HGTV Get insider secrets to avoid costly blunders on the most important investment of your life.

Special Presentation: Episode H25RE-S08

HGTV has brought together some of the top real estate experts to compile the definitive list of the biggest mistakes we all make when selling our homes.11. Not Providing Easy Access for ShowingsMake your house easily accessible to potential buyers. If there’s nowhere to park or it’s difficult to get into, buyers may just skip it and look at someone else’s property instead.

10. Trying to Make the “Hard Sell” While ShowingIf you are selling your house, you really shouldn’t be around at the open house. You might want to try and sell the place on all the reasons you think the house is great, but that might not translate to the buyer. If you leave, you allow the buyers to really give unbiased objective feedback to the agent, which is only going to help you in the end.

9. Waiting Until Spring to Sell Your HouseSpring is the time of heaviest real estate activity, but that does not mean that people don’t buy houses 365 days of the year. That doesn’t mean you can’t emphasize your home’s seasonal amenities.

8. Treating Real Estate Like the Stock MarketWhen the real estate market is really hot and is appreciating really fast, people tend to look at it like it’s the stock market. But playing real estate is nothing like the stock market — when you invest in real estate, you really need to take a long-term approach.

7. Failing to Market Your Home in Different WaysDon’t market your home with just a for-sale sign. Explore other marketing tools as well. Talk to your real estate agent about the marketing that they will do. It’s something that should be set up from the initial signing of a contract with an agent. Some homes have virtual tours and photographs online. If you choose to go that route, don’t forget to include the floor plans. That way, people can see the layout of your home and know that if it it’s right for them.

6. Not Thinking About ResaleWhen you are decorating and renovating your home, you need to think about what is going to appeal to a broad section of buyers when it comes time to sell it. Buying houses and being in the real estate market is like chess, you always want to look two or three steps ahead in the game.

5. Picking the Wrong AgentTreat meetings with agents like a job interview because that’s really how it works — that person is going to be working for you. Talk to your friends who’ve sold houses and had a good experience with their agent, and go to open houses and observe how that agent interacts with other people. It’s also a good idea to meet with the agent in their office. It allows you to see how organized they are, what kind of environment they work in and whether that’s conducive for them being able to do a good job for you.

4. Not Hiring an AgentThere’s a lot more to selling a house than just putting a sign on the front lawn. If you don’t have an agent, you will not get on the multiple-listing service (MLS). That means that other agents are not going to know that your property is for sale. Another thing to consider is if you are willing to show the house each time someone wants to come by and look at it? Is it worth the safety risk of allowing complete strangers into your home? If you do plan to sell your house on your own, always have a lawyer present at a closing. It’s really important to have someone on your side who understands all the complexities.

3. Doing Major Renovations/Remodeling Before SellingMinor upgrades usually have a higher return on your money than tackling major renovations before placing a home on the market. The main reason? Huge construction projects always cost more than you think they will, and they also take longer than you expect. The best place to spend money is outside. Research shows that increasing the curb appeal often returns the most value on your money. It’s what gets buyers inside the house, after all.

2. Setting Too High of a Sale PriceAs a seller it’s really important to do your research, and in order to come up with your sale price, look up what comparable homes in your neighborhood have sold for. Figure out what the going price is and try to put yours right in the middle of that, unless you have something extra special to offer. It is always better to price a home sharply than to start too high and have to reduce. Once you reduce, it always looks like something is wrong with the home.

1. Failing to Showcase Your Home and Make Small Cosmetic ChangesWhen you are selling your house, you have to really look at it objectively and think about it from the viewpoint of the house hunter. Make minor enhancements to the house and maybe hire a professional stager to come and arrange your furniture. Staging is about decorating your house for the buyers’ taste, not yours. A great place to start is with the front of the home and the main entryway. Home staging is designed to increase the potential selling price and reduce the amount of time the house stays on the market

For more information or assistance on preparing your home to sell, call or text Steve Doane at 214-755-3378 or stevedoane@ebby.com for a FREE Consultation and Market Evaluation.

