When you are selling your home, make sure you follow these steps to ensure the best results for you.

1. The Top 10 Listing
Turn-Offs that Kill Deals
By Brad Winget

2. Bad Photos
❖ Blame Instagram filters for making everyone with a smartphone
consider themselves a budding Annie Leibovitz. But when it
comes to listing photos, resist the urge to snap a few pics with
your phone and call it a day. Photos are everything when it comes
to making a first impression on potential buyers, so hire
professionals to take sharp, high-resolution listing photos from
multiple, flattering angles.!
❖ And remember to look out for the little things that may be major
buyer turn-offs. The dishes in the sink, an open toilet lid, a stray
ashtray or even the household pets lounging in the living room
often sneak into photos and can signal a red flag for buyers.

3. Embellishing
❖ Photos may not lie, but listing copy certainly can. You
might think that a little exaggeration is a harmless way
to get buyers in the door, but your white lies will
instantly be evident when it comes time to show, and
your newly-alienated buyers will turn right back
around. When you lose trust, you lose a potential sale.

4. Error-riddled listing copy
❖ One you make sure your copy is flattering yet truthful,
make sure that the spelling and grammar is correct.
Forgetting an apostrophe or making a typo might seem
like a small thing, but to buyers and their agents it
sends a message that you are not detail oriented, and it
might make them wonder what other problems they
should be looking out for when it comes to your listing

5. Zero social media presence
❖ Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest…the sheer
number of social media outlets now can be overwhelming,
especially if these networks didn’t exist for the bulk of your
career. But your sellers and potential buyers expect you to
be online, so pick at least two social media outlets— like
Facebook and Instagram—to focus on and update them
regularly. Bonus! By posting daily updates, not only are you
giving your listing a marketing boost, you’re also giving
your business a boost by consistently reaching past, present,
and potential clients and showing off your current success.

6. Empty flyer boxes
❖ Being on social media doesn’t mean that you should
give up on paper. Plenty of buyers still do drive-bys,
and you want them to provide them with a tangible
takeaway with information about the property. Sure, an
empty box might make buyers think that the home is so
in-demand that all the fliers have been taken, but it’s
just as likely that it makes the property looks neglected.
Either way, you’re probably losing out on a sale.

7. Dirt, messes, and odors
❖ Sure, a dirty, smelly home is something that can be
fixed, but do you want to risk making a horrible first
impression by taking buyers into house full of piles and
grime that reeks of cat urine? If homeowners still
inhabit the property, you need to be blunt what needs to
be done (like a professional cleaning) before it’s fit for
viewing, especially if they’re smokers or have pets.

8. Lack of staging
❖ Sellers might think that staging is a waste of money,
especially if they’re pretty proud of their, uh, unique
style. But you can get the point across about the
importance of staging without having to tell them that
their decor is horrendous. Make it clear that the point of
staging is to create something of a blank slate so that
buyers can envision themselves living there.

9. Overpricing
❖ When it comes to pricing, many sellers need a serious
reality check, and it’s your job to snap them out of their
delusions. Focus on the comps in the area, and make a
point of showing them the actual selling prices. Let
them know that listing high and eventually making a
price reduction if necessary isn’t a winning strategy; in
fact, it can keep a home from selling at all.

10. No rebates and credits
❖ These days, rebates and credits aren’t as necessary in
most markets, but at times they can still hold their place.
Buyers want to feel like they’re making a smart
purchase, so it helps to make them believe that they’re
getting a deal. That’s where rebates and credits come it.
If you’re in a particularly competitive market or if you’re
simply dealing with a tough-to-sell or stale listing,
consider offering a “bonus” like a closing-cost credit so
that your property has an edge on similar listings in the
area.

11. Poor follow-through
❖ Even if you do everything else right, you have to be able
to count on the sellers to help you finalize the deal. That
means that the sellers need to fill out the necessary
documentation, coordinate with the buyers to schedule
inspection times, and otherwise dot the I’s and cross the
T’s. Give your sellers friendly (but firm!) reminders to
make sure they’re doing their part and let them know
that you’re there to help them when they need you.