Selling for the first time? Four mistakes to avoid

Selling your first home is always hard; not only is buying your house a momentous occasion, but the house itself will hold a lot of fond memories for you.

If you’d like to maximise your house’s potential, and get the best possible price when selling it, here are four mistakes to avoid.

Not engaging a real estate agent

While selling property may seem easy, it does involve making sure your house is advertised, presented and shown to prospective buyers. Engaging a real estate agent can make this process easier for you, as they are the experts in what makes buyers tick.

However, some sellers have also sold their house successfully without using a real estate agent. Consider whether you have enough time to do all the marketing and show people through your house. If not, it might be best to talk to an expert.

Leaving your clutter in the house

You might love the lived-in feel of your living room, with lots of oversized sofas and armchairs, but a prospective buyer needs to see as much of your house as possible; after all, they will be trying to imagine living there…

When putting your house on the market, try and remove as much clutter as possible, to increase your chances of a quicker sale.

Pricing too high

Even though it still seems to be a sellers’ market, if you price your home too high, buyers will look at other properties first. They may even buy a different house when they really wanted yours, simply because the initial price put them off.

Do your homework, understand what your house’s value is in this market, and be guided by your real estate agent to ensure that you are putting a realistic asking price on your property.

Entering into conditional agreements upon the buyer selling their house

While needing to sell a house before buying a new one, a quicker sale will happen for you when you know someone already has their finance approved. If you agree to a sale clause, this will usually extend your settlement date, as the buyer of your house still needs to find a buyer for theirs… And that means that your sale could fall through, if your buyer doesn’t manage to sell their house.

Of course, selling for the first time is a learning experience. It may seem easy, but there is a reason there are so many real estate agents – so talk to an expert to help your first-time selling a smooth experience.

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