There are eight mistakes you must avoid as a home seller.

Here are the eight things you must avoid doing if you want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar:

1. Neglect curb appeal. The first impression is a lasting impression, so when visiting buyers pull up to the curb and walk toward your house, it has to show its very best. 

2. Overprice the home. You can prevent this by having your agent do a market analysis for your home to determine its current market value and calculate a reasonable sale price. Afterward, you’ll likely net more money than you would’ve by overpricing your home. 

3. Skip listing photos. Whether you’re thinking of selling on your own or with an agent, you need a professional real estate photographer taking pictures of your home to help present it in the best light possible. 

4. Skip repairs. Before putting your home on the market, I recommend getting a home inspection (if needed). At a minimum, you should walk around your home and address any minor issues you see. If you don’t address them, they’ll show up on the buyer’s home inspection report. Worse yet, the buyer may subtract what they’re willing to pay for the home to allow for those repairs. 

“The first impression is a lasting impression.”

5. Hide problems. If your home has problems you’re not willing to fix, at least acknowledge them on your disclosure form so the buyer is aware of them. 

6. Over-personalize the space in your home. Buyers like to see neutral space, and a real estate professional can walk you through a staging appointment (or hire a stager) to position your home in the best light possible. 

7. Attend the showings. It’s best to let your agent walk buyers through your home and give them the space they need to visualize themselves living there. 

8. Show a cluttered house. When listing your home, you need to think “hotel/minimalist” in terms of style. Counters should be cleaned off, there shouldn’t be anything laying around on the floor, and closets should only be about ⅓ full so everything looks spacious. Your presence could hinder buyers from picturing themselves in the home. 

If you’d like to know what else you can do to sell quickly and for top dollar in our market or have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to help.