As real estate professionals serving the San Gabriel Valley, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties, I’ve noticed that spring brings both opportunities and challenges for home sellers. With as much activity as spring brings, it is still possible to fall victim to common pitfalls when selling your house. What do these common mistakes look like?
1. Overpricing the Property
Setting an asking price above market value is a mistake that can lead to prolonged days on market and reduced buyer interest. The longer a home sits on the market, the more a buyer starts to wonder: “Is there something wrong with this house? Why did nobody want it?” Homes priced above market value can sit on the market longer, reducing buyer interest and leading to price reductions over time — something we call chasing the market, when you continually reduce the price to try to find the sweet spot where buyers are interested.
How to Avoid It:
Engage with us about the Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) in an open dialogue during the listing appointment: When we meet with clients to price their homes, we review recent sales of similar properties in your area and factor in your improvements, upgrades, and condition of the home. This data-driven approach helps in setting a competitive and realistic price. We love when my clients engage in a productive dialogue about whether they want to list or why they want to list there. It can take some talking, but we want to list at a price that gives you the most options and leverage with Buyers!
2. Neglecting Necessary Repairs and Updates
Home Buyers are often deterred by visible issues at a property, perceiving them as indicators of poor maintenance or potential hidden problems. We don’t always recommend that a Seller do repairs or make changes prior to going to market, but there are certain fixes that will make sense and make a high-impact (we would discuss this in person at the listing appointment).
How to Avoid It:
Focus on High-Impact Repairs: Prioritize repairs and updates that would pose a universal frustration for a home buyer, such as fixing leaky faucets, chipped paint, or visibly broken doors, windows, fences, etc.
An unkempt or cluttered home can be a major turn-off for potential buyers, making it difficult for them to envision themselves living in the space. If you are able to clear through items before putting your home on the market, it will also make your life easier when you pack up and move at the end of escrow.
How to Avoid It:
- Remove Identifying Aspects & Future Donations: Can someone identify your favorite sports team, how many kids you have, or other personal details from walking through the home? Those are great things to depersonalize. Once professional photos are on the internet, they are hard to remove and could mean that family photos or other personal details remain online. Think about whether certain items you will be donating or getting rid of anyways — those are perfect items to donate before going to market.
By steering clear of these 3 common mistakes, you can give yourself the best chance at hitting your goals when you go to list!
Curious about how we help manage these projects for you? Call us today!
