Columbia SC Home Selling Recommendations: What to Avoid

If you’re planning to sell your home during 2017, there are several Columbia SC home selling recommendations you should be aware of. The following are common mistakes to avoid once you decide to put your home on the market.

Leaving out the required preparation. The excitement to get your home on the market as soon as possible is certainly understandable. The sooner you get it out there, the sooner you have a chance to sell. However, it’s important to take the necessary time to prepare your home for sale. So, the first of our Columbia SC home selling recommendations is to take the time and effort to plan what you'll need to do to get your home ready to put on the market.

The old adage, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression” is appropriate considering your house will be competing with a number of others on the market. As such, it's the time to put your home’s “best foot” forward. Performing repairs, repainting, decluttering, making landscaping improvements and staging the home are all potential moves you can make to position your home to show better – and sell faster. An experienced real estate professional can assist you by making recommendations in the following areas:

Cleaning up and decluttering your home.
A prospective buyer needs to envision himself and his family in your home. Make it easier for him by removing personal items and mementos, and decluttering various rooms, allowing him to better visualize his family’s belongings in the home, not yours.

Perform repairs and upgrades.
Take a critical look at your home. If there are painting needs, cracks or other unsightly areas needing attention, perform that work. It will make potential buyers notice how well the home has been maintained – likely implying that everything has been well cared for and in good shape.

Staging your home.
Home staging can be a vital tool in helping it sell. See an expert and discuss the cost versus the return on investment. Your real estate professional can assist here.

Have professional photos taken.
These days, more buyers than ever are doing their initial research online. It’s important you have professional photos to present in their online search. Again, the first impression is the one prospects will remember. Give them the best representation of your home by showing them great photos – and they’ll likely include it on their list to view in person.

Overpricing the home for the current market.
Among the list of Columbia SC home selling recommendations, this one of the most important. Pricing your home correctly is one of the biggest factors in whether it sells, and how fast. Conversely, overpricing your home for the market is one of the biggest and most deadly mistakes a seller can make. An overpriced home generally stays on the market considerably longer than necessary. The longer a home sits on the market, the less interest it'll receive from other buyers or agents. That usually results in low-ball offers.

We suggest two considerations to price your home correctly. First, review comparable sales in your market area. Look at what’s sold and where. Secondly, discuss your pricing ideas with a professional real estate agent to get their input and suggestions. Be objective – forget the emotional attachment to your home – you’ll rarely find a buyer willing to pay what your memories are worth, so don’t include their value in the sales price. Remember, your agent is the expert and they know what the market will bear – and what it won’t.

Being present for open houses and home-showings.
Again, as excited as you may be to show your home and be present when potential buyers visit, avoid the temptation. When the seller is in the same room with a prospect, it can actually be a deterrent for most purchasers. They may not ask the questions they really want to ask. It’s the same feeling many shoppers have when an overzealous sales clerk – who just wants to be helpful – follows you around in the store and actually is less help than he or she intends. Don’t be the anxious sales clerk. Let your agent handle the showings, the open houses and the walk throughs. If they need you, they can always call.

Failing to work with an experienced real estate professional.
As mentioned, working with a professional who knows the market and what sells your home quickest and best is a tremendous advantage. What’s more, working with an agent who knows the pitfalls of selling can save you time and money. An experienced real estate professional can help you every step of the way – from home preparation to pricing and marketing – it’s what they get paid for, and what they do best.

Interview prospective agents carefully. Ask questions about the homes they’ve sold and the total volume of sales. Be specific in asking questions about your particular home in your neighborhood to determine how familiar the agent is with what potential sellers are looking for. In addition, find a personal connection on which you can build. Make sure you and your agent can communicate, so you’ll be on the same page with one common goal in mind – to sell your home as quickly as possible and for as much money.

These are but a few Columbia SC home selling recommendations to consider, but if you take these into account we think it will make the sale of your home easier and more enjoyable.

See more articles pertaining to Columbia SC home selling recommendations in the two sections of articles on Columbia SC Home Selling Tips and Columbia SC Homes for Sale just below Columbia SC Real Estate Categories in the column to your right.

Remember, we also post tips daily on Twitter and Facebook. Check us out there, too.