If you want to end up with the most in your hand from the sale of your property, you need to do three things. The first of which is Avoid Costly Mistakes and Traps. 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Your best protection from these mistakes is to avoid them in the first place. But to do that you need to be aware of them. The saying “Knowledge is Power” really rings true when it comes to selling your property.

To be clear, this is in no way a full list of every single mistake – some are worse than others and some only effect a few sellers, but we hope it gives you a better idea of what we’re talking about. And just in case you are wondering, the last two are the most costly because all the others flow from them. So here you go…

1. Believing real estate industry propaganda.
2. Not understanding that you as the seller hold the power.
3. Thinking that agents talk buyers into buying.
4. Thinking that some agents have more buyers than others.
5. Going to the market too soon.
6. Thinking the best time to sell is a certain time of year.
7. Poor presentation of your property.
8. Dirty home.
9. Bad Odours.
10. Over cluttering.
11. Decluttering too much.
12. Wasting $ on improvements that don’t add value.
13. Neglecting Maintenance.
14. Overgrown & messy gardens.
15. Poor quality photographs.
16. Neglecting pre-market preparation.
17. Not removing roadblocks.
18. Trying to hide problems with your property.
19. Going to market with un-consented work.
20. Not sorting your LIM report issues beforehand.
21. Not checking the state of your wiring (if older house).
22. Not checking out your finances before you sell.
23. Allowing your Rateable Value to be too low.
24. Relying on or believing free online valuations.
25. Choosing the wrong agent.
26. Not researching agents.
27. Using online ‘Agents Finders’.
28. Listing with a friend instead of the best.
29. Falling for gimmicks – free holidays & guarantees.
30. Being impressed by agent bling – that add no value to your property.
31. Thinking the so-called  “Top-performing agent” is the best for you.
32. Playing agents off against each other.
33. Choosing an agent based on who quotes the highest appraisal.
34. Punishing agents for telling you the truth.
35. Falling for what you want to hear rather than seeking what you need to know.
36. Taking advice from well-meaning but ill-informed family & friends.
37. Trusting the wrong agent.
38. Not trusting the advice of the right agent.
39. Thinking the agent who says the most will actually get you the most.
40. Overestimating what your home is worth.
41. Focussing on the Appraisal price rather than getting your selling process right.
42. Obsessing about “price” rather than your “Net” sale proceeds.
43. Not researching the current market competition.
44. Looking for another home before yours is ready to sell.
45. Making an offer on another property subject to your property selling.
46. Believing you must list with the same agent you are buying through.
47. Choosing the agent with the biggest team.
48. Believing some agents have more buyers.
49. Agreeing to pay too much commission.
50. Falling for the “you get what you pay for” line.
51. Choosing the wrong approach to the market.
52. Not pricing your property.
53. Overpricing your property
54. Underpricing your property.
55. Putting your property to auction.
56. Deadline Sales.
57. Believing the “you can’t sell a secret” line.
58. Wasting $ on ineffective & expensive advertising.
59. Paying for fancy photo signs.
60. Paying extra for the agent to promote themselves.
61. Over exposing your property.
62. Allowing your property to become stale.
63. Not refreshing your ad copy.
64. Wallowing on the market for too long.
65. Staying home during buyer inspections.
66. Leaving your dog home during inspections.
67. Open homes can be a mistake.
68. Making it difficult for buyers to view.
69. ‘Virtual 3D Tours’ & ‘Floor plans’.
70. Looking desperate to sell.
71. Having price-reducing headlines – “Must Sell” – “On Transfer”.
72. Allowing your agent to tell buyers your personal reasons for selling.
73. Not insisting on total confidentiality.
74. Allowing your agent to encourage low offers.
75. Falling into the offer/counter-offer style of negotiating.
76. Counter offering too early.
77. Focussing on just the price of an offer rather than the terms & conditions.
78. Not discovering the buyers best price.
79. Including all your extra chattels upfront.
80. Allowing buyers to control the negotiation process.
81. Turning down good early offers.
82. Trying to play buyers off against each other.
83. Thinking you’ll get more if you wait longer.
84. Not questioning the agent’s fees.
85. Paying the agent a % of your property’s value.
86. Paying extra to subsidise non-sellers.
87. Paying more just because your property is worth more.
88. Paying full commission when your property sells easily.
89. Not accepting professional advice.
90. Not listening to genuine buyer feedback.
91. Being on the market too high for too long.
92. Not adjusting your asking price.
93. Thinking buyers will make offers.
94. Telling your agent to just “bring me offers”.
95. Thinking it’s the agent’s fault if your home is not selling.
96. Crumbling under agent pressure to accept low offers.
97. Falling for manipulative agent scripts & closes.
98. Not preparing for pre-settlement inspection.
99. Allowing your solicitor to handle troubleshooting negotiations.
100. Agreeing to last-minute deductions too quickly.
101. Leaving your property poorly presented on settlement day.
102. Being naive about how the industry works behind the scenes.
103. Not accepting personal responsibility for your sale.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like some help or have specific questions about how any of these mistakes drain your equity.