Pet Peeves That Turn Homebuyers Off

... AND HOW TO AVOID THEM

Gut instinct and first impressions could make or break the sale of your house. Even if your house is priced just right and in a very desirable location, you may be insulting potential buyers without ever knowing it. Some things just turn buyers off that you wouldn’t even think of, so here are some conceivable things to avoid when selling your Breckenridge real estate.

1. Covering up Known Issues

No home is perfect … they all have their share of flaws. But, covering up any issues that you know about could be a very costly gamble. A buyer could back out at the last minute, they could ask you to fix the issue(s) or even worse, engage you in a legal battle long after the deal should be done. Just make sure to be up front about all problems – whether its odors or a failed foundation – and make sure to have a pre-sale inspection done by a qualified home inspector. This way you will gain the upper hand in how to address the issue and get top dollar for your home as a result.

2. Overpricing Your Home

There’s nothing worse than having your house sit on the market because it’s overpriced and ultimately deters interested buyers. If you are looking to sell in a timely manner, make sure that your house is appropriately priced for the market. Work with a knowledgeable real estate agent so that you know what is a correct price for what your home is worth. Besides the market, the condition of your home and how well recent home sales have performed will also influence your listing price. Remember that the price that you originally paid for the home has no bearing on what you can sell for when you go to list.

3. Not Making the Right Preparations

You want buyers to be able to picture themselves living in your home, so a clean, decluttered and relatively neutral space is quintessential. Consider packing up things like children’s toys, knick-knacks, worn out furniture, hanging pictures and other distracting decorations before you are ready to show the home. If your home has a lot of overwhelming, bright or dark colors you may want to consider repainting in a neutral palette to allow for that blank slate for potential buyers. It many not be your personal taste, but could go a long way towards them picturing themselves in your home.

4. Being Difficult in the Showing Process

If you’ve ever sold a home before, you know how stressful it can be to constantly keep your house show ready. But, the longer your house sits on the market, the more you will have to keep things neat and tidy for potential showings. So, do yourself a favor and be amenable and flexible to requested showing times and never insist on being present during showings. Both of these things will harm the sale process rather than help it. On the fence potential buyers may be more willing to work with you down the line if you had been reasonable from the beginning of the process.

5. Not Considering Your Pets

Just like we talked about in number 3 above, though pets are not part of your personal belongings per se, you do want to make sure that they are not in the way during the home showing process. Of course your pets have a hold on a special place in your heart and your home, but not everyone may see it that way. So, be sure that your pet(s) are at least appropriately contained or removed from the premises entirely with the latter being the suggested mode of action. If you cannot do either of these, just make sure that the potential buyer has received ample warning from your real estate agent beforehand. Additionally, you want to make sure that any stains or damage caused by pets is repaired beforehand to help the overall impression of your home.

All of the above items alone are not going to sell your house for you, but they could ultimately be the difference is someone is on the fence of whether to buy your home. A little preparation (and knowledge) goes a long way. For more tips and insight into selling your home, contact us or visit our Real Estate Sellers Guide at your convenience. Best of luck in your home selling process

By Reid Tulley
Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties
Frisco Colorado

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