... 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.
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