Avoid mistakes that can derail selling a house

Things that can affect a home sale

Are the neighbours nice? What's the kid's favourite spot to play? What repairs have you made? What does THIS thing do? How long does it take to get to the airport? Really, that quick? Well, what about in rush hour?

No one's better able to answer those and a million other buyers' questions than you. You can be a font of wisdom and confidence and expertise, the ideal person to advocate for your biggest asset.

But there are some common mistakes, errors we see in the real estate industry every day, that could make you, let's say ... the less-than-best person.

Beautiful pictures, a thoughtful comparative market analysis, a smartly worded MLS listing, great exposure through Internet real estate sites and your own social networks: the power of all of those can be diminished by sale-repelling errors.

Let's start with the most routine mistake: clutter. Many home sellers assume that buyers will overlook clutter and mess and train their mind's eye on their home's potential. You have to tidy up - even your storage spaces. Mess prompts stress in prospective buyers, and that's bad news for the deal.

While you're at it, get your dog out of there when showing. I feel your ambivalence on this. Everyone love's their dogs. We all do that thing where we treat them like children. And yet I would never in a dozen dog years have them around if I was selling my house. They're a distraction and they can act unpredictably. So take out your dogs when you have a showing booked if possible.

Weird smells are death to a sale; luckily, it's summer, which is the perfect time to air out your home and showcase your fragrant backyard. Even strong odours that you assume smell great - the Scentsy candles you buy in bulk from Julie next door - might turn a buyer off. Stick with clean, fresh, subtle.

Should we stay or go?

A lot of buyers will feel uncomfortable with the sellers of a house being present at a showing, maybe check with your Realtor if it is a good idea. Maybe you can offer to be there if a second showing happens and brings more detailed questions to be answered.

If you are at home and the buyers are OK with you being there, lead the tour. Don't follow. The open-ended, "have-a-look-around-at whatever" just provokes uncertainty and awkwardness.

Use your presence to your advantage: be that advocate, that confident seller, that expert guide. Emphasize the things you love. You are the deal's second-best asset, after the home itself.

That said, give your prospects some time and space. Don't hover and smother; let your buyers linger in a room and then start guiding the tour again when they're ready.

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Meeting prospective buyers is often a great experience. You may click so well with them that you maintain a relationship after the sale.

Other times, they can test your patience and, if you let it happen, needlessly complicate the potential sale. So don't let it happen.

If your buyers crack wise about something you love about your home, let it go. Note their objections and suggest fixes if they're realistic, and keep your objectivity.

Sometimes a savvy buyer will grind you with multiple criticisms to try to shave the price down. Don't take it as rudeness (even though it probably is). Think of it as good negotiation, and respond in kind by citing the market comparables and research on sales activity in the neighbourhood that you've done.

Finally, the phrase, "Do NOT go in there" is not in a homeseller's vocabulary. All doors in your home are open, literally and metaphorically.

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