8 of the most common home selling mistakes!
Moving house is such an exciting time. Dreaming about the next chapter in your life in a lovely new home. But maybe that’s just it, you feel like you are just dreaming and moving seems so far away? If you have been trying to sell your home for a while it can certainly feel like this. If you are wondering what has happened, take a look at eight of the most common home selling mistakes. Do any of these ring true for you?
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Working with the wrong agent
Granted, estate agents have a bit of a bad reputation. It’s not so much a case of finding a good or bad one, It’s about finding the right one for you and your home. Here are some tips for finding the right agent for you:
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Ask about – look for recommendations from family and friends. You may know someone who has sold recently, ask about their experience and if they would recommend their agent.
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Look at reviews – both Google and Facebook are excellent ways to see what other customers are saying.
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Check their website – how does it come across? Is it up to date? Modern? The kind of agent you want to instruct?
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Mystery shop – ring the agent and enquire into one of the houses they have listed. How is their telephone manner? Are they friendly and willing to give you time to talk about the house? Or are they rushing you off the phone?
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Rightmove – check their Rightmove profile. Are they used to selling homes like yours? What is their marketing like? Does it grab your attention? Do their pictures look professionally taken?
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Face to face – when you have short listed a few agents, invite them round to value your home. There is nothing quite like meeting a person in the flesh. Here you’ll really be able to gauge if you are going to get on with this person and you feel they are going to do their best for you.
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Pricing too high
It is easy to get carried away with what you think your home maybe worth. An agent keen to win your business may overinflate your home’s value or suggest you ‘test the market’. Wowed by the pound signs and the glimmer of a higher price, it is easy to put your home on the market with the top dollar price tag. Always avoid doing this. It is so important to price correctly from the start. Not to undervalue your home or over value but to price at a true market value figure. If you price too high you will simply put buyers off coming to view your home. No viewings – no sale. Price correctly and you will attract viewers into your home and increase your chance of multiple offers.
To gauge your homes value, look at sold prices on Rightmove.co.uk. Make a note of houses that have sold that are similar to yours. Next look at what is currently for sale in your area. Compare your home and make a note of the value. This will give you a rough idea of what your competition is and what realistic sale price you can achieve. There is more to valuing a home than this but at least it will give you a starting point.
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Bad DIY
Buyers are very wary of bad, unfinished, botched DIY. If you don’t fix necessary repairs, you will put buyers off. Or if not put off completely they will seriously chip your asking price down. A buyer might wonder what else lies beneath the surface and what other DIY disasters are covered up and not visible to the eye.
Ensure that all DIY jobs are complete and finished to a good standard. A well maintained, well loved home will always sell quicker and for a higher price.
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Wrong time of year
Considering what time of year to launch your home for sale is important. Whilst you maybe desperate to get moving you have to think about your buyers and what suits them to give yourself the best chance of selling.
Think about what type of buyer your home will appeal to. This is often the type of person or buyer you were when you bought your home. Is it a family that are upsizing? Perhaps it would suit an older downsizer or a first-time buyer?
There are certain times of the year that suit different types of buyers better. Spring and Autumn are generally good for families – avoiding school holidays where childcare issues and family breaks away take priority. Warmer weather suits older downsizers who just want to stay snuggled up indoors during cold winters. First time buyers tend to be a little more flexible, so you are less restricted with seasons.
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Too personal
To get a buyer to fall in love with your home, they first have to imagine themselves living there. This can be really difficult for them if you haven’t depersonalised your home. Anything from your décor, bedding choice, ornaments, scent, artwork and photographs can infuse your home with your personality. Whilst this is wonderful for living in, when you come to sell it can really distract from the true core of your home.
To help buyers along, use muted colours for decorating. Take away any over personalised accessories and replace with plainer accessories. The key here is to keep things neutral. This helps your buyer imagine themselves in your home.
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Clutter
A cluttered home can appear messy and disorganised. Clutter distracts from the space your home offers and makes your home seem smaller. Again, buyers find it difficult to imagine themselves living in your home with all your clutter in the way.
Declutter your home. Pack away all unnecessary items and put them into boxes in your garage or in a storage unit. You’ll have to do this when you move so you may as well get ahead of the game now. Let you buyers see the space, light and appeal of your home.
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Poor presentation
A well-presented home will always sell for more money and in a quicker time frame than one that is not. Home staging is a way to dress and present your home to sell and it can really make a huge difference.
Staging uses tricks and props to accentuate best bits of your home. Making your home more appealing to buyers. It adds little touches here and there that increase your wow factor. The more appealing your home is to a buyer the more viewers you will have. The more people through your door and the higher chance of an offer. It’s all about attracting people into your home and wowing them when they are there. Home staging is the perfect way to do this and it works wonderfully with your property photography.
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Poor marketing
Your property marketing is absolutely key in attracting people to your home. Property marketing usually consists of your property photography, the write up, your brochure, floor plan, Rightmove advert, printed advert and any other tool that your agent uses to sell your home. All these elements work together and are essential in helping your home stand out from the crowd. Quality property marketing should, wow and entice your buyer, so they are compelled to pick up the phone and book a viewing.
Poor marketing can have the opposite effect, it will put buyers off. Unflattering photographs, uninspiring descriptions and no care and attention paid to promoting and marketing your home can have a detrimental effect and mean your home is more likely to languish on the market. You and your home deserve the best so always ensure your agent uses in professional photography and high-quality marketing to sell your home.
To have the best chance of selling your home you need just the right mixture of quality marketing, excellent presentation and an attractive price all supported by a wonderful estate agent. This is the recipe for success.
Perhaps you have made one of the common mistakes that many other homeowners make. If so you are not alone, this does happen a lot. The good news is that all of these mistakes can be addressed and rectified. You’ve just got to know how and that’s where we come in. With our combined team experience of 130 years, we know exactly how to resolve all of these issues. If you need our help please get in touch, we’ll be happy to offer you some advice and guidance about how to turn your sale around.
Call us on 01332 775 322 or email derby@surepropertygroup.com