13 Things You Should Never Do Before Listing Your House

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Marketing your house can be one of the most fulfilling or frustrating experiences. Perhaps you’re ready to drive up that stick in the ground that reads ‘For Sale’ and move on to other pastures, there are a number of things to do to prepare for the sale of your home. While everyone is very keen to add on things that should be done before selling a house, but there are some things that you should otherwise avoid.

The last thing you want is inadvertently to make your home harder to sell. So, if you’re considering selling, here are 13 things that are best avoided before putting up your house for sale.

Overpricing Your Home

It’s often kind of fun to try to get very, very high when setting the price of your house, especially when you’ve invested a lot. However, being overly aggressive via an unrealistic price is a sure way to scare off potential customers. If the price is too high, your home might spend a long time on the market and potential buyers may ask, what is wrong with it? When setting your desired price range, it must be as low as possible considering market analysis.

Ignoring Necessary Repairs

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So the tiny stain in the carpet from a leaky faucet that you have been putting under your carpet? Buyers will notice. For instance, if you neglect to fix holes in the walls you risk making your home seem like nobody takes care of it; this will make buyers start wondering about the areas that they cannot see. Complete those repairs before your home gets listed as the chances of turning off the potential clients are high.

Skipping a Deep Clean

A quick tidy-up won’t cut it. First of all, you should clean your home before anyone ever gets a chance to buy it. That means every floor, every wall, every curtain, every item on the floor and on the wall; in fact everything in the house should be clean and if possible shiny. Unclean edges, dirty floors, and dirty windows can take the buyer’s attention and leave a perception that the house has not been cleaned.

Leaving Too Much Personal Decor

Yes, you may find comfort in your collection of eccentric artwork or the dozen family pictures by the hall, but buyers are interested in what they can see themselves in, not you. Sometimes household items can somehow hinder them from visualizing the house as their future home. Therefore the interior should remain as generic as possible; blankets, pillows, photographs and other such items should be removed.

Major Home Renovations Before Selling

It is tempting to believe that adding a new kitchen or completely redoing the bathroom is going to add value to your home, but renovating right before you put your house on the market can be counterproductive. You don’t get to take the money back, and the people who are buying may not like the same types of finishes. Thus, they need only minor, unobtrusive refinishing works that would give the interiors a new lease on life without entailing significant costs.

Neglecting Curb Appeal

To start with, it is common to have people judge you based on what they see outside your home. When a yard is unkept, when paint is chipped, or the front door looks ugly, people won’t want to come inside to see the rest of the house. In fact, details such as mowing the lawn, planting a couple of flowers, or repainting the door come a long way.

Staying Attached to Your Home

Selling your home is like selling a part of you, or even the whole you if you have been in one place for a long while. However, becoming fixated on the sentimental value dims its analytical ability in other aspects such as pricing, accepting an offer among others. Eliminate the emotions associated with the house by believing that you are relisting the house for sale not a home that belongs to you.

Open Houses Before You’re Ready

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A common mistake made is hosting an open house before all the fittings and fixtures have been photographed perfectly to entice a buyer. If you didn’t repair something, or carpet wasn’t cleaned, or you didn’t declutter, then buyers won’t get the best impression. Make sure your home is prepped for open house before deciding to open it for people’s inspection.

Lack of Professional Photos

In the present world, people visit your home for the first time virtually, and poor photos can turn them down. Hazy, low quality or, low lighting and bad angle shots can deter buyers from considering your house as big or as beautiful as it real is. It is important to note that, working with professional photographers can help sell your home much easier than working with an amateur.

Forgetting to Declutter

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When a space is cluttered, it ends up looking cramped and messy, which is the least likely impression buyers want to get. When you are about to put your home up for sale, take time and declutter all rooms from unnecessary items. It does not necessarily mean that it must be minimalistic, though, it is widely agreed that minimalism is the key inside an inviting house.

Overlooking the Lighting

Black Pendant Light — Photo Credit: Brett Sayles/Pexels

Low lighting in homes has the impact of tightening the space in that home and making it less welcoming to the occupants. Change existing bulbs, pull the curtains or blinds and make the most of natural light as it has many benefits. Of course, representatives of homeowners, buyers, and tenants always like bright and spacious areas.

Leaving Pets and Their Stuff Out

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However much you may be a dog lover, not all buyers will be of the same opinion like you do. Pet beds, toys, and food bowls left within any area of the house can be disgusting. Worse, some buyers may have allergies out of these products hence will avoid buying from the outlet. In advance of showings, remove any pet oriented items and if possible, have pets absent from the house to keep the home pet free.

Skipping the Final Touches

Often it is difficult when working as a team to remember about details that can be a significant factor. Just changing the towels in the bathroom, putting a clean doormat or bringing a new house plant provide that extra touch that makes the home glisten. Do not leave out these small incidences – they may go along towards creating the desired impact.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.