8 Detrimental Mistakes When Selling a House
Any seller with experience knows that it can be stressful when selling a house. There is a lot of work that needs to go into selling a house in order to make sure they get a decent price and a quick turn around. Many houses sit on the market for too long. This can happen not because the market is slow, or there are no buyers, but because the seller is making one of these eight detrimental mistakes.
Pricing
Pricing is the hardest part of selling a house. Every homeowner thinks that their house is worth a certain amount, even if it is highly inflated. Homeowners tend to overprice their home. The price needs to be set on the value of the property, not the value that the owner believes.
Not Compromising
Every homeowner sets a price and expects a buyer to offer something similar. When a low offer comes in, it can often be quite offensive, especially if it is thousands less than what is being asked.
Take the pride out of haggling and make a counteroffer. If a price cannot be agreed on someone will walk away, but know that at some point someone will need to budge.
Cleaning
A house needs to be more than clean for a showing. It should look like no one lives there, even though a family clearly does.
Hiring a professional makes this job a lot easier. They will be able to come through and clean quickly and efficiently. A third party observer will also find messes that an owner may overlook.
Posting Pictures
Potential buyers are not listening to an explanation of a house from their agent nor are there reading a long description of how beautiful the kitchen is. They are looking at pictures. The higher quality the pictures the better.
Hiring a professional to find the perfect lighting and angle to make all the rooms feel large and open can help bring people through the doors.
Storing Personal Items
When selling a house, all personal items need to be packed away and preferably at a storage unit off the property. Look for items that could show what religion or even political affiliation the family has. Any of these items are best kept packed away. No one wants to spark up a debate with a potential buyer over what political party is the correct choice.
Staying Home During Showings
Nothing scares a buyer more than a homeowner who is standing nearby. Buyers are not going to ask the agent any questions and they are not likely to look at all areas of the home. They will attempt to be polite to the seller and will do a simple glance around the home.
This is going to lose a sale. No buyer wants to purchase a house they barely looked at but many buyers are too nervous to pry into a seller’s personal space.
Not Being Flexible
Always make the house available for an agent to show. Even though it is not convenient, it is always better to let a buyer walk through the house when they are interested.
If buyers are denied entry into a house they will move on to the next one. While a seller is waiting for buyers to come to them, buyers have many more options to look at.
Showing with Pets
Most people love and understand a homeowner having pets. However, no one wants an animal disrupting their viewing of a house. Not to mention the idea of cleaning up after a stranger’s animal can make some people nervous.
In the back of buyer’s minds, they are thinking about the smell of dog and cat being stuck in the carpet. Make sure the animals are with a family member when showing the house and always try to tuck away their belongings.
To sell a house for a great price a homeowner must be prepared. The house must be very clean, free of pet hair and supplies, and well organized for the showings. Great pictures can help draw buyers in but the key to making a sale is compromise. No buyer is going to want to work with a seller who will refuse to let them walk through the house when it is convenient for them or one who will not negotiate price.