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The top 6 (unexpected) things that can cost you money when you sell your house

When you list your home for sale, your first priority as a seller is to make your home available to as many qualified buyers as possible. Any obstacles you put in place that impede that goal will cost you money in the long run. There are only so many hours that buyers and their agents can spend each week looking at homes. To maximize their time, a buyer’s agent will run a list of properties that are available in a given neighborhood in her buyer’s price range and then begin weeding out properties that 1) are difficult to show; 2) are ugly in the online photos; or 3) appear to be less of a bargain compared to others in the same price range.

As a seller, you want to be in the very first batch of properties the agent will show to her clients. If you’re not, you may not get a second chance with that buyer. If a buyer or agent has eliminated your property from the first batch of listings, they will only come back to your house if the buyer doesn’t find a property he or she likes. Being in the first batch raises your likelihood for a sale.

So, in no particular order, here are the top six (unexpected, and possibly controversial) things that can cost you money when you put your home on the market:

1. Your dog (or cat). I know you love your dog. I know your dog is part of your family. I know that you love your dog more than you love most people. But dogs cost sellers money. First, if your home can’t be shown unless you’re available to take the dog for a walk, for instance, that limits when buyers and their agents can visit. Second, some buyers (and agents) are simply afraid of dogs and other pets. And third, some buyers are allergic to pet dander and will steer clear of homes with obvious pets.
2. Your baby. Yep, I said it. Out loud. I know, you love your baby as much as (or more than) your dog. But, babies can cost their parents money when selling a home. If your baby is on a sleep schedule that interferes with daytime or early evening showings, you’re going to limit the number of buyers who will consider your home. Buyers don’t care about your time. They only care about their time. If the property can’t be seen at a time that’s convenient to them, that home ceases to exist from their perspective. Will they make an appointment to come at another time? Perhaps. But only if they don’t find another property to buy first.
3. Listing-agent only showings. Yes, I know that no agent knows your house better than your listing agent. And I’m sure that your listing agent could sell the hell out of your house to my buyers if given the opportunity. But, I don’t want to have to schedule my showing around your listing agent’s calendar (and, I’ll let you in on a little secret —- neither does your listing agent). If the property has been properly marketed, a good buyer agent can sell your home to the right buyer. Trust me.
4. 24-hour notice. Just like with babies and dogs above, making buyers and their agents give you 24-hour notice before they can see your property will eliminate showings. And the thing is, you won’t know you didn’t make the cut, because those buyer agents simply won’t call for an appointment. Often, buyer agents don’t pull listings they want to show their clients until the day of those showings —- to make sure they have the freshest MLS data available. If a buyer agent pulls your listing from the MLS and sees that it requires 24 hours’ notice, your property often goes to the bottom of the pile. Will those buyers come back to your property on another outing? Possibly. But is it worth the risk?
5. Tenants. No matter how lovely your tenants and no matter how amicable your relationship up to this point, putting your home on the market is a pain in your tenant’s backside. Yes, I know, you’ve taken your listing agent’s advice and offered your tenants a break on the rent to mitigate the inconvenience. Still, who has the bigger incentive to sell your house, you or your tenants? Tenants often don’t keep the property in showing condition, and they often won’t allow buyer agents that they perceive as rude or pushy to see the home. Additionally, in many parts of the country, tenants have very strong rights during the sales cycle. In those jurisdictions (I happen to practice in one of them), educated buyers understand that an unhappy tenant can legally scuttle a deal —- and will steer clear of any property with a tenant in place.
6. Bad photos. Before buyers ever jump in the car to go take a look at property with their agent, they’ve been scouring the internet for months, scoping out neighborhoods, checking crime statistics, and looking at hundreds, possibly thousands, of listings. In a market where buyers have lots of inventory from which to choose, buyers and their agents look for ways to winnow down the selection. One of the ways they do this, for good or ill, is by judging the quality of a listing’s online photos. If those photos are not of professional quality (good lighting, in focus, staged properly), they reflect badly on the listing. The prettiest house can be done in by an agent too cheap to spring for good photography. Again, you won’t know why you’re not getting showings. Agents aren’t going to call you and say, “We’re not coming to view your home because the online pics are hideous.”

Eliminate these six obstacles and you’ll be on your way to having your property sold!

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