8 Common Home Selling Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them!)

Selling a home seems like a simple enough process. You have something that others may want; you put it out there and eventually iron out a good deal. Yet, we all know that it is not that simple. 

In fact, selling a home has been said to be more stressful than having a child!

The greatest way to eliminate the stress is to get the deal done, yet that can be easier said than done. Many people carry out home selling mistakes that could lead 1 house on the same street to stay on the market only for a few days or weeks and another to hang around for months or years on end like a bad cough.

What are they, and what can you do to counteract these effects? Read on to find out!

1. Taking Bad Photos and Videos

As the saying goes, you will never have a second chance to make a first impression, and this certainly applies to home selling. 

Hastily throwing together a few pictures in the desire to get selling a home up and running can, in reality, end up costing you money as fewer people will be enticed to find out more. 

Even the most unassuming property can catch the attention of a potential buyer if good pictures and videos are taken.

Consider getting them done professionally by a photographer with real estate experience. Not only do professional photos give interested persons the "wow" factor that they want, but they give off an impression of trustworthiness which could be essential should you move on to negotiations. This upfront expense could really pay off big time in the long run.

2.Not Dealing With Problems in Your House

When you live in a property, it is easy to ignore the little maintenance issues that only cause minor disruption. However, procrastinating on getting them seen too becomes a major issue when selling a home. 

In their desire to get the deal done, if not blindingly obvious, one of the most common mistakes when selling a home is not mentioning said issue when negotiation with a potential buyer.  This unnecessary faux pas can lead you to experience serious issues later down the line so avoid doing this at all costs. 

Although not a legal requirement in most provinces of Canada, not correctly completing a Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS) has lead to many legal cases against sellers. In addition, both patent and some latent defects can be easily spotted by a home inspector, meaning your bluff could get called in what would be an embarrassing fashion. 

In many cases, buyers don't mind a house that needs a little work. You can also turn any lingering issues into a positive by offering attractive solutions such as offering credit towards any fixes or lowering the price to compensate for any repairs. 

3. Overpricing Your Property

Whether you are selling a family home full of sentimental value or you are planning to offload an investment property, the aim is the same. To make and not lose money when selling it. 

Yet, one of the biggest home selling mistakes comes from this. Overpricing your property.

Regardless of how much you think your property is worth, the values are subject to change due to whether you are selling into a buyer or a seller's market. Get it wrong by overpricing, and you could find yourself pushing potential buyers to other properties as they will appear more attractive in contrast to your own.

Being out of touch with the current market can also give the impression that you will be difficult to negotiate with. In most cases, there are at least a few alternative options on the table for someone buying a property, and people are content to wait and get it right. 

Don't get it wrong for yourself, and be realistic with your expectations by doing good research before putting up your numbers.   

4. Light It Up!

Showing a home that is poorly lit is another clear way in which you can sabotage your home selling success. 

A well-lit room is able to appear much larger than one cast in shadows so take matters into your own hands if you are not blessed with wonderful natural light all over your home. Make a note of the rooms that don't fit the bill and put in additional lamps, and make a note to change any blown lightbulbs. 

For something that requires such a quick fix, it would be a shame to repress your selling power and not get them sorted asap.

4. Not Removing Clutter

When selling a home, the idea should be to facilitate someone's ability to see themselves living there. Someone's imagination is perhaps the biggest factor for them deciding to find out more about a property or to keep it moving. 

For that reason, you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot by giving off the impression that it is still your home. This can be done by leaving family pictures visible when there is a viewing or having your home full of your personal odds and ends when you decide to have pictures taken or a video done. 

No matter how spacious or appealing the layout of a home is, these reflections of your personality make it extremely difficult for people to engage their mind's eye and put themselves in your home. 

To counter this, if you are serious about getting the deal done, consider redecorating to more neutral colours. 

5. Not Taking Home Staging Seriously

Following on from this, home staging is an essential tool in your arsenal that needs to be used. In fact, 25% of buying agents have said that a home staging can increase the amounts that a property can be expected to receive upon sale.  

If the home you are selling is empty, it is all too easy to go the other way and think that it works to your advantage if enabling people to picture themselves living there. But all of us need some reference to properly gain perspective on things like furniture, etc. Taking the time to invest and buy a few simple ornaments to adorn a property in making it seem more appealing. 

If it is a home that you or existing tenants live in, there are still things that you can do to up your chances of making a sale. Having new neutral coloured towels in the bathroom, clear but visually stimulating worktops in the kitchen and being conscious of having nice homely smells in place can all work to package your property in the best way possible.

7. Not Being Flexible on Viewing Times

If you are serious about something, then that is often shown in what we are willing to do to achieve the goal. The problem is that because selling a home is already viewed as being a long process; then we can often delay the process ourselves by being awkward with our own schedule.  

Simply put, if you want to get your home sold, then you will try your best to accommodate those that are interested in buying it. If you don't, then you shouldn't be surprised if it is difficult to sell. For any major inconveniences, focus on how you are going to treat yourself when the deal gets done; that way, it will all seem worth it! 

8. Not Hiring an Agent

With a multitude of rogue agents out there, it is understandable that many think that they would be best off dealing with the home selling process themselves.

Yet, a good agent can do wonders to speed up and smooth out the laborious and stressful world of selling a home. 

On one hand, using an agent will take the emotion out of selling a home if it is where you have lived. Very often, these feelings can cloud out clear judgement, so having an objective external view on whether an offer is worth your time or not is a real benefit. In addition, their years of experience in negotiation and paperwork mean that they can often get you a much better deal than if you went at it alone. 

Take the Pain Out of Home Selling

Having a home sitting on the shelf is similar to that feeling of getting picked last for a sports game. Others may be oblivious to your uneasiness, and you wish you could do something about it, but the decision is out of your hands.

But the difference is with home selling; there is something that you can do. We hope our insights into the many home selling tips that have proved successful to countless people over the years will lead you to a quick sale. 

If you live in Edmonton, Alberta and are serious about making things happen for your sale property, then get in contact with us! We would love to make your desires a reality. 

Post a Comment