Mistakes, we all make them. Whether it is the dress or suit you are wearing, to what you picked out at a restaurant for your meal. Yes, we all know the feeling, but there are some mistakes which can have a more lasting consequences if you’re not careful. That’s right selling your home is where the casual mistake can cause multiple issues.

When you put your house on the market, you will think to yourself, “That’s it, it’s on the market and I’m ready to sell! Photos have been taken, we’re on the listed property sites, we’ve attracted our first potential buyers, it’s all going great.”

But then, you start to notice something. People aren’t biting. There have been no bids, your house hasn’t sold and there isn’t the whiff of something happening soon. This ladies and gentleman is the art of selling a home, and now you’re battling to get everything right to try and sell.

Mistakes, costly when you’re selling a home and even more costly if you’re trying to do it quick. So, what are the mistakes to avoid when it comes to selling your house and how can you avoid them? Here is our quick guide to help you avoid the usual pitfalls.

1) Stalker sellers
We understand that the temptation is there to be present throughout the home selling journey, I mean, who is going to know your house better than you, right? You understand the layout, where the sun traps are, and where you have invested money in making your house, the home it is today.

But, by disrupting the viewer constantly and invading their personal space, they aren’t appreciating the property, they’re being disrupted by you the seller. What if they want to ask questions about the local property market? What if they want to speak to their partner about areas of the home for improvements or how they could see themselves living there? These are all the kinds of things you want to give time and space to.

Solution
Leave the buyer’s alone. If you can, let the agent take them around the house and you go for a starbucks or walk whilst they’re viewing your property.

2) Overvaluing your house
Another common mistake for when people are selling their home is how much value they put into what they think their home is worth. Whilst there may be a lot of sentimental value in the home, you can only sell your house for the amount the market deems it worth to be. If you don’t have a good idea of what your home is worth, you shouldn’t be valuing the property, simple as that.

Solution
Leave it to the agents. A lot of realtors understand the market better than you. They have an appreciation of local and market factors, they know how to competitively price your house and set realistic targets to getting your home sold.

3) Dirty and smelly homes
This one is obvious, yet there are plenty of people that make this kind of mistake when showing their home to potential buyers. Having a dirty or smelly home is not going to help improve your chances of selling your property.

From having dirty plates in the sink to a coffee table covered in, well, coffee cups, it doesn’t help give the potential buyers a good idea of what your home looks like or how they could live there.

Solution
It’s a pretty simple one, clean up. If you don’t have the time, get an agency in to help you or leave them to it. You want a house that is presentable and something so easy to move around in that you can have potential buyers feeling excited about and not feeling like they’re covered in dirt when they leave your home.

4) Bad photos or worse, no photos at all
One of the biggest tips for selling your home has to be, make sure you have great photos of your property. The saying, “a picture is a thousand words” couldn’t be truer for the most expensive thing most people will purchase in their lifetime.

Great photos can really highlight the benefits of your home. From the amount of space to the amount of light, modern features and quirks that make your house the ideal spot, then you have to understand that a great photo can help sell your home, if not perk interest.

But bad photos, or no photos at all could do precisely the opposite. You won’t attract the right buyers, if any and you won’t be marketing your house to the best of its potential.

curb appeal buying

Solution
Hire a pro. It will cost $200 but it will be worth it. Make sure they use the right lenses, focus on the right lighting contrasts and let them get on with getting the best snaps of your home.

And finally

5) Ugly home improvements
We’ve written plenty of times how easy it is to add value with just a lick of paint, but sometimes, people can go a little too far and make the kinds of home improvements that can put of potential buyers. Big Mistake!

Whether it is a new porch, big garden water features or even simply decorating your house to be more, des res, then you could be putting off potential buyers, simple.

Solution
Ask your agent what they think is necessary to help with a house sale and stick to a small budget, that way you can’t overdo it.