7 Mistakes Home Sellers Make

< b>Not having a marketing        Do not take for granted the        plan                        condition of your home. When                                      you’re preparing your house for    Not planning or understanding the     sale, remember the importance of   marketing approach that your          first impressions. A buyer’s       listing agent will use when           first impression can make or       promoting a home. When selling        break whether they even want to    your home there are no guarantees     go inside for a look. Beginning    that the ultimate buyer of your       with the curb appeal of your home  home will have simply walked          is just for starters. True,        through the front door. In many       getting the buyer into your home   cases you may have to bring your      is a good sign however, that is    home to the buyer. Effective          just the beginning. Most buyers    marketing will help ensure that       are looking for the charm on a     your property receives maximum        new house and it is the little     exposure to attract a ready,          things that make a difference.     willing and able buyer in the         Please look at my checklist for    shortest period of time. Ask your     sellers to help you properly       Realtor to list for you all of        prepare for that first             the ways he/she intends to market     prospective buyer. It could make   your home and on what time-line.      a huge difference in your final    Also, be sure to ask if your home     sales price. 197 Curb Appeal Tips  is being posted on the MLS            listed at                          listing service and advertised on     http://sonicpoint.com/curbappeal.  the Internet.                         cgi                                                                                                         Not conducting a                   Not disclosing problems with    pre-inspection of the condition       your property to your agent    of your home                                                                                               The false hope that imperfections  in your home won’t be detected is     not always in your best interest.  a terrible assumption. Home           Most potential buyers usually      inspections will discover             feel more comfortable if they can  problems relating to health,          speak freely to the real estate    safety, and even environmental        professional without the owners    concerns and is part of most          being present. If people           sales contracts. The most recent      unaccompanied by an agent request  trend is that many contracts to       to see your property, it is        purchase ask for a seller’s           advisable for you to refer them    disclosure statement even though      to your real estate professional   this is not currently required by     for an appointment.                Florida law. In many cases, these                                        issues have been or can be            Not understanding the best      factored into the home’s listing      possible ways to price your        price.                                home                                                                                                    Trying to get personally           Perhaps the most challenging       involved with the sales               aspect of selling a home is        process                           listing it at the correct price.                                         It’s one of several areas where    Seeing that prospective buyer         the assistance of a skilled real   heading up the walkway to your        estate agent can more than pay     home definitely gets the heart        for itself. Listing the home too   going. However, you must remember     high can be as bad as too low. If  that a Realtor has worked hard to     the listing price is too high,     get that prospective buyer            you’ll miss out on a percentage    prepared before ever showing them     of buyers looking in the price     your property. Thinking you need      range where your home should be.   to be in the home to explain          This is the flaw in thinking that  things to a prospective buyer is      you’ll always have the             opportunity to accept a lower         their move early enough and then   offer. Chances are the offers         feel totally overwhelmed at the    won’t even come in, because the       time of moving out of the house.   buyers who would be most              If you are able to move at any     interested in your home have been     time of the year, don’t wait       scared off by the price and           until summer, the peak-moving      aren’t even taking the time to        season. Consider also that the     look. By the time the price is        first and last few days of the     corrected, you’ve already lost        month are extra busy. If you plan  exposure to a large group of          to sell your house, get it on the  potential buyers. The listing         market as soon as possible. Keep   price becomes even trickier to        a record of all expenses related   set when prices are quickly           to the move, some of which may be  rising or falling. It’s critical      tax deductible. Fill out the       to be aware of where and how fast     Personal Household Inventory for   the market is moving - both when      each room. This is important for   setting the price and when            establishing the amount of         negotiating an offer. Again, an       declared valuation for the         experienced, well-trained agent       shipment and as a permanent        is always in touch with market        inventory for insurance purposes.  trends - often even to a greater      List, as nearly as possible, the   extent than appraisers, who           year of purchase and original      typically focus on what a             cost of each item. Attach any      property is worth if sold as-is,      invoices or records of purchase    right now.                            to the completed inventory.                                              Prepare a separate high-value      Not planning your move earlier     inventory if the shipment will     enough                            contain articles of                                                      “extraordinary” value. The         Many sellers simply don’t plan        following list includes items      that might fall into this             Also, unless you have been given   category:                             a binding moving estimate where a                                        firm cost is established in        * Antiques                            advance, the exact cost of a move  * Art Collections                     cannot be determined until after   * Cameras                             the shipment has been loaded on    * China Collections                   the van and weighed. The weight    * Computer Equipment                  on which charges are based is      * Crystal                             calculated by weighing the van     * Figurines                           before and after loading. The      * Firearms                            total cost of the move will        * Jewelry                             include transportation charges,    * Manuscripts                         any charges for declared           * Oriental Rugs                       valuation, plus charges for any    * Silver                              extra services performed at your   * Stones Or Gems                      request. All of these charges are  * Tapestries                          based on tariff rate schedules.    * TVs Or Stereos                                                                                             About the Author: J.D. Zandt has 12 years experience in the Real Estate and Mortgage business. He is now the Director of Operations at RDULoans.com Source: www.isnare.com