What are the mistakes that sellers make when prepping their home for sale?

Let's travel back in time to March of 1999. My husband & I were selling our home in St. Paul and moving to our first home in North Oaks. I had a list of about 20 items that I thought needed to be done to our house in order to make the move and prep the home for sale. I was not a realtor at the time, so I called my agent and told hime that we wanted to sell and that once I got my list done I would have him over and we could get the home on the market. I am so thankful that I had chosen a good agent, as he immediately told me that no, he should stop over at the house now, sooner than later and review my list and make sure that my list was also his list.

As a seller, you are emotionally attached to the house that you have been calling home and you are too close to see what should or shouldn’t be done. When my agent did stop by the house, his list was completely different than mine. I took his advice, got the list done and had multiple offers. Glad I listened to the expert. 

The other mistake that sellers make is thinking that they are the interior designer from all of the episodes of HGTV that they have watched. They pick flooring that clashes with their cabinets. They paint the walls with paint that has the wrong hue. They put different color carpet from room to room which ends up making the spaces look smaller. 

Need I go further? Playing designer is fun and much like playing dress up, but many times the choices are wrong for the buyers and the home ends up sitting & eventually selling for less money than wanted. Consistency and having a plan that everything will be complimentary is key to getting a higher price and getting your home sold. Call your local expert sooner than later if you plan on selling! —Krista Wolter 

Have a real estate question you want Krista to answer? Email it to her at Krista@KristaWolter.com.