Home Staging Tips
and Home Selling Advice
7 Great Ways to
Lose Money Selling Your Home
By Jeanette Joy Fisher
Many home sellers list and
sell their homes in haste. Sometimes they get lucky
and pick a great listing agent to help them.
Knowledgeable agents guide the home seller through the
process to a successful sale. On the other hand, some
home sellers get talked into listing their home by a
high-pressure agent or the home seller lists with
well-meaning family member or friend who plays at real
estate.
To get the most from your home sale--in profits,
protection, and yes--enjoyment, avoid these mistakes
that can lose you money.
Mistake #1 - Listing your home without making a
marketing plan. Your home is most likely your most
valuable asset. Think of your property like a business
investment. "Market" your home like a business. Write
out a business plan for your home sale.
Mistake #2 - Listing your home before you get
it ready to show. Too many home sellers make a snap
decision to sell and immediately list their home
before they prepare the property for selling. Besides
deep cleaning and decluttering, you must make your
home stand out so home shoppers choose your home over
competing homes for sale.
Mistake #3 - Accepting a listing agent's market
evaluation without checking your competition. Don't
accept the first agent's market evaluation without
doing your homework. Sometimes the best selling agent
gets that distinction because they list houses low. If
you hear "My listings always sell right away," that
could be a warning sign that the agent under values
the selling price. Of course, under-priced houses sell
right away!
Mistake #4 - Signing a six month listing. Most
houses go up in value. If your home sits on the
market, it might need more sizzle or aggressive
advertising to generate offers. A long listing gives
agents too much time and takes the pressure off.
Mistake #5 - Letting the agent talk you into
lowering your sales price or accepting an offer for a
lot less than asking price. Just because your home
didn't sell right away doesn't automatically mean that
the price is too high. Remember, it only takes ONE
buyer to fall in love with your home.
Mistake #6 - Letting agent's show your home
without staging the setting. If you can't be home to
turn on the lights, air the home out, and make sure
everything is perfect, make sure you choose an agent
willing to follow your list of things to do prior to
showing and that the agent will open the home for
showing. Just letting other agents use a lock box can
cost you lost dollars.
Mistake #7 - Selling the home without proper
legal protection. You or your listing agent must
understand all the disclosure statements, contracts, and
contingencies. Some savvy real estate agents even hire
another listing agent just to protect themselves with
all the complex documents. You don't want to be a
party to a lawsuit and lose money after your home is
sold.
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
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