Biggest Home Seller Mistakes

Survey of 1,000 Real Estate Agents Reveals the Top Six Ways to Sabotage the Sale of Your Home

The most common reasons that a house will not sell in a good market are often well within the control of the home seller, according to a recent survey by the ActiveRain online real estate community. In a poll of over 1,000 real estate agents, it was revealed that the top six ways home sellers turn potential home buyers away are:

 1. The home is overpriced

 2. It is difficult to set a showing time

 3. The seller is unwilling to de-personalize or de-clutter the home

 4. Unpleasant odors

 5. The seller is unwilling to negotiate with buyers

 6. The seller refuses to make repairs prior to listing the home 

It’s interesting to see that agents across the country see sellers making the same mistakes over and over.  Overpricing a home is clearly one of the leading seller mistakes made and it’s up to the agent to help homeowners get a clear perspective on how buyers see their home.  But doing that isn’t always easy.

There is currently a home on the market in Carlsbad that is priced 30-35% over similar homes in the same development.  Granted there are some nice upgrades the others don't have.  But the owner refuses to lower the price even after being on the market for 120 days.

I believe it's an agent’s responsibility to make sure the seller understands that a home on the market that long in this kind of market is priced wrong – period.  And in a declining market especially, an overpriced home is an expensive mistake.