Selling your home can be a very stressful! Waiting for that perfect offer and doing whatever you can to get your home sold can be extremely taxing. In order to avoid more stress, sellers need to be prepared as best as they can to work with potential buyers to get their home sold. Here are three mistakes that serious sellers must avoid when going on the market today.
1. Not taking your first buyer seriously
A lot of times, your first buyer is your best buyer. Being in this industry for nearly 30 years, I’ve seen it happen time and time again. Generally, the potential buyer who makes the first offer is highly motivated and ready to act. While the first offer might be lower than you’d like, don’t forget about the power of negotiations.
If you continue holding off in hopes of a better offer, you run the risk of having your property go “stale” by sitting on the market too long. The longer your property sits, the less negotiation power you have. So don’t knock your first offer off the table just yet!
2. Overpricing your home
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when selling your home is pricing it too high. In today’s market, it is crucial that a home is priced appropriately. Sellers need to put their most competitive price forward to ensure the property will be looked at.
Informed buyers and their agents know the comps in your neighborhood. If your asking price is too high, your home could sit on the market longer, and you may end up having to reduce the price — sometimes more than once.As agents or buyers browse through listings, they may ignore yours because the “days on market” is so high. They’ll assume something must be wrong with it and move on to the next listing. If you price your home just right from the beginning, chances are the final sale price will be higher than if you’d priced it too high and reduced it a few times.
3. Not being flexible with home showings or open houses
A serious seller must make the home easy to show to potential buyers. This means agreeing to showings, broker tours, and open houses right out of the gate. You should be able to have your home ready to show within 24 hours. Turning away prospective buyers or making it difficult to show sends a negative message and could show that you’re not motivated or serious about selling.
Let your real estate agent know up front if you have young children or pets or if you work from home. Plan showing times with your real estate agent up front, but keep in mind you have to be flexible if you’re serious about selling.
Cesi Pagano
(949) 370-0819
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