Selling your home may be a time-consuming and emotional experience, especially if you are a first-time Seattle homeseller. Strangers will come into your home and rummage around, which may sometimes feel like an invasion of privacy. They will critique a home that has likely become more to you than four walls and a roof, and some will even dare to offer you less money than you believe your home is worth. This can all make you prone to making mistakes. You’ll surely avoid any mistakes by selling your Seattle home as-is. However, if you do decide to do it the harder way and sell on the open market, continue reading. We’ve consulted real estate professionals and found out the most common mistakes Seattle homesellers make during the process and how you can avoid them.
Which mistakes do Seattle homesellers usually make, and how to avoid them?
You’re about to sell your Seattle home, and we won’t lie—it won’t be easy. Perhaps you’re relocating within Washington and have to deal with planning a long-distance move simultaneously. However, just as the smooth process is possible if you hire the right movers, your home selling adventure can be plain sailing if you know what to watch out for. Continue reading, and you’ll find out which mistakes you should avoid when selling your Seattle home.
Getting overly emotional
When it comes to selling your home, especially your first one, it’s easy to feel emotional. You put in a lot of time and effort to find the right property, put money aside for a down payment and furniture, and, most importantly, made many precious memories. When it comes to saying goodbye, it’s very difficult for most to keep their emotions in check.
So instead of thinking of yourself as a homeowner, start thinking of yourself as a businessperson and salesperson when you decide to sell your property. In fact, ignore that you’re the property owner. You can separate yourself from the emotional components of selling a home by looking at the transaction solely from a financial standpoint. This way, you’ll go through this entire process easier.
Also, don’t forget why you decided to sell in the first place. Perhaps you’re relocating to another part of Washington for a new and exciting job. Or maybe, you’re retiring and want to downsize and take time to travel more. Remembering why you’re doing it in the first place will help you emotionally cope with this transition and change.
Overestimating your budget
One of the most common mistakes homesellers in Seattle make is not setting a realistic budget. Selling your home comes with different costs, and the average closing expenses paid by Seattle homeowners range from 4% to 10% of the sale price.
These costs include expenses such as your agent’s commission, closing costs, and similar. However, don’t forget your relocation costs, which can get quite high if you don’t choose the right movers. That’s why the team from verifiedmovers.com suggests researching different companies and obtaining several quotes before making your final decision.
One of the common mistakes Seattle homesellers make is investing too much into home-staging
Before listing their property, most people will invest time and money into home staging, believing this will help them attract more potential buyers and boost the value of the property. Even though a clean and fixed home will surely attract most visitors, investing too much money into staging doesn’t guarantee you’ll get a much higher price.
If you really want to boost the value of your home, it’s not enough to do a couple of quick repairs and simply paint the place. You’ll have to invest your money into expensive features that take some time to be installed or built. So if you’re in a rush to sell your home, this is something you should avoid.
Instead, consider getting your cash offer and selling your home as-is. Not only will you be able to pick your closing date, but you won’t have to invest a single dollar into repairs or staging.
Setting an unrealistic asking price
Whether you’re selling your home on your own or with the help of a real estate agent, setting the correct asking price is essential. Your agent should do comparative market research and help you determine a reasonable asking price for your home.
Although you may believe your property is worth more, remember to set a reasonable price based on similar homes in the region. Overpriced homes rarely sell in the absence of a housing bubble. In fact, most real estate professionals believe that overpricing is the most common mistake made by homesellers in Seattle.
So don’t be concerned about establishing a low price because, in principle, many offers will result in the price being bid up to the home’s true market value. In fact, underpricing your home might be a good method to attract more attention to your listing. You can always reject a low-ball offer at the end of the day.
Alternatively, you can avoid all this and sell your home to a cash buyer in a matter of days. In fact, there are plenty more reasons why you should sell your home as-is rather than listing it on the open market.
The bottom line
Even though selling your Seattle home will surely be an emotional and sometimes even nerve-racking experience, if you pay attention and avoid mistakes most homesellers make, you’ll ensure an easier and less stressful adventure.But if you are really looking for a stress-free and quick real estate transaction, simply get in touch and ask for a cash offer from professional home buyers. Not only will you be able to choose the closing date, but they’ll also help you move and maximize the profit on your property. So when you think about it, not reaching out to professional home buyers is one of the top common mistakes Seattle homesellers make that you should avoid!