Avoid these first-time home seller mistakes if you are trying to sell your Hudson Valley home

Selling a home in the Hudson Valley can be exciting and frustrating all at the same time. Of course, you’ll increase your excitement and lessen your frustration if you sell your house quickly and efficiently. But to sell your house fast, you’re going to need to make sure you’re not making any mistakes that could lead to buyers passing over your home. If it is your first time selling a house, consider these common mistakes that sellers make prior to putting their home on the market.

Common Mistakes People Make When Trying to Sell Their Home in the Hudson Valley
by Dino Alexander, Licensed RE Broker, CEO, Alexander Maxwell Realty

Modern eclectic Hudson Valley STyle living room with nice antique furniture.
Modern eclectic Hudson Valley STyle living room with nice antique furniture.

1. Renovating Instead of Repairing 

It’s tempting to do renovations on your home that will make it look trendier and more in-style. And if everything in your house is in working order, renovations may be the right move for you. But no amount of renovating is going to help sell your home if there are issues that need to be solved. If your water heater no longer produces hot water for longer than ten minutes, you would be better off investing in that repair than a home renovation.

Beautiful luxury Hudson Valley (Upstate, New York) bedroom with view out onto waterfront and river.
Beautiful luxury Hudson Valley (Upstate, New York) bedroom with a view out onto waterfront and river.

Buyers will walk away from a house that requires costly repairs but they won’t necessarily walk away from a home that requires renovation. When a buyer renovates, they can change their new home to their taste and exact specifications. Many people enjoy choosing renovations for their new home and find doing so a fun activity. But there is nothing fun about purchasing a new heater or air conditioner, buyers are less willing to sink money into repairs as they are renovations for this reason. Make sure everything is in top working order before you sell.

2. Not Staging Your Home 

You don’t need to do costly renovations to make your home appealing. By properly cleaning and adding a few small touches to make your home feel warmer, you can greatly increase the number of interested buyers. Consider hiring someone to deep clean your house and, if it’s empty, you can even rent some furniture for the day the real estate photographer comes to your house. And when you’re in the process of selling your home, it’s not enough to clean just once. Buyers are going to want to visit at random so make sure your home is clean and feels warm on a daily basis.

3. Hanging Around

If you live in your house, it can be annoying to vacate every time a prospective buyer wants to drop by. But it’s incredibly frustrating to look through a house while the owner is present. The buyer will not be able to properly talk about their interest with their real estate agent and they may rush through the showing to avoid any awkwardness. Your presence can cost you sales. As frustrating as it may be, leave your house when an interested buyer is dropping by. You never know which buyer is going to be the one to snap up your place.

Beautiful luxurious Hudson Valley upstairs bedroom with ample windows and leather furniture.
Beautiful luxurious Hudson Valley upstairs bedroom with ample windows and leather furniture.

If you live in your house, it can be annoying to vacate every time a prospective buyer wants to drop by. But it’s incredibly frustrating to look through a house while the owner is present. The buyer will not be able to properly talk about their interest with their real estate agent and they may rush through the showing to avoid any awkwardness. Your presence can cost you sales. As frustrating as it may be, leave your house when an interested buyer is dropping by. You never know which buyer is going to be the one to snap up your place.

4. Doing Photographs and Marketing the House Yourself

First-time home sellers are eager to save money and go above beyond to do that by trying to do everything themselves, including taking photographs with their smartphone or even asking their nephew to whip a marketing flyer in Photoshop or something, so that they can post it on Snapchat or whatnot… The truth is, this irresponsible behavior can bite them right back in the amount of tens of thousands of dollars lost in negotiations (when buyers see that the sellers don’t know what they are doing) or even worse, the liability that comes with amateur marketing campaigns. Real estate is one of the most regulated markets in the United States and DIY approach never works here!

Selling your home doesn’t have to be hard but you need to make sure you are not inhibiting a sale with simple mistakes. Plan well before putting your house on the market to make selling your house as easy as possible.

In case if you realize that doing things the right way is beyond what you’d like to invest in the process, Alexander Maxwell Realty has a team of the best Realtors in Hudson Valley and they are ready to sell your house fast and for a top dollar! Award-Winning Photography and Global Marketing Approach are included, so there is absolutely no upfront cost involved in listing your Hudson Valley home with us. It’s almost like asking your nephew to help with marketing, only we know what we are doing! Reach out today and get your house sold fast!