Home Selling Mistakes that are stopping you from selling your home

You listed your Kamloops home for sale and it seems as if one problem after another reared its ugly head.

Avoiding common home selling mistakes can determine the outcome of your home sale and whether or not you sell your home fast and for top dollar, all while reducing excess stress; now that’s good news, don’t you think?! We all like to avoid mistakes! I can almost hear your anxiety as you’re imagining experiencing these mistakes, but don’t worry, because today I’m going to tell you all about these common mistakes and just how to avoid them when selling your home. Keep reading to discover the mistakes you’ll definitely want to avoid:

1. You told your Real Estate Agent what price that you want to sell your home for and they quickly agreed – Why would you hire a Real Estate Agent and pay a commission for their expertise, if you told them how to do their job, including how to price your home for sale? This is called “buying a listing”; when an Agent eagerly agrees to any price you suggest. They accept your inflated price knowing that at a later point when your home hasn’t sold, they’ll simply recommend a price reduction due to your home not selling. You should be able to trust the Agent you hire, knowing that they’re advising you honestly. Chasing the market routinely results in a lower ultimate selling price.

2. You weren’t educated about the home selling process – Who likes surprises? Unless it’s a surprise birthday party and even then, plenty of us don’t like birthday surprises, so you certainly aren’t going to like surprises when selling a home. Knowing what to expect during the entire home selling process is priceless in maintaining your sanity.You should be well aware of the home selling process so you can anticipate as you go along. Surprises are often unsettling and are best to be avoided.  Your Real Estate Agent needs to advise you of this process.

3. You didn’t prepare to sell your home– Making the necessary preparations that include such things as cleaning, de-cluttering, repairs and staging. Your Kamloops realtor should be pointing out things that need to be done to make sure you have the best chance to sell.

4. You took shortcuts in making home repairs – Just because you’ve decided to sell your home doesn’t mean that now is the time to cut corners. Bad home repairs will be visible to Buyers and their inspectors. Don’t give Buyers the opportunity to request a price reduction.

5. You didn’t stick to deadlines. When you’re advised of a task that must be completed by certain dates for which you’re responsible, (getting permits, fixing a small problem, winterizing irrigation etc.) you’d better accomplish it by said date. Deadlines indeed matter and if you don’t follow deadlines, you can experience the costly results that can include you losing control over a Buyer not performing according to the contract or a home sale can even fall through due to your default of deadlines.

6. You don’t want to be inconvenienced– Selling a home is tough. You have Buyers coming through your home at all different times of day, you have to keep your home always “show ready” and you have to be available for questions and contract signing and initialing, just to name a few.  It’s a pain, I know. The quicker you comply and be inconvenienced, the quicker you can get your sold for top dollar and then, you don’t have to worry about leaving your bed unmade one day when you’re off to work.

7. Your home wasn’t presented well– A home’s presentation will always be key. This begins from how well you prepare your home, how well your Real Estate Agent photographs and videos your home and how well your home was blasted across the internet. When this isn’t covered well you can expect a longer than expected time frame to sell your home along with a lower selling price. It’s that simple.

8. Your home wasn’t seen by Buyers– Buyers search for their perfect home to buy over the internet, in fact, over 90% do! If your home isn’t picked up by a Buyer’s radar, your chances for a quick sale are slim pickings. You must get your home seen and your Real Estate Agent should be well equipped to do just that.

9. Your Real Estate Agent didn’t communicate well with you– Your Real Estate Agent fancied you during the “list your home with me courting period” and then once you hired them to sell your home, you were lucky if they returned your call by the next day. Check your Real Estate Listing Agreement and fire them if they’re not communicating with you.

10. You didn’t communicate well with your Real Estate Agent – How did you want to be communicated with; by phone, text or email? You must promptly get back to your Real Estate Agent when they reach out to you. As discussed above in #9, the same holds true for you.

11. You didn’t want to leave your home for showings – Staying around for home showings sets you up to be interrogated by Buyers and their Real Estate Agents. Don’t risk being tripped up by them. Get out of the house come show time.

