Four Common Mistakes that Home Sellers Make

Are you trying to sell your home so you can take advantage of the low mortgage rates and upgrade to a bigger and better home? Or are you trying to get out from underneath your mortgage so you can go back to renting or another situation because you simply can’t afford the payments any longer? Either way, selling your home is going to be one of the first steps to achieving those goals. Unfortunately, many home sellers shoot themselves in the foot when they try to sell their home by making mistakes that turn potential buyers off. Here are a few of those mistakes and what you should do to avoid them.

Pricing the Home Too High
Many home sellers have the idea that they can overprice a home and then negotiate to a lower price. While this is common in the real estate game, you shouldn’t just pick a price at random and expect to negotiate from there. You should know the local market and the housing prices in the surrounding area so you can set your price according to those standards. A price that is too high will guarantee that your home stays on the market for a long time. The longer it’s on the market, the less appealing it becomes to potential buyers.

Leaving Things Laying Around
When getting your home ready to show to potential buyers, it is never a good idea to leave things laying around. Pack away any personal photos and trinkets before anyone comes to see your home. You want the buyers to be able to see themselves living in that home and you are diminishing that feeling by letting them see the people who lived there before. The fewer knick-knacks and decorations you have in your home, the better it looks to the buyer.

Making Emotional Decisions
Good decisions are never based on emotions. That’s why you have to leave your emotions out of it when trying to sell your home. Some buyers are inevitably going to offer a price that is a lot less than the listing price. This isn’t a personal attack on you when they do this. It’s just part of the game. When this happens, you can’t let it affect your decision. Respond to all offers regardless of how low they are and you may be surprised how much those low-ballers are willing to pay after all.

Being Present
You never want to be in your home when potential buyers come to see it. Few things turn off buyers quicker than seeing the homeowner there when they are trying to make a decision. If you are there, they may not feel like they can discuss any issues with the real estate agent and they may just leave without seeing the home’s potential. If there is a scheduled open house or showing for your home, make yourself scarce and find somewhere else to go until the potential buyers have left.