Don’t Make These Mistakes When Selling Your Philadelphia Home
If you are selling your home, you likely have done the research on what you should do if you want to sell your home. There is conventional wisdom regarding home sales, and you can fail to follow it at your own peril. There is also a list, almost as long, of things that you shouldn’t do when selling your house. Many of these gaffs seem intuitive, but whether you’ve happened upon them blindly or otherwise, you should take care of them immediately, because they can lead to you either losing money on your sale or getting no offers at all!
Mistake #1: You price your home too high
Everyone thinks that their house is the prettiest, nicest one on the block. It has sentimental value to you, but that value seldom translates into actual appraisal dollars. Your real estate agent will concoct a listing price based on a number of concrete facts, including comps in your neighborhood, the objective condition of your home, and how the market is trending at the time you are ready to sell. Arguing and insisting on a higher price is a losing proposition. Not only are you unlikely to sell at that price, but you might end up having to take an offer that is even lower than what your agent suggested! There are two reasons why this can happen. First of all, a home is at its most desirable when it is fresh on the MLS. The longer it sits there, the more it is viewed as “unwanted” and the lower the offers will be. Secondly, even if you find a buyer willing to pay your inflated price, the sale will not close unless the house appraises at the right price. Let the experts guide you on this one, and be willing to be humble.
Mistake #2: Your home has too much “flair”
Okay, so you love the Philadelphia Eagles. Who doesn’t? (Shut up. I don’t actually want to hear that answer!) But covering your home top-to-bottom in sports memorabilia and then listing it for sale is not a good idea. You may love your stained glass transom window depicting an eagle in flight, as well as your green-and-silver emblazoned basement, complete with a shrine to Carson Wentz in the form of a framed autographed jersey and shadowbox showing all the stubs from every game you’ve attended. The Eagles coasters, bedspreads, decorative wreaths, and throw blankets may all make your house feel like “home,” but most buyers checking it out will have a “wtf” reaction. Having a house with too much “personality” blinds prospective buyers to the bones underneath, even if they are great ones. You will turn off buyers looking for a neutral palette on which to imprint their own design, and you will absolutely revolt fans of opposing teams (in this example). Think neutral for everything: paint, decor, window treatments, etc.
Mistake #3: Getting too friendly at open houses or showings
You may feel like there is nobody more qualified to show off your house than yourself, but restrain the urge to hang around and offer input at showings and/or open houses on your home. In fact, make yourself scarce and go somewhere else while things are going on. The reasons are manifold: not only will buyers feel uncomfortable and unable to communicate honestly with one another while you are breathing down their neck, but you yourself also run the risk of hurt feelings if someone does manage to be honest and infers that the house could use some work, or that they don’t like a certain feature of which you are very proud. Feelings have little business in real estate, and the most professional thing to do is let agents handle would-be buyers, and not you.
Mistake #4: Appearing too pet-friendly
Your dog or cat is undoubtedly a member of your family. Nobody is disputing that. But, with that said, your potential buyers shouldn’t know that he or she is around. You don’t know who has allergies, phobias, or plain dislikes of pups and pusses, and you risk turning off a buyer because they don’t want to be around your pet. Furthermore, you should make sure that the house has absolutely no pet odors. The fact is that we can become “nose blind” to the scents of wet fur or kitty litter boxes, and other people can be disgusted by the same. Have your realtor give you an honest opinion about whether a deep-clean is in order. And, for the love of everything, pack your pet in a carrier and take them away when you are having a showing.
