Don’t Make These Mistakes Before You List Your Knoxville Home For Sale

There are many things you should do before you list your Knoxville home for sale. There are also many things that you shouldn’t do.

Sometimes sellers get a little overzealous when they sell their home. This can cause them to go a little overboard and sometimes make some critical errors.

In this post, we’ll cover some mistakes that you should make before you list your Knoxville home for sale.

Over Improve

Before any home is listed, there is always some work that needs to be done. Sometimes, though, there are sellers who go a little overboard when it comes to improving their home. This can be a common mistake before many sellers list their Knoxville home for sale.

There is a fine line between making improvements and over improve. Repainting your house and updating a few appliances can be good improvements to make. It’s when you start improving your home so much that all of the improvements reflect your personal style too much. Not every buyer wants the basement or bonus room turned into the ultimate man cave complete with wet bar and wired with surround sound.

When you make updates, remember that you don’t know what the next buyer wants. So keeping things neutral is your best option. When it comes to picking paint colors, go with something that can go with anything. And, when it comes to updating the kitchen, you don’t have to make it fit for a professional chef. You won’t see the full return of your investment on every improvement, so it’s important that you don’t overspend.

Over Decorate

When your Knoxville home is for sale, you want it to look its very best. Sometimes, the urge can be to make sure that your home is perfectly decorated for the occasion. But, that can be a very big mistake when you’re selling your Knoxville home.

Decorating a home is very personal. You may love shabby-chic decor, while another buyer may love things that are more traditional. When your home is overdecorated, it can be distracting to a buyer. Instead of walking into a home and seeing a home that could become theirs, a buyer is distracted by the loud statement that is your decorations.

When it comes time to sell your home, simple is better. Take down family photos. Leave decorating to a minimum. Buyers want to be able to see themselves in your home. So minimal is better.

Decide To Do It Alone

Sellers want the best price possible for their Knoxville home for sale. Obviously, for good reason. A home is a large investment. You’ve spent time and money improving your home so that it will be a worth investment. So, there are many buyers who want to save a bit of money and not use a realtor. This can be a costly mistake.

FSBOs sell for significantly less than agent assisted sales. In 2015, according to data from NAR,  the average agent assisted sale sold for $185,000, while FSBOs sold for $240,000. That’s a $55,000 difference. Even with having to pay a realtor commission, using a realtor pays for itself above and beyond.

Not only will utilizing a realtor get you more money. They will also be there to help with the sale of your home. They will help you negotiate a contract and qualify buyers. They will take the stress out of doing it yourself.

Overpricing

Finally, overpricing is a mistake many Knoxville sellers make even before their home is on the market. When a home is overpriced, buyers will hesitate to even look at it because they worry you won’t come down in price. The longer your home sits on the market, the more you’ll have to drop the price in order to get it to sell.

You home will get the most attention its first few weeks on the market. When it’s priced right, your home will get the most attention and have the best chance of selling at the best price possible. When your home is overpriced, it will likely just sit on the market until you decide to drop the price.

Be sure to talk with your realtor about the right price. It will save you a great deal of time and money.

Are you thinking about selling your Knoxville home this year? Please let us know if there is any way that Knoxville Home Team can assist you. Rick can be reached at 865-696-9002 or via email at [email protected]. Kati can be reached at [email protected].