Be restrictive with showings

Showings are the lifeblood of successful home sales. You will annoy your agent if you start refusing showings because it isn’t convenient for you. The truth is that selling a home “is” an inconvenient process for sellers. A restrictive showing schedule will only make it harder for your agent to sell your home to the right buyer. Getting a potential buyer into the home is one of the most important steps in the sale process for your agent. When your agent has a buyer, who likes your home enough to see it in person, be flexible! Each showing brings you closer to a winning offer on your home.

Fail to keep your home clean

Nothing will turn off buyers (and agents!) faster than a dirty, smelly home. First impressions are everything for buyers. When you’re selling your home, you must keep up with the cleaning in between showings until your home is sold. Don’t make your agent look bad in front of potential buyers by leaving mountains of dishes in the sink, clothes all over the floor, and a stinky litter box in plain sight. Make your agent proud and keep the home sparkling clean until you accept the perfect offer.

Be hard to reach

This is perhaps the easiest way to annoy your agent when selling your home! At any time, a prospective buyer may call to schedule a showing or make an offer. When this happens, your agent will need to reach you as soon as possible. If your agent cannot get in touch with you in time, you could miss out on a possible great offer. Keep your cell phone on you always and be sure to tell your agent if you have plans to leave town. Save your agent some stress and make yourself readily available until you’ve successfully sold your home.

Keep important things from your agent (Most important of all)

One of the keys to becoming a successful seller is to work with a great agent who puts your best interests first. However, an agent can’t do their best work for you if you aren’t honest with him or her about your home’s history. If you had an asbestos issue or know that the home’s foundation is damaged, be honest with your agent. Your agent is on your side. Lying will not only annoy your agent but land him or her in court if you knowingly fail to disclose material facts when selling your home. If you have to ask yourself these questions: “should I disclose this to my agent and would prospective buyers want to know this? (or would I want to know this if I was the buyer?)” – it means YES – Disclose it!!!

Expect to get back all the money you spent on renovations

This is not to say that your renovations aren’t valuable, but don’t expect to make every penny back that you spent on new floors when you sell your home. Unfortunately, the buyer is the one who gets to decide how much your home renovations are worth. Remember that your home is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay, so let your agent work his or her magic to get you as much money for your home and its brand-new features as possible. Your home’s ideal buyer will recognize the money you put into renovations and repairs and make you a great offer.

Call your agent minutes after every showing

Agents understand that sellers can get emotional when selling a home and that they are waiting to hear if whether their home is going to sell or not and desperate for information regarding the latest showing. However, keep in mind that your agent will certainly update you on showings and feedback as soon as they have the information and will call or email you with updates.

Buyers don’t always make their opinions known right away until they have a game plan and have had time to think about it, so there is rarely any news that fast after a showing. Let your agent negotiate with the buyer’s agent on your behalf to get you the best offer, and trust that your agent will call as soon as possible to give you an update.

Staying around for Open Houses

This is something you NEVER want to do: When your home is being shown, leave the house. Run an errand, walk the dog, grab a latte, just don’t be there when potential buyers are seeing your home for the first time. Same goes with open houses. It’s incredibly important for buyers to feel comfortable in your home. They won’t be able to take their time getting to know your home if you are breathing down their neck the whole time. Plus, there’s always the risk that something you do or say could drive away the ideal buyer. Play it on the safe side and let your agent sell your home!

Convincing yourself that your home is worth more than it is

It is understandable that nearly all sellers feel some sort of emotional connection to their home, especially when they have been living there for many years. However, things you may find valuable about your home may not be so valuable to prospective buyers – like that custom wall paper from the 1990’s that you proudly describe as one-of-a-kind. Your agent will gather the necessary data and analyze it and provide you with a suggested price range so that both of you can discuss and strategize to come up with a competitively final list price so that your home can sell successfully and in the least amount of time. Insisting that your home is worth more than it is and wanting to list it for a higher price to test the market is not the best thing to do.

Turn down an offer because it’s not at full price

Keep in mind that – Just because an offer is not at full price doesn’t mean it’s not a great offer! As the seller, you must be reasonable. An agent will have priced your home competitively based on your local real estate market with room for negotiation. Many buyers feel like they’ve “won” negotiations by coming in below full asking price, but the seller is also a winner! If your home was priced correctly, you will likely still profit from the sale of your home. Trust in your agent’s abilities to get you the best deal!