The Seven Most Common Mistakes Sellers Make and How You Can Avoid Them

As a real estate professional I work with many buyers and sellers every year. 
And I often hear horror stories from people who made a seemingly small 
mistake in their past real estate transactions that ended up costing them a 
lot of aggravation and a lot of money. I don't want anyone to make these 
mistakes, so as a Realtor I work hard for my clients to ensure that their real 
estate transactions go smoothly. For those who are not my clients yet, I 
prepared this special report that outlines the seven most common and most 
expensive mistakes. I hope you will enjoy it and find it useful. 

Mistake #1 - The Wrong Price

A surefire way to get less than the fair market value for your home is to 
overprice it in the beginning. It sounds contradictory, but it is true. There are 
several reasons for this. First, if your home is more expensive than the similar 
homes in the neighborhood, fewer buyers will choose to even look at it. Why 
would they waste their time? And the buyers that do decide to look at your 
home will likely use it for comparison, to justify their decision to purchase a 
different home.  A similar home but a lot more expensive. We should 
get the one we saw yesterday. It's a bargain compared to this one.

Second, the longer your home remains unsold, the less interest it will generate among 
the buyers. Eventually, when it's been on the market longer than the other 
similar homes, buyers will start to think that there is something wrong with it. 
And then you are faced with the real possibility of being forced to sell it for less 
than its real value. So make sure that your home is priced correctly from the 
beginning. This will save you time, aggravation, and money. 

Overpricing is not the only pitfall that sellers fall into, some even under-price 
their homes. How do you know your home's real value? By getting a professional 
Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A CMA will show you what similar 
homes in your area are selling for, and how long it takes to sell them. You will be 
able to see the range of values that your home falls into, and then determine an 
accurate asking price. I offer CMAs for the homeowners in our area free of 
charge. Just give me a call or send me an e-mail, and I will prepare one for you 
at no cost and no obligation. 

Mistake #2 - Mistaking Lookers For Buyers 

Mistaking lookers for buyers is an error commonly made by those homeowners 
who try to sell their home themselves without a Realtor's help. For-Sale-by- 
Owners (FSBO's) actually do get more activity than homes listed by Realtors. 
This is mostly because a FSBO is often ready to show his home to anyone who 

expresses interest in it. And many times the unsuspecting seller will 
entertain offers from buyers who are not even qualified to purchase the 
home. But a good Realtor will only show your home to qualified buyers. 
And those are the people that are willing, able and ready to make the 
purchase. A qualified buyer is actively looking to purchase a home, has the 
down payment money ready, and most importantly has already been preapproved 
for the loan by their lender. When considering an offer from 
someone it is imperative that you verify that your buyer is indeed willing, 
able and ready to make the purchase. This will involve confirming with the 
lender your buyer's approval status, making sure that the buyer's employment, 
credit history and down payment money have all been confirmed by the 
lender. A good Realtor can certainly help you with this. 

Mistake #3 - Failing to Prepare The Home For Sale 

Who will be your toughest competition when you put your home on the 
market? Very likely the new construction. The new homes are clean, 
bright, uncluttered and, well, new. Your potential buyers have probably 
visited at least one new homes site, and their expectations are now higher. 
Make sure your home is also clean, neat, uncluttered, and bright. If there 
are any cosmetic blemishes, repair them. A new coat of paint does wonders 
for many homes. A clean, well-groomed yard is a must. Same goes for a 
clean, uncluttered garage. Anything that you can reasonably do to make 
your home look as new as possible is worth doing. A new-looking home will 
attract more buyers and will sell faster for top dollar. 

Knowing how to properly stage your home for sale is of utmost importance if you 
want to get the highest price. But noticing all the important details about your 
own home can sometimes be difficult. It helps to have a neutral third party take 
a look and suggest any needed aesthetic changes. That is why, as a free service to 
the homeowners in our area, I offer a free consultation on how to prepare your 
home for buyers. Simply give me a call or send me an e-mail and I will be glad 
to take a look at your home and make the necessary recommendations. There is 
no cost or obligation for this service, and there is never any sales pressure.