12. Your Real Estate Agent didn’t know how to negotiate – Real Estate involves the ability to negotiate as you have Buyers wanting to get a deal of a lifetime and you, want a huge profit from the sale of your home. The only way for you to hear music to your ears is to have an Agent that is competent in negotiations.

13. You keep secrets from your Real Estate Agent– Thinking that you’ll keep your home’s “issues” and problems all to yourself in hopes that they’ll go undiscovered, will guarantee greater losses than revealing them at the beginning. Spill the beans up front.

14. Your Real Estate Agent doesn’t understand Real Estate Contracts – Understanding terms, conditions and timelines of a Real Estate purchase contract are critical in order to guide you. Being inept at this, can land you in a heap of trouble. Do not confuse this with providing legal advice as only a Real Estate Attorney can do this.

15. You like to make others sweat– Selling a home isn’t an all out, beat down the other party event. It’s more about being amicable. Play nice. After you sell your home, you can go back to making others sweat.

16. You hired a “yes maam/sir” Real Estate Agent– You should expect direction and expertise from your Real Estate Agent. An Agent agreeing with everything you say isn’t showing you any value. Now is not the time to have a “yes maam/sir” on your side. Sure you need someone fighting for you but it must come with Real Estate expertise to guide you, otherwise, why do you need them?!

17. You didn’t declutter your home– Decluttering a home means to remove the excess, the overflowing and the things that take away from the beautiful bones of your home. This means bare Kitchen and Bathroom counter tops. In the Kitchen we could see a Coffee or Tea pot. If you’re a morning toast person, you can keep the Toaster out, otherwise hide it away.  In your Bathrooms, remove all toiletries and keep out only a few decorative items. Overstuffed closets is a no-no too.  Pack and put in storage if you have to, in order to free up space in your home. No Buyer wants to see a home that’s stuffed to the brim, as it clearly screams that it wouldn’t accommodate their belongings.

18. You didn’t stage your home – Staging a home isn’t always about having to hire a professional Stager as you can accomplish this if your Real Estate Agent knows how to make your home feel. The rooms in your home need to portray a clear visible use and focal point. Make sure that the furniture layout flows nicely and that you appeal to the Buyer’s senses

19. Your home wasn’t priced right– This is usually the #1 mistake made in selling a home. The price was wrong. Price your home right and you’ll find Buyers lining up at the front door to get in to see your home.  

20. You listened to your neighbours, friends and family about how you should price your home for sale – Would you visit an Orthopedic Doctor when you had heart palpitations? You may even have to visit a Cardiologist for stress after listening to your neighbours, friends and family about how to price your home for sale. Instead seek the advice of a trusted Real Estate professional, always.

21. You didn’t keep your home clean and neat – It’s time to bring out the neat and clean freak in you when selling a home.  Keeping your home neat, orderly and smelling clean speaks volumes to Buyers as they wander through your home.  It tells them that you care for your home and a cared for home brings in top dollars from Buyers.

22. You didn’t keep your home light and bright– Light and bright makes everything look so much better. Blinds drawn, lights not turned on and light bulbs burnt out do not elicit welcoming thoughts.

23. You didn’t remove the “You” from your home – Seeing “You” when Buyers walk into your home make it difficult for them to see themselves living in your home. It’s a gift to be able to see beyond the “You” and most Buyers do not possess that gift.  Make it easy for them and remove your extremely personal touches such as rows of family photos and your collections.

24. Your Real Estate Agent didn’t take high quality Photos of your home– Dark lit photos, toilet lids up, pets running through the photo, you in the photo, few photos and just plain, awful photos won’t get Buyers into your home. They’ll skip over your home and keep hunting for the well photographed home.

25. You never knew your Real Estate Agent took poor quality photos– What you never knew?! Didn’t you ask to see your home’s presentation? Even without you asking, your Real Estate Agent should show you the finished product of your home’s online presentation. So many of the photos that I come across when I’m searching for homes for sale for my Buyers in Kamloops are disgraceful, while I’m just shocked at the pathetic photo presentations. I’m confident that the homeowners have no idea of how poorly their home looks otherwise, they’d fire their Agent. Your home should look so good that you almost second guess your decision to sell, as you’ll want to buy your home all over again.

