like – or don’t – about your home, and you can’t take it personally should they suggest doing away with something about the house that you love. Maintain a healthy emotional distance and let your agent handle any interactions that may be tough for you.
Compliments of Virtual Results
