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Common mistakes home sellers make (that you should avoid)

By Andrew Bell

When you are selling a home, your ultimate goal is to get the best price possible for the property, and it takes quite a bit more work to do so than many might realise. That’s especially true of first-time sellers, and if you are trying to put your best foot forward, it’s vital that you know the most effective path to a sale.

Put another way, you need to understand where a lot of other homeowners have made mistakes that may have made it more difficult to sell, or cost them potentially tens of thousands of dollars. These are some of the more common missteps people make when putting their homes on the market, and you should do all you can to avoid them:

Overvalue due to sentiment

Any agent will tell you that perhaps the biggest mistake sellers make is thinking their home is more valuable than what reality dictates, and demanding that it be priced accordingly. Investopedia stated that this often comes due to sentimental feelings about the house where you’ve likely spent years, watched your kids grow up and gone through many other life changes.

However, you cannot afford be emotional in such a high-value business transaction. When you make the decision to sell, you really need to start thinking about “your home” as “a house.”

Think you can hide issues large and small

Every house has its problems. Some may be as small as a creaky floorboard or dripping faucet. Others can be as big as a poorly constructed roof, or a water heater that’s nearing the end of its life span. You have to be upfront about those problems and, in most cases, fix or replace them. This not only make the process as straightforward as possible, but it also just makes everything simpler. Any home inspection is going to uncover most problems, regardless of size, so it’s better to just be open about them.

Improperly staging the property

Making your home as attractive as possible for would-be buyers isn’t easy, but it is necessary, according to Domain. That requires depersonalising every room, clearing out every bit of clutter, tidying up, making every space bright and welcoming, and addressing many other considerations. This is an area where working with an agent really helps, because they know what sells and what doesn’t.

Put a lot of money into renovations

Many homeowners decide to renovate or upgrade various parts of the house before selling, in the hope that a new kitchen or bathroom with all the latest features is truly exciting to buyers. However, the odds that you will recoup all that expense might not be as high as you think, so it’s best to do a little research and consultation with an expert before going through them.

Taking your own listing photos

Your online home listing will typically be a buyer’s introduction to the property, so you need to make it look as good as possible. Brickfloor noted that many homeowners try taking their own photos, and because they’re not professionals, they just don’t know what makes any given space look its best. Bring in an agent or a serious photographer instead, and the results will speak for themselves.

Whether you are selling a home for the first time or the fifth, it’s important to make sure you do everything you can to set yourself up for success. That includes working with an experienced real estate agent who can help guide you through every aspect of the selling process to make sure it all works out for the best. At Ray White Surfers Paradise, we have closed countless sales to our clients’ great satisfaction, and would love to be able to do the same for you, so get in touch today to learn more.

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