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5 Mistakes Homesellers Should Avoid

By Brendon DeSimone

After years of dead open houses, price reduction after price reduction and failed attempts to sell homes, many real estate markets are picking up. This could be welcome news to someone who has been forced to have kids share a bedroom, suffer through a long commute or any number of reasons why folks would want to sell their home. Even though sales activity is up, sellers still must be ready to do what it takes to get their home sold. It’s still not the good old days. Buyers continue to be cautious and don’t want to make a bad decision. It’s more important than ever to do what it takes to work with potential buyers and prepare as best you can to get your home sold.

Here are five mistakes that serious sellers must avoid when going on the market today.

  1. Not taking your first buyer seriously.

    Ninety percent of the time, your first buyer is your best buyer. Real estate agents everywhere will tell you that they have seen this happen time and again. Generally speaking, the potential buyer who makes the first offer is highly motivated and ready to do business. The first offer might be lower than you’d like, but that’s what negotiations are for.

    You can hold off in hopes of better offers, but many times properties sit on the market too long growing “stale” because the seller didn’t work with the first buyer. Three months later, the seller ends up taking 5 percent less than the first offer they received. By this time, that first buyer has already bought and moved on. The seller is kicking themselves for not making it work.