5 Mistakes Homeowners Can Avoid When Selling Their House

Posted by Sean Andrews on August 28th, 2018

If you're ready to sell your house, you'll have quite a few decisions to make in the near future. If you've never sold a home before or even if you have, there are still mistakes you will want to avoid. In this article you'll learn about 5 mistakes homeowners can avoid when selling their house.

Pricing Your Home Incorrectly

If you sell your home on the MLS or for sale by owner, you might think your home is worth more than it actually is and you could list it too high. This can also happen when real estate agents give you the wrong valuation to persuade you to list with them. When a home is listed for too much, selling your home could take months and a lot of unnecessary expenses. Zach from nexushomebuyers.com, a company that buys houses without the help of a realtor, mentions that "we see this happen all the time unfortunately. Homeowners are promised a lofty sales price and the home doesn't end up selling. The homeowner has wasted months of their time, effort, and money with nothing to show for it."

Not Writing Down Your Options

When selling your home, you have mutliple options. Some people don't know that there are three different ways that you can sell your home; you can list with an agent, sell your home by yourself (FSBO), or sell your house to a professional cash home buying company. All three options can provide unique benefits and drawbacks to selling your home. Make sure to write down the three options and the pros and cons to each. This way you can decide what route will be the best one for you and your family.

Not Clearing Out Personal Items

Nowadays, we need to be shown things as they are, as opposed to imagining what they could be. This is definitely the case when selling a home. Potential buyers want to see a home as a neutral space, so they can imagine their things there. When there are personal items there that they might not have in their home, it limits a potential buyer's ability to imagine this as their home. 

Make sure you remove items that are unique to you such as vitamins on the counter or pictures of you or your family throughout the house. Buyers want to feel like this home could be their next home, not like they are intruding on someone else's personal space. Make sure to pack up anything that is not a necessity and store it until your home has sold.

Not Making The Necessary Repairs

When selling a home, most people want to move into a "move-in-ready" house. Unless your home is in an amazing area, not making the necessary repairs can cost you. Once a potential buyer does a home inspection, they may ask for a number of things that need to be fixed. If you have put some of the major repairs off for quite a while, you could be faced with a list of very expensive items to fix. Some sellers will even have their own home inspection done prior to listing the home to find out if there are any issues they need to address. If your inspection report comes back with some items that need to be fixed, it's probably a good idea to go ahead and fix them.

If the repairs are too expensive, you could look into a professional home buying company. Most companies will buy houses in as is condition, which could save you thousands in repair costs. 

Hiring A Bad Agent

One of the worst mistakes you can make is to hire a bad agent and unfortunately it is very easy to do. Some agents come across as friendly and trustworthy, but once they get your listing, they are unresponsive and hard to work with. 

Reading reviews is a great start, but some of the best agents come from referrals. Ask your friends and family about an agent that they would recommend. Chances are your friends and family might know an amazing agent, all you have to do is ask.

Ultimately, selling your home is a huge decision. Planning ahead of time can help you avoid some of the mistakes that homeowners typically make. This article provides you with 5 mistakes homeowners can avoid when selling their house and hopefully you can avoid some of these common mistakes when selling your house.