Here is an article offering great advice published by RISMEDIA about preparing your Home For Sale this spring. For more information or to schedule a FREE consultation, call or text Steve Doane at 214-755-3378 or email at stevedoane@ebby.com.

By Thomas M. Mitchell

RISMEDIA, April 3, 2008-No one needs to remind agents that today’s market is a challenging one and there is, on average, more than 10 months of inventory on the market. So it is vitally important that sellers make sure that their house stands out above the others it is competing with for the buyer’s attention. And that is really not that hard to do.

If sellers will just employ some of the basic staging principles it would make a huge difference and leave a much better impression; drawing potential buyers back to the house for a second look. And that’s where a professional stager, or a real estate professional with staging knowledge, can help them get their house in order.

Here are some basic pointers from the Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS) course from RealtyU that will get most home sellers headed in the right direction; changing their “lived in homes” into “houses for sale.”

1. De-Clutter – This one is simple. De-clutter everywhere; inside and outside. If it’s taking up space it is a potential candidate to be thrown out. The sellers need to make that all important mental conversion from “home to live in” to “house for sale.” Personal “things” are a big distraction as you want the buyers to be able to visualize their own belonging in the house.

2. Repair - Buyers want everything working so don’t disappoint them – dripping faucets, broken windows, leaking roofs, damaged walls and doors, etc, beg the question in the buyer’s mind … What else is broken or doesn’t work?

3. Lots of Light - The last thing home buyers want to see is a dark home with all of the doors and windows covered. Let the light in and open some windows to let in some fresh air. Room de-odorizers leave the impression of covering something up as does a window with the blinds drawn.

4. Clean Windows - Buyers want to know and see the view they will have from every room – don’t make them look through dirty windows. If they don’t the impression of a great view is literally going “out the window.”

5. Kitchen and Bathrooms - Two of the most important rooms. They must be spotless and first class. Just cleaning up isn’t going to be good enough – you need to “deep clean” all counters, floors, cabinets and all the fixtures in the bathrooms. In the bathrooms consider new fixtures or countertops and perhaps redoing the shower and tub enclosures.

If new fixtures are not in the budget you may want to consider having them refinished. Think about having all the tile steam cleaned and make sure all grout is free from grease and dirt.

6. Odors - Absolute deal killers are cigarette or pet odors. If this is a problem – have the drapes, carpets and furniture professionally cleaned and “no smoking” in the house. Also, cooking odors are not a good thing. The best bet – fresh air. Often a little lemon oil mixed with water in a spray bottle “lightly used” will add just a bit of freshness without overpowering the house.

7. Paint - A fresh coat of paint on the outside or inside is an excellent way of freshening up your home. Be sure they use neutral colors and avoid accent painting – they are only guessing what the buyer likes. This can be done by the home sellers but in most cases they should use a professional painter. It’s always a bigger job than they think.

8. Yard Work - Deal with overgrown bushes, shrubs and trees. Everything in the yard needs to be trimmed, watered, manicured and “living.” Remove everything lying around the yard including sports equipment, boats, trailers, toys, etc. You may also add some color by placing some annuals in planters in the back as well as in the front. Curb appeal makes that all important “first impression.”

9. Furniture - The bottom line … less is best. If it’s old, worn or dated they should put it in storage. They need to remember they are setting a stage and the actor needs to be the house – not their furniture.

10. Hardwood Floors - Hardwood floors can be a huge plus for buyers unless they look like a 20 year old basketball court. It may be a great investment to have them all refinished – and suggest to them it’s not a simple weekend project.

Staging a home correctly and placing each house in the best possible light has become a must in today’s economy. With spring upon us and summer around the corner, the time has come for you to show your clients the way to prepare their homes for what could be the best selling opportunity they have this year.

Whether you are moving across town or across the country, we will be there….wherever life leads you…. Our Relocation Services will assist you in making a transition to your new location. Whether moving across town or across the globe, Ebby Halliday, REALTORS will be there to help you get your family settled in their new home.If you are moving to or from the DFW area, our Relocation Department will: