Selling your property can be a stressful and quite often very emotional experience, so it's essential to consider the process carefully in advance, do it right & ensure that you get the best selling price possible for your property. Unfortunately, many people make an array of mistakes when selling their homes, which can cost them time, money and a remarkable amount of unnecessary stress. Here, we'll highlight just 10 common mistakes (although there are many more) that people tend to make when selling their properties, so you can easily avoid them.
1. Neglecting repairs & improvements.
Not taking care of necessary repairs and improvements before listing your property will turn off a significant portion of your potential buyers, so always make sure that everything is in excellent working order and that your property looks as presentable as possible for every viewing.
2. Not hiring a professional photographer.
The majority of home buyers start their search online, so having high-quality photos of your property is crucial to attract potential buyers. Absolutely consider hiring a professional photographer to take photos of your property so you can best ensure that your property is shown with the most favourable presentation possible.
3. Being inflexible with showing times.
Being inflexible with showing times can turn off potential buyers, as quite often they may have limited availability for pursuing viewings due to work or other commitments. So wherever reasonably possible, try to be as accommodating as you can with your showing times.
4. Not working with a real estate agent.
Real estate agents, particularly specialists like you'll find at Jossour, are experts at selling homes and can help you navigate the process, negotiate offers and market your property effectively too. Not working with a reputable real estate agent is a very risky decision, as you'd likely miss out on potential buyers and could easily make numerous potentially costly mistakes along the way.
5. Not disclosing issues with the property.
Hiding issues with your property can come back to bite you in a big way later on down the line. It's important (necessary) to be upfront about any issues with your property, such as leaks or structural damage.
6. Being too emotionally attached.
Selling a property, particularly if it's been your home for a long time, can be an emotional process, so it's important to remember that it's also just a business transaction. Being too emotionally attached to your property can make it difficult to negotiate effectively or keep you from being able to take the necessary decisions to sell your property.
7. Not being prepared for negotiations.
Negotiating is a crucial part of the selling process, so as you can see, if you're not prepared for negotiations this will likely result in you settling for less than your home's true value.
8. Being unrealistic about closing costs.
Closing costs can add up quickly so if you're not being realistic about them, you could easily find yourself in a situation where you don't have enough funds to close the sale. Always make sure to factor in closing costs when pricing your property.
9. Not staging your home.
Staging your property can help potential buyers visualise themselves living there, potentially increasing your property's value too. On the other hand, not staging your property can result in it sitting on the market for longer than necessary.
10. Being too pushy with potential buyers.
Being too pushy with potential buyers can make them uncomfortable, essentially turning them off and making them less likely to make an offer. With this understanding in mind, it's clear that it's just sensible to give potential buyers space to make their own decisions.
As you can see, there are so many small mistakes that people tend to make when selling their properties, and these can all be avoided with foreknowledge or simply through hiring an expert real estate consultant at Jossour to take care of all the details for you. After all this, it’s clear to see that when you're buying or selling property, having an expert by your side just makes sense!
Want to know how you can sell your property quickly, but at the same time ensure you're getting the best selling price possible - or even sell for higher than market value? We have you covered in our complimentary three part plan, with 10 clearly laid out steps to help you maximise the value & speed of your property sale...
P.S. We're so excited to announce that we've completed our random drawing for those in our online community, and we have a lucky winner who's receiving a hike for two with the Mountain Goats & a BBQ dinner as well!