Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Home Selling Mistakes: Make Sure You Avoid These

It is very easy to be swayed by real estate agents who promise you a fortune for your house. The longer your home stays unsold on listings, the lower its price goes. Many sellers are aware of this but they still make some common mistakes that either fetch them lower prices or results in a delayed sale. Here are the five most common mistakes sellers make when selling their home:

(1) Overpricing the house

This is not the 20th century. An average person with an elementary knowledge of internet can get a detailed report online. Your buyer can easily get an accurate home value report at Neighborhood IQ, click here to get a free home value report. Your real estate seller may be promising you a million dollars for your place, but if similar homes in your area are selling for half-a-million, it is unreasonable to expect someone to turn up and pay the double amount for your house. Talk to several real estate agents. Get their estimates. Find out what price houses similar to yours are selling in your neighborhood to make an educated assessment.

(2) Getting the wrong real estate agent

Many people hire the first real estate agent they meet. A lot of sellers do not even care to visit the office of the real estate agent they are hiring; instead they hold their first meet at home. This probably explains why a large proportion of houses go unsold through the expiry of their listings. The real estate agent you have hired may be an impressive talker, but only his previous clients can tell you about his record as an agent. Talk to them.

(3) Not using the internet

Nine out of ten people looking for a new home first search on the internet. You are missing out on a lot of potential buyers if your “For Sale” house is not searchable on the internet. There are plenty of websites where you can place an ad for your home with some beautiful pictures of it. Buyers often want to look at a few images of the house before a personal visit.

(4) Not taking photographs

Hire a professional to capture photographs of your house and then upload those images on the internet. Remove or blur all personal details from the photographs before putting them online. You can also hire someone to make a 3D map of your home. That will raise confidence in your buyers.

(5) Targeting the wrong customer

Do you own a four-bedroom house? A young guy in his early 20’s is not the right customer for two reasons: (a) that house is too big for him, and (b) he cannot afford it. There are exceptions but we will not bother about them. Most of the time it is a couple with children that will like your house. So make sure you target the right audience.


Are you making these five home selling mistakes? It’s not too late to change. Use the tips given above and your house will soon be sold at a good price.

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