9 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your Austin Home

We know how important it is to get your home sold as quickly and easily as possible. Homeselling can be complex, time-consuming, and even emotionally challenging, especially if you're selling your Austin home for the very first time. A few mistakes can result in consequences that could affect your real estate and financial goals. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Ignoring Major Repairs
• Pre-listing Home Inspection
• Failing to Stage Your Home
• Not Considering Professional Real Estate Photography
• Setting Aside Repainting Your Home
• Wrong Pricing
• Forgetting Your Home’s Exterior
• Unprepared for Home Selling Costs
• Not Preparing Your Home for Sale

Most sellers are aware of the need to fix small problems in their homes before putting it on the market for sale, but besides that, there are other issues you should consider taking a look into upon selling your home.

Before you embark on your journey of homeselling, save time and money by avoiding these costly homeselling mistakes to make the process as smooth, easy, and stress-free as possible.

1. Ignoring Major Repairs

Disregarding major repairs could cause problems that could delay your closing date or even terminate the deal. Look around your home and find items that are in poor condition and can affect certain functionalities of your home including its structure and safety. 

Buyers can have a long list of maintenance issues that can turn them off, even the smallest issues could be a deal-breaker or contribute to decreasing the value of your home. Before you list your home, it’s highly recommended to contact a home inspector to know if your home is in great shape before being listed.

2. Pre-listing Home Inspection

Avoid issues that could risk losing a potential sale by conducting a home inspection. Having a home inspection performed is generally considered a good idea when selling your property. Home inspections serve a number of purposes. 

It allows you to find out the condition of certain aspects of your home's structure and gives you the chance to fix things that could affect the value of your home. If an issue is spotted during or after the inspection, you can either fix it or let the buyers.

3. Failing to Stage Your Home

How does home staging work? Home staging helps emphasize your property’s strengths and minimizes its weak points. Potential buyers are given a good firm impression of your home once they see it in the listing photos. 

Professional home staging can contribute to a more emotional purchase that allows the buyer to set inspiration and visualize what each room in the house will look like once they move in. According to the National Association of Realtors, 21% of agents said that staging increased its sale price by as much as 10% upon selling the property.

4. Not Considering Professional Real Estate Photography

Nothing beats professional images captured by professional real estate photographers. Beautiful, well-lit, staged homes with professional listing photos attract more potential buyers. Your listing photos will be the first things a buyer sees when viewing your listing. 

A professional real estate photographer will ensure that your home and listing images will look great by capturing features of your home that will stand out to buyers. Professional photographers not only have the ability to capture photos using their equipment specialized for real estate photography including drones, lights, lenses, and retouches but will also ensure that the angles they capture highlight the best areas of your home.

5. Setting Aside Repainting Your Home

Paint is one of the first things a potential buyer will notice upon looking at your home. Make a good first impression by repainting your home’s interior and exterior, it will make such a huge difference! Painting your home’s exterior is reported to contribute 51% return on investment while 109% when it comes to repainting your home’s interior according to a study by the RealtyTimes.

When should you repaint your home? Some signs that indicate your home needs repainting are faded or discolored paint, flaking, chipping, and peeling paint, cracks and gaps, and water damage. Use good quality paint or hire a professional to do the job. Painting is one of the easiest projects before selling your home. It may not be necessary for others, but it can help make an impact on your home’s value.

6. Wrong Pricing

Home prices can be tricky. If you choose to do it on your own and have it priced lower than it should be, you might be missing thousands of dollars while pricing it too high can turn away buyers and your home might sit on the market for a while. Determine the right listing price for your home by consulting with a real estate professional. Your local real estate agent will present to you a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA), an estimate of your home’s value based on the recently sold and similar properties in your area.

Our real estate agents in Spyglass Realty are trained in the art of negotiations and property evaluations to help you get the best possible price for your home. Speak to a real estate consultant to get a free property valuation.

7. Forgetting Your Home’s Exterior

Your home’s curb appeal is one of the first things home buyers will see once they drive up to your property or view listing photos on the MLS. Houses that look good from the road can help increase their perceived value and makes your property stand out from the rest. 

There are a few budget-friendly ideas that can help boost your property’s curb appeal including repainting your exterior, lining your gravel or brick paths and walkways with flowerbeds or lights, or a well-landscaped lawn can give your house a fresher facade.

8. Unprepared for Home Selling Costs

Expect expenses along the way because it costs to sell your Austin home. What are these home selling costs? These include agent commissions, staging costs, home inspection repairs, seller concessions, and closing costs. If you’re moving out from the home you’re selling, prepare for some moving expenses too. 

It can be overwhelming when these expenses are added together, but nothing beats preparation before placing your home for sale. Consult with an Austin real estate agent who will be able to guide you through the process of selling your home.

9. Not Preparing Your Home for Sale

A clutter-free and depersonalized home makes it more appealing to potential buyers. Remove piles of paperwork, personal items, misplaced toys, and clean up stains and odors. Have another fresh pair of eyes such as an agent that will point to areas of your home that will be needing some improvements. Selling a home can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Create a checklist to ensure that you are on the right track during the whole journey. 

Hiring a professional and experienced Austin real estate agent is the most important thing you can do as you sell your home. Our agents keep abreast of the latest real estate data to keep you updated with the latest trends and updates in the Austin area.

Avoid these mistakes before selling your home by consulting with a local Realtor. Click here to speak to a real estate consultant!