It is often said that selling your home is one of the most stressful processes in life. It can be a challenging time, with plenty of uncertainty and the added stresses of having strangers walk around and openly judge your home.
With so much to consider, it can be easy to make mistakes, some of which could potentially jeopardise the sale of your home or result in you getting fewer and/or lower offers.
In this article, we’ll guide you through some of the most common mistakes that homeowners make when selling their property to help you avoid making the same ones, and to ensure a smooth and stress-free selling experience.
Not Hiring an Agent
With most estate agents charging a hefty commission on the sale of your home, it can be tempting to want to try and sell your home on your own. It’s generally not a good idea to do this however, especially if you haven’t sold a home before.
Having a dedicated agent will take a lot of the stress of selling your home away as they are experienced property sellers, able to manage prospective buyers, viewings and offers. They will value your home and give you a fair price, one which reflects the true value of the property and will not be too high to put off buyers. Trying to manage all this by yourself can often be overwhelming, especially if people are offering less than asking price. Agents are experienced negotiators and will help you get the highest possible offer.
An agent will always have your best interests at heart; they want to sell your house just as much as you do. If you don’t fancy paying the estate agent fee, which is usually 2-4% the selling price of your home, there are online estate agents whose services are completely free and can sell your home in record time, such as House Sales Direct.
Pricing Too High
An overpriced home is perhaps the number one reason why homes can sit on the open market for months and receive little interest. It’s vital that you know the market value of your property and how it compares to other homes in your area. Prospective buyers will be doing exactly this, and if they believe that your home is listed for too much then they will try and knock you down on price orwon’t even give your property the time of day.
Pricing a property on the low side will not be as much of an issue as this will generate interest and will hopefully result in multiple offers with buyers then bidding upwards to secure the property.
Selling During Winter Months
Winter can be a slower time of year for the real estate industry. With Christmas and New Year, people are often preoccupied with family and social commitments, so may turn their attention away from moving home.
Another disadvantage of selling during the winter is that the shorter and darker days make it harder for prospective buyers to view your home in all its glory. Many people may only be able to view on weekends or after work during the week, meaning it can be dark when people want to have a look around. It can be difficult for buyers to get a full picture of the exterior of your property and it can be harder to know how much natural light it gets. This may make people more hesitant in making an offer or may mean they offer less.
Selling during warmer months helps eliminate this issue and can be an even bigger benefit if you have a nice garden, which will only start to flourish with the onset of spring.
Hiding Major Issues
If you think trying to hide problems with your property, such as damp or any structural issues, is a good idea, it isn’t. You may think that trying to cover these up will help you get more interest and offers;however, it is simply best to be upfront about any issues like this.
Even if the buyer is unaware of any problems, the buyer’s survey will reveal these, and this may result in them pulling out of the sale and a fall through. It will also mean you will lose their confidence having not been upfront about these issues.
Letting buyers know about any issues from the start mans that anyone who does make an offer will be a serious buyer, and less likely to pull out once the survey is conducted.
This article was written by an online estate agent House Sales Direct. If you wish to sell your house fast and for free, then head over to the House Sales Direct website for more property related information and enquiries.