mistakes that prevent your home from selling to understand

By Jody Thompson

Avoid Big Mistakes That Prevent Your Home From Selling

Many people believe that they just need to throw a sign on their lawn and put their home on MLS and their home will be SOLD just like the one down the street. What they don’t realize is that there is a substantial amount of work behind the scenes that resulted in that comparable home selling quickly and for top dollar. Here are some of the common mistakes that sellers make.

1. An MLS Listing is not enough
To have your home sold quickly for top dollar, you need a comprehensive marketing plan that includes promotion with other agents in the area, wide exposure through the internet, open houses, promotion in the local paper, staging and more.

2. Good photos matter
More and more buyers are introduced to your home on the internet. Your photos need to highlight your homes best features and need to be taken by a professional photographer- not your iphone. This is one of the biggest mistakes that prevent your home from selling.

3. Potential buyers cannot get into see your home
We all know that it is a real pain to keep your home in show condition and make your home available when potential buyers want to view your home. However. if you restrict the hours, they will find another home more convenient for viewings.

4. The price is not right
A home is most likely to attract the most buyers when it hits the market. If your price is too high, you run the risk that you will not get the traffic to get it sold. Lowering your price later gives your home stigma- there must be something wrong with the home because it did not sell.

5. Your timing is wrong
There are certain times of the year where there are significantly fewer buyers – the summer months when people are off to their cottages, Christmas when they are focused on family. Plan on trying to hit either the spring or the fall market and avoiding the dead months.

6. You have the wrong agent.
When you interview agents, it should never be about choosing the one with the cheapest price. You have too much money riding on this choice. Ask any agent you interview about their own marketing plans and social media presence, and above all, get references. In addition, ask a simple question: Why should I hire you? If they can’t demonstrate why they are different, move on.