Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Putting Your Home on the Market

Whether relocating to a new city or trading up to a new place, you’re likely going to need to list your current home first. Before planting a “For Sale” sign in your yard, take a look at these five common pitfalls to avoid when putting your home on the market.

Not listing with high quality photos

Nowadays, home buyers begin their search for a new home online – not in-person. So when selling a home, it’s crucial to include high quality , high resolution images with the listing. In fact, many real estate brokerage firms will only post professional photos of their listings for this very reason. According to HGTV , “homebuyers rated photos as the feature they use most when searching for a home on the web. Online listings with bad pictures – or worse, no pictures at all – can cause buyers to overlook your home from the get-go.”

Susie White, Realtor for Wilson Associates Real Estate in South Carolina, agrees. “ Photos provide that critically important first impression of your home, so this is a place where quality really matters,” she explains. “Many buyers will make a decision about whether or not they even want to schedule a showing based upon photos alone. If the images are bad or poor quality, you may have lost the sale before the buyer even got to the threshold.”

So – suffice to say – don’t skimp on photos. Remember to take them during ideal conditions to achieve optimal lighting as well.

Not disclosing problems

While it’s important to put your best foot forward when selling a home, it’s more important to be honest about what you’re selling. Whether it was a noteworthy renovation or a termite issue, revealing past problems to potential buyers is a necessary evil for selling a home. Depending on your state’s laws, you could also end up in big trouble (read: lawsuit) for failing to provide important information in your disclosure statement to buyers. Having issues discovered late in the home buying process will only damage trust between a seller and a buyer, potentially putting the entire deal at risk. Bottom line: avoid lying about or grossly exaggerating your home’s features.

Not hiring the right listing agent

Unless you, yourself, happen to be a real estate professional, I highly recommend hiring a reputable Realtor to sell your home. Why? Realtors bring a lot to the table: knowledge of the market; price guidance; a deep network; ability to handle the legalities and paperwork; and they can show your home effectively, so you don’t have to! These are just a few reasons why enlisting a Realtor is a good idea.

But with hundreds of Realtors in your area to choose from, how do you go about hiring the right one? First, as White points out, start by interviewing a couple of listing agents. “Ask yourself who was more prepared for the meeting? Who laid out a strategic marketing plan describing what they will do to sell your home quickest and to get the best price?,” she explains.

Don’t forget about social media coverage, either. White says it’s a “critical factor” in today’s world. A Realtor’s marketing and social media plan should ensure your home’s listing reaches the greatest number of potential buyers. Whether via social media channels, mailers or a strong network, the right Realtor will know who your buyers are and how to reach them.

These considerations, along with word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews from friends and neighbors, should help you find the best real estate agent for the job.

Not being ready for the sale

Whatever you do – don’t list your home before you’re ready to sell. For starters, you need to be emotionally and mentally prepared. Letting go of a house filled with meaningful memories isn’t easy, but remember change is good. Before you know it, you’ll be making new memories in your new home.

“Being ready” to sell your home also means planning for the move and preparing well ahead of time. From decluttering and repainting the walls to listing professional photos and staging your rooms, a little preparation can go a long way in terms of making your house a serious contender. Also, entering the market at the right listing price is of the utmost importance. If you’re “not ready” to sell and end up listing your house far above market value, few prospective buyers will bite. You may then be forced to lower the price-point of your home, which in turn could leave buyers wondering what’s wrong with your house.

Not making necessary changes to your home

Selling a house is anything but easy. In a saturated market where buyers have copious options, sellers must make their houses stand out to achieve the best offer. Start with big, structural items first, such as electrical wiring, plumbing, the HVAC and the roof. Hire your own inspector to make sure everything’s in tip-top condition. Assess the home for any sort of water damage, tie up loose ends and don’t forget to replace any broken light fixture you’ve been complaining about.

Next, make a good first impression by cleaning and decluttering your home. After all, if homeowners don’t take the time to put away their knick-knacks, scattered toys and stacked magazine, prospective buyers might question how well the home has been taken care of. Clutter will also only serve to make your home appear smaller (read: NOT a desirable attribute). “I like to encourage folks to see the de-cluttering stage as step one towards packing up to move!,” White tells us. “And if we get the house looking fabulous, the sale will happen faster so they may as well get a jump on their packing.”

If you have more stuff than you know what to do with, try renting a self-storage unit and donating to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity. For more information on how to declutter and stage your home before a move, check here .

Finally, I highly recommend making necessary cosmetic changes to your home before putting it on the market. “Buyers love move in ready and you may just need to paint over those pink and orange walls to make your home more appealing to a broader pool of buyers to assure faster and top dollar offers,” White notes. Besides painting, other easy cosmetic changes you can make include cleaning carpets and fixing loose doorknobs.

For help moving after you’ve sold your home, check out Moving.com’s extensive network of reputable and reliable movers – all licensed and insured. Good luck and happy moving!