Sellers are facing a tough decision in today’s market. “Do I sell now or do I keep my home for the next 5-7 years?” Most sellers are choosing to stay in their homes and not sell.

That’s a good thing for those sellers who are forced to sell for one reason or another and don’t have time to sit back and wait. For the seller who has to sell their home in the next 90 -180 days, a lot of decisions need to be made and a lot of effort needs to be put

into the sale.

There are 11 of the most common mistakes made by sellers:

1. Lack of Curb Appeal – The first thing that a buyer sees is the front of a property. They will see a picture online on a web site, or they will drive by the property. Either way, the curb appeal of the property is extremely important if the seller is going to maximize their sales price. Even though the old adage goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” most buyers do. Clean up the front of the house, trim bushes and trees, plant new flowers and make sure the grass is green.

2.Cluttered and personalized interior – Once you’ve attracted that potential buyer, caught their eye, and got them to look at the property further, make sure the inside is in tip-top condition. Imagine that the property is a brand new, model home, and your job is to stage it for sale. That is the goal you need to set for the interior of the property. De-clutter the entry and living room. Remove personal pictures from the walls and shelves. Take out the oversized recliner that is blocking the walkway. Open up the walkways, take out large furniture, remove the ‘wall of fame’ in the hallway and minimize the personal pictures. The goal is to show that each room has more than enough space for its furniture and the buyer needs to be able to imagine their own furnishings in each room. It’s OK to pack the garage with all of the extra stuff, but it preferable to move it all off of the property to a separate storage area.

3.Walls in need of freshening up – Once you have removed all of the clutter, you will see that the walls are dinged up and have hand prints all over them. You’ll see that the vacuum has marred up the base boards and the cord has made black lines along the edges of the walls. Spruce up the paint; repaint the entire interior if needed. Add some color to the walls too; don’t just paint them Antique White. Don’t be bold and paint the room’s red or purple, but pick a soft color that compliments the current furnishings while it is neutral enough that the buyer can imagine their own furniture in the rooms.

4.Stained & old flooring – Now that you’ve removed half of the furniture from the property, you will see where the sun has faded the carpet, walkways that have been created around the old furniture and stains had been hidden under the sofa! The cheapest way to fix things is to have the flooring professionally cleaned. In many cases, if the carpet is less than 5 years old, this will work. But if you still have that orange shag carpet from when you bought the place…its time to replace it! Again, don’t go out and find apartment grade, tan carpet. Find a carpet that compliments the current décor but will still be neutral for the next owner. Talk to the local carpet store about what’s in style in the area for a reasonable price.

There is the option of offering a carpet allowance to the buyer, but if a potential buyer walks in to the property and is hit with a 20-year-old carpet, or a stained and worn carpet, you will have lost all ‘first impressions.’ Don’t be cheap when it comes to selling your biggest single investment.

5.Shredded and faded curtains – Don’t forget about those window coverings and curtains. The sun is harsh and eats curtains. Dust collects and sticks to mini-blinds. Update the window coverings throughout the property. If you still have the matching bedspread and valance, be sure it’s not from the 1950’s! If you love it so much, then pack it with the rest of the furniture in your storage unit and put up some new, clean mini-blinds with a shear around the window. Make sure the window openings are clear and let in a lot of light. Nothing makes a room feel small like having no natural light. Bright and airy is key here.

6.Pet/smoke odors and stains – Once you have replaced the flooring & repainted the walls, most pet and smoke odors will be gone, but how do you keep them from coming back? Don’t let the pet back into the property! Don’t smoke inside anymore! Seriously! Find a friend or family member to watch the dog while your property is on the market. Not only will it keep the property from smelling it will also make showings easier because the buyers won’t have to worry about getting bit! As for smoking…do it outside! You can handle smoking outside while you are on the market. A little suffering now will save thousands later!

7.Boring Bathrooms – Clean them and keep them clean. Add some colorful hand towels to the counter, maybe a fragrance candle & potpourri. Make sure the bathroom smells clean & fresh and has a little color.

8.Kitchen Clutter – Clear off the counter tops. Nothings says “small kitchen” like having every small appliance there is neatly staged on the countertop. What this says is “The kitchen has NO cupboard space and everything has to be kept on the counters.” Find room for everything but the coffee maker and the toaster. If there is room for those, then put them away when not in use! If you’ve still got a 1970’s microwave the size of an oven, get rid of it. It’s probably leaking radiation anyway. Go out and buy a small microwave to get you through the sale of the house, or just don’t replace it until you move to a new property. You don’t need popcorn at night anyway.

9.In the Backyard – If you’ve got a large yard, make sure it is de-cluttered and seems easy to maintain. Make sure the grass is green, the shrubs and trees are trimmed and the clutter is removed. If the yard is small, make sure it is all but empty. Stage a small table & chairs so the buyer can imagine sitting outside, drinking coffee and reading the morning newspaper. Make the backyard an extension of the property but not a nuisance and something that is too much to take care of.

10.Wrong Price – Pricing the property correctly is going to be the toughest of all for most owners. Everyone has lived through the past 7 years of appreciating prices and nobody wants to think that they left money on the table when they sell. Unfortunately, the lack of buyers is affecting the market value of property. There are simply not enough buyers out there for the number of sellers that need to sell. Price will be 90% of the reason a buyer takes a closer look at your property. Talk to your Realtor® about the market value and price it right. Talk to three different Realtors® and get their opinions on value.

11.Choose the Right Realtor® – Once you have the property properly staged, cleaned up, curb appeal in place and have spoken to at least three Realtors® then you need to choose the right one. Make sure that the Realtor® has experience in a Buyer’s market. He/she must know how to properly market a property for sale when there are more buyers than sellers. You need to have maximum Internet exposure. The Realtor® must be experienced with a full-spectrum of marketing, not just putting a sign in the yard and hoping someone will drive by and see it. Recent studies say 100% of today’s buyers will search the Internet before buying their new home. Ask for at least 3 references from the agents. Ask how many homes they have sold in the past 90-180 days. Don’t rely on what they sold a year ago, that was a different market. Ask them how close to the original asking price was the final sales prices. You don’t need to list at a high price and then get beat up by the agent for price reductions. Price it right in the beginning and you will net more money than being on the market for 6 months and reducing the price several times.If you follow these easy steps, you will have a much better chance of selling your property quickly, and for top dollar. While there are no ‘magic pills’ to get a property sold, these tips will go a long way toward getting you to your goal.

Richard Daskam is a top producer in the Southern California area. He is a Broker-Associate with Keller Williams Realty and has been selling real estate since 1990. Richard experienced the last Buyer’s Market in the 1990’s and uses what he learned then to help his clients today. Richard can be reached at 562-857-1965 or on the Internet at www.FindRichardOnline.com.



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