What Not to Do When Selling a House

Selling your home is a major life milestone. It can be complicated when you consider all the steps involved. Repairs, preparing the home to list, finding a buyer, home inspections, the closing process, and finally the move. The process is like no other financial transaction. But too often, sellers sabotage the sale of their homes by making avoidable mistakes.

Listing and selling your home is time-consuming and stressful. It may feel like an invasion of privacy. Strangers will come in and out of your home and poke around. They will criticize and make unnecessary comments in your presence. To top it all off, they will offer you less money than what you are asking for and ask for closing costs.

Listing mistakes can impact your finances and most importantly, the sale of your home. Little improvements can go a long way. A well-maintained exterior signals to buyers that the interior has been well maintained as well. Trim the trees, lay fresh mulch, hose down the walkways, pressure-wash the sidewalk, upgrade old light fixtures, or paint the front door.

These are some of the most common mistakes you should avoid when selling a home:

1. Not Hiring an Agent

Your Real Estate Agent will be a valuable resource in your quest to get the best possible price for your home. Helping you set a fair listing price, offer suggestions about staging, repairs, cleaning, and curb appeal that will pay off. Some choose to go the For Sale by Owner route to avoid paying commissions but don’t realize the support and guidance we offer.

A great agent has your best interests at heart. They will help you set a fair and competitive selling price for a quick sale. An agent can also help with the emotional part of the process. We interact with potential buyers and eliminate showings to those who only want to look at your property but have no interest in buying a home. Selling looks easy, but you need someone that understands the process forwards and backward.

Your agent will have more experience negotiating home sales. You will get more money than you could on your own. If any problems occur during the process, and usually do, an experienced agent will be there to handle them for you. We are familiar with all the paperwork involved in real estate transactions and make sure the process goes smoothly.

2. Setting an unrealistic price

You might have an idea of how much your home could be worth based on home sales in your community. Homes of similar size and features that have sold near you. These comparable sales referred to as “comps”, are what real estate agents use to recommend a listing price.

The challenge is that no two homes are ever the same. As agents, we need to account for each difference between homes to be accurate. This is called adjusting. Pricing your home too high can cause the listing to suffer.

The price you want and what the market will bring can be two very different things.

Whether you end up with more or less than your asking price will likely depend not just on your pricing approach, but also on whether you’re in a buyer’s market or a seller’s market.

In today’s market, Buyers are extremely well educated. They have all the historical data. Access to tax records. What you paid for the property and many times what you owe. A seller needs to understand they are dealing with a very educated party in the negotiation.

Over-pricing a home and having a listing on the market for several months, is never good. This might make a buyer think there is something wrong with the property.

3. Failing to make the necessary repairs

A long list of repairs can turn buyers off and potentially decrease the value of your home. Buyers expect the condition of your home to match the description on your listing.

Whatever improvements or upgrades are completed, make sure these are done right and by a professional. The objective here is to address evident issues, especially those that are likely to turn up during a home inspection.

Look for items that are broken, in poor condition, or can affect the safety, structure, or functionality of the home. Pay attention to things like appliances, carpet, light fixtures, dents, and scrapes on walls and doors.

4. Skimping on listing photos

Photos are one of the best marketing tools online. Professional photos create more interest in a property, more interest leads to more buyers.

If possible, hire a professional real estate photographer to get top-quality results. Don’t allow your agent to take a few snapshots on a phone. Good quality photos should be clear and taken during the day when there is plenty of natural light out.

Showcase your home’s best assets. Many buyers are looking for homes online these days and make their decision to fall in love with your home with pictures. Good quality photos will set your listing apart and help generate extra interest.

5. Not staging your home

Sellers often take lightly the power of furnishing and staging. All homes benefit from staging, whether they are studio condos, single-family homes, or lavish mansions. Staging is not decorating; it is placing neutral yet tasteful furnishings to draw attention to the features of your home. In some cases, you can get away with moving furniture around or adding a curtain or a painting. But sometimes, you may need to stage your home.

Have your agent, point out areas of your home that need attention. Declutter, clean thoroughly, add a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and get rid of any odors. This will help you make a good impression on buyers.

Generally speaking, the cleaner, less cluttered, your home is, the more appeal it can have. Even if you’re not hiring professionals, there’s plenty you can do yourself. Hide personal photos, knickknacks, and memorabilia. Tone down distracting decor and bright colors. Move anything that would divert attention from the most important thing a buyer should be focusing on, the Home.

Be a wise seller, call a professional!

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What to Fix Up When Selling a House

No two homes are ever alike. This means your home is going to have a unique list of repairs to deal with. So how do you find these repairs and what do you do next? Do you repair or leave it alone?

The process of getting a property ready to list can seem intimidating. There is a long list. Clearing the inside and outside clutter, cleaning the home. Organizing and throwing out the junk you have not seen in years.

We all know it is easy to miss a lot of the wear and tear that happens to your home over the years. But when you start thinking about selling, the state of your home becomes much clearer. A home is an investment, and regular maintenance helps keep your investment strong.

Buyers often look for homes that require few repairs and are ready to Move in! A little prevention can spare you from the pain of watching a buyer walk away. A deal can fall apart because the home inspector found issues the buyer is not ready to deal with after closing.

Welcome to the world of Fixing to Sell. Now, you cannot just throw the listing on the market and hope for a buyer. You must prepare, and presentation is essential.

Who wants to pour more $$$$$ into the house they are leaving behind? You do. The last thing you want is for your buyer to walk away from the sale over a jiggly toilet seat handle. Deals falling through due to repair issues happen more often than you think.

Best Repairs Worth Making Before You Sell:

1. Cosmetics

As a rule of thumb, cosmetic renovations are normally cheaper than structural renovations. Buyers buy with their eyes, so now is the time to go through the interior in detail. Are there dents and dings on the walls and doors? Scratched moldings or worn-out paint? Spruce up the inside with a fresh coat of paint. Pick light, neutral and on-trend colors. Fix minor cracks in the wall. Cosmetics usually involves things that are clear and not hidden like wiring or plumbing. Replace worn or stained carpeting. Replace any chipped or cracked floor tiles or refinish scratched or dented hardwood. Replace old drapes and window coverings. Change the linens in bedrooms and towels in bathrooms. Put some fresh flowers in the kitchen.

2. Exterior

Curb Appeal. The exterior is the first thing buyers will see, so you want it to look great! Replace missing fence boards, add sod if the yard is looking like it needs it, clean up any junk that may have accumulated in the yard or on the outside. Change the house number or letterbox to something new and fresh.
Make sure the grass is mowed and that weeds are taken care of. Plant some flowers in the beds to add color and make the place feel homier. Trim the palm trees and bushes and don’t leave any garbage around.

3. Kitchen

Do not do a complete kitchen renovation unless you know you can make your money back on the sale. You can make minor repairs that will make your kitchen appear more inviting. Paint if necessary. Change the hardware on the cabinets. Install new fixtures. Replace the countertops with something more appealing (granite and marble are not necessary). The price of solid surface materials has come down in recent years so it might be worth getting an estimate.
With the appliances, buyers are going to expect these to work. If the oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, or range are out of order or in awful condition, consider replacing them.

4. HVAC

Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) should be in good working order. It should be clean and free of leaks. Your thermostat should be operating properly. Hire an HVAC technician to complete a tune-up and change the AC filter. Make sure you get an assessment of your system’s condition.

Leaving repairs for a buyer is not a smart thing to do if you are looking to get the most money for your home. Now that you know what to look for. Have a pre-inspection done on your home, so you can fix the major issues before listing the property.

For other most common problem areas, you will need to hire a professional. Things like faulty wiring, drainage, roof problems, foundation problems, poor upkeep, and plumbing.

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Orlando Realtor- Seller Series part 1

This series is dedicated to Orlando homeowners that want to sell their property for top dollar in the least amount of time but aren’t sure how to get started.

 Over the next few weeks, we will be revealing a 6 step formula for selling an Orlando home quickly for the highest amount possible. This edition will serve as an overview of the steps that will be broken down in detail over the next month or so.

 You must first seek out an experienced Orlando Realtor with a reputation for getting the job. At our brokerage this person is known as a “Listing Specialist.

 A Listing Specialist is exactly what it sounds like…a realtor that specializes in listing properties and nothing else. It’s no secret that if someone dedicates and focuses themselves at doing just one thing, they will become experts in their niche or their “one thing”.

A Listing Specialist will sit with you and discuss your time table for selling as well as the profit needed at the closing of the sale. They will also lay out the best plan of action to market the house and get the results you desire.

 Another critical step to selling your house is to price it right. Your realtor should prepare a detailed CMA [comparable market analysis] and go through it with you. This in-depth report of your home together with current market trends will help to determine what the highest listing price for your home will be.

 It’s then time to get the home ready for showings. You only one chance to make a first impression which is why it’s good idea to clean, de-clutter and even do some light staging if possible. A Listing Specialist can offer the seller tips on how to make the home look the best that it can without breaking the bank.

 Next, your realtor will help you to negotiate the offers that come in. Terms like contract price, contingencies in the contract, inspection periods, and closing date are all negotiable and an experienced realtor can prove invaluable in these instances.

 Once an offer has been accepted and a contract has been signed, you can start making plans to move out. You can count on your Orlando listing agent to be at your side at the closing table along with the buyer and the buyer’s agent and the title company. Once everyone signs the paperwork it becomes official and your you will receive your proceeds from the sale. 

Feel free to submit your questions or comments about this post below. For a quicker response, contact Jenny Zamora Lic Broker/ Listing Specialist at Orlando Realty Consultants at: 407-902-7750

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