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Avoiding 7 Costly Mistakes of Selling Your Home
There are plenty of pitfalls before you seal the deal
By M. Anthony Carr
There are always appropriate steps to investing in real estate and
hopefully, you've garnered many of them right on these pages. However,
there are also inappropriate steps sellers can walk down when it comes
time to put their house on the market.
For instance, the seller in Virginia, who thought the half bath the
builder had located at the front of the house would really be better
situated toward the back of the main level (though all the other similar
models had the powder room in the same place for the previous 20 years).
He got hung up on this detail so much, that he just had to move it -- and
did -- for thousands of dollars, just so he could get it on the market the
"right way." His hang-up may have settled some deep-seated emotional need
for him, but it didn't draw any more buyers, and it drained his bottom
line. You might say, that was a costly mistake.
Real estate broker and author Sid Davis has identified in his book "A
Survival Guide to Selling a Home," another seven costly mistakes that many
sellers make when it comes time to put their home on the market. In my
business, I've seen each one of these mistakes played out and it just
makes me shake my head as to why, sellers forge ahead with unwise
strategies, instead of listening to the voice of an experienced
professional.
The Seven Costly Mistakes
Mistake 1: Putting the home on the market before it's ready. Most
times this happens because the seller gets impatient or is a
procrastinator and has pushed himself up against a moving deadline without
getting the pre-sale work done. So it comes on the market with the
horrible carpet (that gets replaced during the marketing of the home); or
they are painting it while it goes on the market. Presentation is
everything -- so get the work done before marketing the property.
Mistake 2: Over improving the home for the neighborhood. This
happens with additions, bump outs, and upgrades that make the home stick
out from among its competitors so much that it's an anomaly, instead of a
nice addition to the community.
Mistake 3: Pricing the home based on what the seller wants to net.
This pricing strategy always ends in failure. Sellers can control the
"asking" price, but they don't control the "sales" price. The market does.
It doesn't matter what the seller wants, the price is determined by the
black-and-white, matter-of-fact reality of the market.
Mistake 4: Hiring an agent based on non-business factors. Make sure
you're hiring a professional with a proven track record. It might be nice
to hand over your largest asset to your nephew who just got his license --
but make sure he has a mentor to keep your deal from going south.
Mistake 5: Getting emotionally involved in the sale of the home.
This is one of the biggest challenges home sellers face when putting their
house on the market. Once you decide to sell your house, it's no longer a
home, but a commodity. It needs to be prepared as a commodity, marketed as
a commodity, and priced as a commodity. It doesn't matter what you "want,"
only what the market can bear on pricing. People are going to come in to
kick the tires, so to speak, and you can't get emotional about how they
may or may not appreciate the nuances of your home of seven years.
Mistake 6: Trying to cover up problems, or not disclosing them.
Most states have a property disclosure/disclaimer form -- use it wisely.
Just because you disclaim doesn't mean you cannot be sued later for the
leaky basement, or dilapidated heating/air system that's discovered 30
days after settlement.
Mistake 7: Not getting your ducks lined up before trying to sell.
This would involve financing, reading the fine print on your current
mortgage to ensure no pre-payment penalties, not listening to the
particulars of your local market, etc. If your local market is dictating
lower home prices, then lower it early, not later -- it will cost you
more. If the local market dictates selling your home first, then buying
second, do it in that order, or vice versa.
Avoiding these mistakes is not that difficult. There are plenty of
resources (like this publication) and professionals, who are there to help
you step over the pitfalls. Do the research early, and listen to that
voice in your head (it's probably the whispers of the finance, real
estate, insurance person who's warning you of a hole you're about to step
into). Sell well.
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