6 Mistakes Home Sellers Make (Which Buyers Hate)
Many home sellers have grown to love their home. While they may be selling to move on to a different home or location, they still have many fond memories in the house. This can cause them to completely ruin their chances to sell their home. Even if they do not mean to, home sellers often make mistakes that hurt their chances of selling.
Overpricing
This is the top problem that many home sellers have. They love their home, they know what work they have put into it, and they want to get as much money as possible. Often this leads people to put an overinflated price on their home. This is sometimes used as a tactic to get higher offers, but this can backfire and home sellers may not get any offers.
Pricing accurately will help to get more offers on the house. Buyers do not want to haggle the price down from an exuberant price. Nor will buyers be looking too far out of their price range.
Taking Photos On a Phone
Photos are the number one way to sell a house. And having professional photos will draw the buyers in. Advertising a house with poorly lit photos or ones that are not great quality will make buyers skip over the property.
It can be costly to get professional photos taken. However, it is worth it to get many buyers interested in the home. Typically, a professional can be hired for under three hundred dollars. A home that has professional photos will sell faster and even for more money compared to homes that the owner takes the photos.
Homeowner Repairs
Saving money on repairs while a homeowner lives in the home is fine. The homeowner will have to live with any faulty repairs that they complete.
But if the homeowner wants to sell the home, these repairs should be done professionally. It can save money to complete repairs without a professional but it often ends up causing more damage in the long-run.
Lingering During Open House
Home sellers want to know who is coming and going during an open house. They are excited that many people have come to look at the house and cannot wait for offers to start flooding in. After an open house where the home sellers has made their presence known, they are not likely to get many offers.
Buyers are uncomfortable looking at a house while the homeowner is there. Even though they are looking to sell the home, it feels intrusive to search through a house while the owner is present. It is best to leave the property during showings. This will help buyers feel comfortable really looking at the house from all angles and then making an offer if they like what they see.
Not Lying But Not Telling the Truth
No home seller wants to tell buyers about water in the basement or the fact the house had to be treated for termites. Problems with the home are something many homeowners want to keep on the down-low. This is the opposite of what should be done.
Being forthcoming with problems about a home will build trust with a buyer. All problems will be found out during a home inspection. It is better to let a buyer know what they are walking into before the inspector tells them. That way they can decide if the house is worth purchasing before wasting everyone’s time with an inspection.
No Negotiation Room
Stubborn home sellers will not sell a house. Negotiation is a part of the process. Without negotiation, the buyers will feel like they are not being heard and that the seller is not motivated to make a deal.
Even if there is not a lot of wiggle-room in the price, a seller should make a counter-offer. Outright denying every offer will only make a house stay on the market for an extended period of time.
Home sellers can be their own worst enemy when selling a home. They can ruin their chances to find the right buyer by being too pushy, demanding, or even by withholding too much information. Be open to discussing the home and different prices. Truthful negotiations will lead to a happy home sale.