Let's take a look at some if the biggest mistakes that home sellers make when putting their home on the market. These situations happen all the time and should be avoided and any cost. 

​Overpriced Homes
The biggest mistake that home sellers make is overpricing their home. Sellers don't normally understand that not everyone values their home as much as they do. And that's OK. Seller's should have pride in their home. However, that doesn't mean that it is worth what they believe it is. When the seller sets the price too high there are a number of situations that can occur. For instance, the home can sit on the market for too long and not receive any offers. Bad for someone who needs to sell quick. If your home is on the market for 180 days and it doesn't sell then the market can soften and the seller can lose out on good money because it was priced it too high. The market changes quick and a homes value can either increase or decrease within months. Don't make this mistake!

Showing Availability
Sellers will have to be flexible when it comes to selling your home. This means letting people view the home during hours that sellers might not want to show their home. If a serious buyer has an agent pitch them a home on 5 o clock on a Wednesday night and your about to start cooking dinner, sellers should consider letting them view your property. Being available and flexible is key to selling a home quick. The more exposure and people that view a listed home the better chances there are at selling it. 

​Cluttered Space
Removing personal items such as pictures, guns, jewelry, weapons is essential to selling a home. These types of items need to be stored away so the home can be properly shown to buyers who are coming in and trying to visualize themselves living in the property. Make sure to clean your home and de-clutter any space that has unnecessary items. The less you have out in the open the more attractive and spacious your home will look, which is a good thing.

Unwilling to Negotiate
Selling a home is a negotiation. There will be some terms that the buyers decide to throw in such as keeping the refrigerator or that they want you to pay for closing costs etc. This doesn't mean that you have to comply with what the buyer writes in an offer. However, you should at least play the field. What that means is you should have a strong agent who is good at negotiation and who can help you get the terms that you want. Simply saying no will not cut it and it will most definitely not get your home sold.

Unpleasant Odors
Not everyone is a pet lover. Dogs and cats can leave some pretty stank smells. You wouldn't notice it if you were living in it but a potential buyer will absolutely smell it. It's best to keep pets outside or in the garage. Purchase some air fresheners or some Fabreeze to help alleviate some of those unwanted odors. 

Wont Make Repairs
A professional inspection will often reveal items in need of repair that the seller didn’t know about. When that happens, an amendment to the contract requesting that the seller make specific repairs is usually proposed. However, the seller is not obligated to accept the amendment to make repairs. It really depends on what types of repairs need to be made. If the roof is caving in and will fall within months then that is something that the seller will HAVE to repair because no one will purchase that house and if they do it will be at an extremely discounted price considering that the roof will need to be repaired in the very near future.

Whether you are purchasing a starter home or a dream home, selecting the right home is a daunting process. There are many steps to be taken such as crunching numbers, calculating square footage, picking the right layout, finding the right neighborhood and making sure that you have access to your needs are all essential in the process of finding the right home. You might LOVE one aspect of a prospective home, however, you may come to dislike another aspect as well.
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Here are the main things to pay attention to during your home search in order to find the right home for you:

Availability
There are many online tools, programs, portals that can assist you with your home search. While we recommend hiring a professional real estate agent these online tools are a good place to start looking at what the market has to offer.

• Zillow
• Trulia
• Redfin
• Realtor.com

These online portals are great places to view properties and get a feel for what the current market looks like. From there you can determine what you might be able to afford and you can narrow down your search and really see what type of properties you have access to.

The Neighborhood
Choosing the right neighborhood is an essential goal in finding the perfect home. If the neighborhood is inconvenient or doesn’t match your lifestyle then chances are you will not enjoy living in that area. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a neighborhood.

Location: The number one item you should look at is the location of the home in regards to your work. The commute to and from work should play a big role in deciding whether or not you want to move forward with a home. The cost of gas, car maintenance or public transportation may have you second guessing a home. Even the perfect home loses its “WOW” factor if you have a miserable commute that you will have to deal with everyday.

Lifestyle: Living in the suburbs when you enjoy the buzz and entertainment options of an urban area probably won’t work for you in the long run. And if you want to raise a family in an area with more open space, the city probably won’t be a good fit. Ultimately, you need to decide what lifestyle you want now and consider how things could change in the near future.

Schools: Not everyone has kids. And if you don’t you should still take schools into deep consideration. Schools are essential to families that have kids in attendance. If you have kids you will want to make sure that the schools meet your standards and that they will be able to provide a suitable education for your children. If you don’t have kids you will still want to consider what time schools start so you don’t get caught in a traffic jam while trying to leave for work or when you are coming home and parents park their cars outside of your house waiting to pick up their children.

Neighbors: Finding neighbors that share a similar lifestyle can increase your enjoyment of the neighborhood and lead to a better community connection. For example, are you bringing young kids into a neighborhood with college students? That might not be the best fit. We recommend hanging around the area once or twice and people watching to see what type of neighbors you might have if you choose to move into the neighborhood.

The Home
Now that you have scouted out the neighborhood and determined that it is a good fit, it’s time to make sure the home meets your standards and that it has what you're looking for.

Size: Square footage is a great starting point. If you have 4 children and a few pets then a dinky 1,000 square foot space is likely not the space for you. However, you will need to consider more than just square footage in a potential home. How you use the space will help you determine if it is a good fit or not.

Floor plan: Unless you are going to gut the place or do a bit of remodeling then the home should have enough bedrooms and bathrooms that meet all of your needs. This means taking into consideration the future family additions and the extra space they could need in the years to come. Also, think about how everything flows from one room to the next. Open floor plans can make a small space seem bigger than it truly is.

Cost of repairs and upgrades: During a transaction there will be a period for requesting repairs. This is not something that the seller has to oblige to. In fact, the seller can counter back and tell you they are doing no repairs and selling it as is. You will need to determine if this home is the right home and if it is you should think deeply about repairs or upgrades that you would want to do to the home once purchased. While things like paint and carpet can be a quick, easy fix, kitchen and bathroom renovations are something else entirely.

Finding a dream home doesn’t necessarily mean having to meet every single requirement on your checklist. In fact, it often means compromising in a few areas in order to get the things that are most important to you. So whether you have to let certain cosmetic imperfections go, or opt for a better neighborhood over an extra bedroom, don’t expect total perfection.

If you follow these guidelines and carefully weigh the things that are most important to you, then you’re sure to end up with a home you’ll love.