Mistake #4 - Not Taking The First Offer Seriously 

Sometimes it takes a little time to get that first offer, and sometimes it 
happens quickly. And when it happens quickly, some sellers don't take it 
seriously. They think that it is just the first one of many offers to come. 
Perhaps another buyer will come soon after and offer more? Perhaps there 
will be many offers to choose from? While that may occasionally be the case, 
more often than not that first offer turns out to be the best one. Any 
experienced real estate agent will tell you that the best chance of getting a 
high price for a home is when the home is new on the market. As time goes 
by, the initial interest of buyers wears off, and the home attracts less and 
less activity. Inevitably, the longer a home remains unsold, the less buyers 
are willing to pay for it. Many sellers who declined an early offer, hoping that 
a better one would follow soon, ended up selling their home for less than that 
first offer. And needless to say, they regretted it.

Mistake #5 - Not Knowing Your Rights And Obligations 

It should go without saying that selling a home is a complex process. The 
sales contract itself contains many clauses that you have to watch for, and 
many areas that can create a problem if everything is not done right. When 
will the property inspection occur, what happens after it, when will the appraisal 
and survey be completed, when is the final loan approval due, etc. Then 
there are the required disclosures. If your home was built prior to 1978 you 
have to inform the buyer in writing that it may contain lead-based paint, 
and you also have to provide the buyer with the EPA safety booklet about 
lead. And what about radon gas? Any prior damage to home? Any defects 
that you might or might not be aware of? A good Realtor, other than finding 
a buyer for your home, also acts as your guide through the maze of laws and 
regulations, and becomes indispensable in this part of the sales process. 
Your agent will be able to help you with all the paperwork, and explain all the 
steps involved in the process. Making sure that everything is done right and 
that you have fulfilled your obligations under the law is a must if you want to 
avoid headaches, unexpected costs, and legal trouble. 

Mistake #6 - Limiting The Home's Exposure 

This mistake is often made by for-sale-by-owners and inexperienced real 
estate agents. Quick: what are the two best ways to market your home? If 
you answered newspaper ads and the open houses, you guessed wrong. But 
don't despair, most people think that. The truth is that the newspaper ads 
are pretty ineffective at attracting qualified buyers, and the open houses 
invite more lookers than buyers. Any seasoned Realtor will tell you that 
there is actually no one best way to attract qualified buyers. Instead, an 
experienced agent will cast a wide net utilizing several marketing strategies. 
One of those strategies is listing the home in the Multiple Listing Service 
(MLS). This is the database of all homes offered for sale by all Realtors in the 
area, and is accessible only to Realtors. The agents with qualified buyers 
look through the MLS first to find a home for their clients. Advertising on the 
Internet is another effective way to give your home a wide exposure, since 
more and more buyers these days start their search there. And a good 
Realtor will also utilize brochures, flyers, newsletters, and network with other 
agents to find the buyer for your home. The important thing is to not rely on 
only one or two ways to market your home, but instead to give it a wide 
exposure through many different advertising channels. 

Mistake #7 - Choosing The Wrong Realtor

It's a funny thing that in the real estate business a successful and experienced 
agent costs about the same as a part-timer with only a few transactions 
under his belt. And when it comes to selling your home, probably the most 
expensive thing you own, what kind of an agent do you want? Someone who 
knows how to attract qualified buyers. Someone who knows how to negotiate 
to get you the best price. Someone knowledgeable, who can guide you 
through the complexities of contracts and paperwork. Someone who will 
care about your transaction as his or her own. To find such an agent you 
may decide to interview several Realtors and quiz them a little bit. Is the 
agent a part-timer or committed to the real estate business full time? What 
kind of a track record does he or she have? Has the agent been committed
to his or her professional development by earning any professional 
designations, such as GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute)? Can the agent provide 
you with references from happy past clients? Does the agent have a specific 
marketing plan on how to sell your home quickly and for top dollar? And 
there are a couple of questions you have to answer yourself: Do I feel 
comfortable working with this agent? Is this someone that will care about 
my transaction as if it were his or her own? Take the time to learn more 
about the agent you are considering. Since you are the one paying the 
commission, make sure that the Realtor you choose is the right one for you. 

NEED HELP? 

If you have questions concerning the sale of your home, I am ready to help.
As a Realtor specializing in your area I have helped many buyers and sellers
with their real estate transactions. I offer knowledgeable advice, friendly and
professional service, and a caring attitude. There is no cost or obligation for
answering your questions, and there is never any sales pressure. Feel free to
contact me by phone or e-mail! 

This publication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. All information was obtained from sources deemed reliable, and while I do not doubt its accuracy, I cannot guarantee it. If your property is listed with another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation.