Common Mistakes Sellers Make (And How To Avoid Them)

We know there’s a lot to think about when you’re selling your home. Whether you’re selling for the very first time or the fifth, there are plenty of common mistakes that you might not know about, which you can easily avoid to help your sale go smoothly.

Setting The Price Too High

By overpricing your home, you are effectively pricing out your best potential future buyers, and this is one of the main reasons why homes sit on the market for a long time and don’t sell as quickly as their owners would like.

In a recent report, Rightmove said: “The average time to sell for a reduced property is 99 days, while those that don’t need a reduction sell in just 32 days on average – showing pricing right first time is key to finding a buyer.”

Reducing the price of your home later on can increase the audience of potential buyers that your home reaches, and can be done successfully; however, it is much more effective to set the price correctly the first time, as a reduction can lead to buyers asking more questions about the reasons why it was reduced.

Not Getting Your Home Ready For Sale

It’s important to properly prepare your home both before it initially goes on the market and before each viewing.

The photos your agent takes of your property are a buyer’s first impression of your home, so it is important that your home looks its best before the photos are taken. If you have any repairs to make or if you need to do a deep clean, we recommend that you do this before the photos are taken.

Before each viewing, you should also make sure your home is clean, tidy and free of clutter. If your home isn’t clean and organised, it can give buyers the wrong impression of how much space you have and make them think that you haven’t properly cared for the property in the time that you’ve lived there.

Not Being Flexible With Viewings

The more flexible you can be with viewing appointments, the more viewings you will get booked. Buying a home can be a challenging process and often buyers work full-time from 9am to 5pm, so they may not be able to view your home in the week or during the day. Giving buyers the option to view in the evening and at weekends will help more people to be able to view your home.

We would also suggest letting your estate agent conduct the viewings, so you don’t have to be home while the viewings are taking place. Remember, estate agents are experts in the local market and will be able to show off your property in the best light while answering any questions your buyers might have.

Rushing Into Choosing An Agent

Choosing an estate agent is one of the biggest decisions you will make when you are selling your home. Rushing into making a choice, or picking the very first agent that comes to value your home, could result in you putting your home on the market at the wrong price and mean that it takes you longer than necessary to sell.

When you’re choosing your agent, it’s important to get valuations from several agents. This will help to rule out the outliers (who are pricing really high or low), and it will also help you get a better understanding of what each agency can offer you. Make sure to consider how local the agent is to you, if they’ve sold properties near you recently, and the marketing that they can provide. Ask yourself: Do you like their photography? Do they have a strong social media presence, and are they willing to feature your home on their socials? What property portals do they advertise their homes on? (e.g. Rightmove and OnTheMarket)