4 Obstacles in the Way of Selling Your Home

Whether or not the market is in your favor, you may be self-sabotaging your home sale if you’re making some common mistakes. Simple errors can engage you in a real estate catch-22: wanting to sell your home, but making it difficult to do so. In order to save you from preventing the sale of your own home, here’s a list of four obstacles that may be in your way – and how to push them out of your path:


1. A Cluttered Home
Any potential home buyer wants to see his future space as a clean canvas, full of furniture and simple décor, but not muddled by all your worldly possessions piled on the floor. Make sure you do adequate cleaning, and to eliminate any extra clutter you want to keep, consider a self-storage unit. Companies, such as StorageMart, often have customers renting storage units to clear out clutter while their home is on the market.

2. Hanging Out at Home
Although you may be eager to see and hear the goings-on during showings and open houses at your own home – and simultaneously don’t want to have your regular at-home routine disrupted – you are standing in the way of your home’s sale if you stick around too much. It can be uncomfortable and awkward for potential buyers to view your space under your watchful eye. They won’t make honest comments about their feelings about your house, and their feelings themselves may be altered by your presence – and not in a good way. Take a step back and let your real estate agent do the work as you walk away for a short time.

3. Not Finding the Right Real Estate Agent
To ensure you feel safe walking away from your home while buyers browse, make sure you have a real estate agent you trust to do a good job for you. A huge mistake you can make in selling your home is to not spend enough time searching for, and researching, the right agent. Ask friends and family, conduct an online search, and see who already has listings in your area before you settle on an agent to sell your home. You might be surprised to find that the big-name agent you had your eye on has trouble selling homes in your area, or you may discover that another agent’s out-of-the-box thinking really appeals to you.

4. Incorrect Pricing
Although you want to put trust in your agent’s expertise, you still want to have an active role in the pricing of your home. Having an improperly priced home can be a huge hurdle standing in the way of a sale. Ensure you are given the latest information on what homes have sold for in the last few months, as well as what homes are likely to be sold for in the current market. You should also have a frank discussion about what constitutes a fair price for your home, given its condition (and the current market conditions). Things you consider a big deal might not be – and vice versa.

Although avoiding all these obstacles won’t guarantee your home will sell, it certainly can’t hurt to have your prized belongings stashed in self-storage, to get a break from your home, to find a good agent, and to price your home correctly. In fact, not doing these things will guarantee you won’t sell your home. So take a step back, be objective, and get out of your own way. Your wallet – and your agent – will thank you.