Selling your home, especially if you’ve never been through a real estate sales transaction before, can be surprisingly time-consuming and emotionally challenging.
Strangers will come into your home and poke around in your closets and cabinets. They will criticize a place that has probably become more than just four walls and a roof to you, and then, to top it all off, they will offer you less money than you think your home is worth.
With no experience and a complex, emotional transaction on your hands, it’s easy for first-time home sellers to make lots of mistakes, but with a little know-how and a great real estate agent representing you, many of these pitfalls can be avoided altogether. Read on to find out how you can get the highest possible price for your home within a reasonable time frame–without losing a tom of money… and your sanity.
Top 8 Selling Mistakes people make when trying to sell their home.
1) Being Oblivious of Your Rights & Responsibilities
It is of the utmost importance that you stay well informed of the details of your real estate contract. Real estate contracts can often be very complex and confusing, and they are legally binding documents. It is important that you know what you are responsible for before signing the contract. Not being familiar with your contract could cost you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on repairs and/or inspections.
2) Asking The Wrong Price For Your Property
It is critical the right price is placed on the property. Anybody selling a product obviously desires to get the most money possible for that product. Placing an excessively high price on a property often proves to be counteractive to this cause. Before you set your price you should go over all the area sales and comparables in that area with your agent. Have your agent prepare this for you and get a copy to look over yourself. A high listing price will often cause prospective buyers to anticipate more than what you have to offer, or even cause them to lose interest before they even view your property. As a result, overpriced properties have a tendency to take an unusual amount of time to sell, and they end up being sold at a lower price. Get the price right the first time! I will put together a no-cost market analysis for you so you know where you stand realisticaly. To get started, just click here.
3) Only Using One Method Of Marketing/Advertising
There are many ways to market and advertise your property these days such as Open Houses, Classified Ads, Home Magazines, Real Estate Websites, Flyers, etc. Your realtor should employ a wide variety of marketing techniques. You also want to select a realtor that is going to be committed to selling your property; they should be readily available for every phone call from a perspective buyer. Most contacts are made during business hours so verify that they will be trying to sell your home during these hours.
4) Trying To Sell To Window Shoppers
It is important to be able to distinguish realistic potential buyers from mere window shoppers. Often times people who do not come through a realtor are several months away from buying, and are more interested in browsing the market than actually making a purchase. Many times they are not prepared to make a purchase because they have not sold their home yet, are not financially prepared, or they may even be unsure as to whether they want to relocate or not. Typically, a real estate agent should investigate a potential buyer’s credit rating, savings, and purchasing power. This will help keep you from wasting your time marketing towards the wrong people.
5) Not Preparing Your Home For Sale
The home needs to be made presentable and as pleasant as possible when attempting to sell to prospective buyers. Be sure to make any necessary repairs and clean. A dirty home in need repairs will lower the value of your home and even turn away some buyers. Check out my Sellers Checklist
6) “Pressuring” while showing
Buying a home can be an emotional and difficult decision. So it is not normally a good idea to pressure or negotiate with prospective buyers while they are viewing your property. It is best to be hospitable and warm. Be helpful and receptive to any questions they may have.
7) Choosing The Wrong Real Estate Agent
Experienced real estate agents often cost as much as brand new agents. There is a greater probability the experienced agent may be able to fetch you a little higher price for your home, in less time with fewer hassles. It is important to take your time when selecting a real estate agent. Be sure to interview several agents. Selling your home is often times the most important financial transaction that you will ever make.
8.) Locking Yourself in
You should take your time when selecting a real estate agent. But sometimes it is possible to misjudge and select the wrong agent to represent you, or perhaps their first impression was good but they just have not followed through and are not meeting your expectations. In any case, you should have the right to fire your agent. Also you should have the right to choose another agent instead of just being appointed another one with out consulting you. Make sure you are in the “drivers seat” before signing a real estate contract.
If you have any questions about of these items, or any questions about Lake Havasu real estate in general, always feel free to give me a call anytime. I’m here to help! I can be reached on my direct line at 928.846.6474 or Toll-Free at 800.846.1064. You can also shoot me an emal to: Lew@HavasuHomeFinder.com
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