Top 7 Mistakes Sellers Make When Selling a House

Very rarely, if ever, does a seller not care about how much they make on selling their property, or how much time it takes.  So why do homeowners continue to make mistakes when going to sell their property?  Beware of these most common top 7 mistakes sellers make when selling their home.

1 – Refusing to clean up before listing. – Clutter turns off buyers, makes spaces feel smaller, is distracting, and does absolutely nothing to help in the sale of your house.  Too often I may hear from a seller “my stuff doesn’t come with the house, so why bother?” It’s all about perception.  Buyers make purchase on emotion, not logic.  When they feel stressed or if the place is home is not calming or it does not make them feel good, they are not buying it, period.

2 – Using Lousy Pictures – iPhones are great, and the cameras are better than ever, but they are still do not come close to professional pictures taken with nice lighting and the right lens. With 90% of home buyers starting their shopping online, using some basic, poorly lit iPhone pictures are one sure way to have a shopper hit the NEXT button.

3 – Pricing Incorrectly – Pricing a property is a crucial piece of getting a house to sell quickly and efficiently.  Make no mistake, this does not mean price it super low, it means price it strategically to attract the most amount of qualified buyers and present the highest possible value. There is typically a small window for this correct pricing.  Only in unique situations do I recommend the “list high and reduce later” technique be used.

4 – Neglecting to do any needed repairs – You will get the most money out of your property by having it move in ready.  The cost to fix a broken window may only be a few hundred bucks, but the buyer may perceive that cost much higher, hence only be willing to spend a lesser amount.  Don’t give buyers small things to nitpick, rather provide a solid home that shows it’s been taken care of, and buyers will have no problem paying full market value.

5 – Selling your home on your own – The numbers don’t lie!  Selling a property on your own without representation will statistically yield 7%-10% lower sales price. There’s many reasons for this, but at the end of the day, serious buyers are working with professionals, and they want to buy a quality home that is represented by such. For the same reason most people don’t represent themselves in court, it’s wise to hire a professional who’s expertise and licensure can protect you and your interest much better than you could yourself.

6 – Allow your ego to get in the way – There is no denying that 90% of homeowners think their property is worth more than it actually is.  Why? Maybe it’ ego, sometimes it’s sentimental value, or maybe the seller has added their own personal touches that maybe not everyone else sees the same value in. So when negotiating a sale, don’t allow your ego get in the way.  Selling a home is a business transaction, and as in any business transaction, it must be a win-win situation to make a deal.

7 – Failing to disclose what you know about the house – In Arizona, the seller is legally obligated to disclose material facts that may affect the buyer’s opinion of value. We used a document called the Seller Property Disclosure Statements.  When sellers don’t disclose facts that turn up later, buyers are left with a sour taste in their mouth and will be looking in the sellers direction. It’s better to disclose upfront, and when a defect is found during inspections, it won’t come as a surprise to the buyer and they are less likely to ask for compensation or repair on that item.  Additionally when defects that show up after closing the seller didn’t mention, the buyer could come back and sue you for damages, or even worse – have the entire sale reversed!  When in doubt, disclose!!

Search the MLS!