26. You were stubborn – When you’re selling your home it cannot be about your way or the highway. Agreement will be a manner in which great results can be achieved. Give a little, take a little.

27. You didn’t make sure prospective Buyers were well qualified financially to buy your home – When considering a Buyer’s offer to purchase your home, you’ll want to know about their ability to buy your home financially, if financing. Ask your Real Estate Agent, as they should be making sure this occurs with each Buyer’s offer.

28. You didn’t neutralize those bold, bright colors in your home – Some may adore bright and bold colors, however the masses are attracted to neutrals knowing they can add their own pizazz, if desired.  Finding Buyers who have the exact same bold tastes as you will be limited. Why would you ever want to limit the number of Buyers drawn to your home?

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29. You didn’t trust your Real Estate Agent – Never can you have a solid relationship without trust. You must have complete trust and faith in your Real Estate Agent, if you’re going to have any kind of success in getting your home sold.

30. You don’t have a plan for moving – From the moment you decide it’s time to move and sell your home, you must have a well thought out plan so you know what to do after each step has been completed; from the home preparation to the last box packed. You must be moved out of your home by the day of closing.

31. You didn’t have a family discussion with the children about your move – Don’t think your children aren’t affected by your move. Discuss the move with them and involve them in the planning and preparation to keep their emotional outbursts to a minimum.

32. You didn’t think positively – “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will” – Zig Ziglar

33. You thought of selling your home in a fleeting moment – You didn’t plan and consider what selling a home truly meant.  You must plan and understand the process of selling a home. #2 should make you well aware of this.

34. You were too emotionally attached to selling your home– Deciding to sell a home can certainly be emotionally charged.  Your home is packed full of memories; memories that last a lifetime, I understand.  However, once you’ve made the decision to sell your home, you must set aside your emotions. If not, you’ll be making decisions based upon your emotions instead of tried and tested home selling methods. Emotional decision making always steers you in the wrong direction resulting in you not selling your home or selling it for less money in the end.

35. You didn’t hire a Real Estate Agent who loves to sell homes – This is one of the best ways to avoid those home selling mistakes.  When you hire a Real Estate Agent who loves what they’ll do, they’ll find great satisfaction in making the home selling process a great experience for you and they know how to avoid common mistakes. Ask your Agent how they feel about selling homes

36. Your Real Estate Agent has no Social Media presence – Having a social media presence here in 2017 and the years ahead is no longer an option if you want to have any type of success in selling homes. It’s a must. Google your Real Estate Agent’s name to see if they get it!

37. Your Real Estate Agent doesn’t have a clue about SEO – It involves skilled internet marketing, impacted with SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge, which isn’t a skill learned in one afternoon. It requires that the Real Estate Agent constantly educates themselves on the processes and techniques that enable them to be kept at the forefront of prospective Buyers searching for homes for sale over the internet. Over 90% of Buyers search over the internet for the home they want to buy; make it easy for them to find your home.

38. You didn’t properly vet your chosen Real Estate Agent – #’s 1,2,8,9,12,14,16,25,24,26,27,29,35,36 and 37 all detail mistakes made when you chose the wrong Real Estate Agent to represent you in your home sale. Get it right next time and use this list, interview Agents and ask the right questions to select a trusted proven Real Estate professional.

Now that’s quite a list, isn’t it?! In my years of selling homes as a Kamloops Realtor, I have seen such mistakes being made when they could have been  avoided.  Now you know what mistakes to avoid in order to have a happier, peaceful and more fruitful home sale due to lessons learned or avoided altogether due to reviewing these tips.  Use this list to guide you in avoiding these home selling mistakes that are stopping you from selling your home. There’s no excuse for next time as you can print this, save it to your computer, pin it to your home selling board on Pinterest or even print it to put it on your refrigerator. Remember, however, if you put it on your refrigerator be sure to remove it before you sell your home, as a clean refrigerator with nothing pasted all over it, is also a must when it’s time to sell!

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