Selling your NC Mountain Home – especially if you've never done it before – can be surprisingly time-consuming and emotionally challenging. Strangers will come into your home and poke around in your closets and cabinets. They will criticize a place that has probably become more than just four walls and a roof to you, and then, to top it all off, they will offer you less money than you think your home is worth. With no experience and a complex, emotional transaction on your hands, it's easy for first-time home sellers to make lots of mistakes, but with a little know-how, many of these pitfalls can be avoided altogether. Read on to find out how you can get the highest possible price for your home within a reasonable time frame – without losing your mind. 
Mistake No.1 – Not Hiring an Agent (A1 Mountain Realty)!
Trying to sell your home on your own, especially if you haven't done it before, is probably ill advised. The
Ashe County Realtors; Ellen Phipps and Gwen Hoover will help you set a fair and competitive selling price for your home that will increase your odds of a quick sale. They can also help take some of the high emotion out of the process by interacting directly with potential buyers so you don't have to, and eliminating tire kickers who only want to look at your property but have no intention of putting in an offer.
Ellen and Gwen will also have more experience negotiating home sales than you do, potentially helping you get more money than you could on your own. Furthermore, if any problems crop up during the process – and they commonly do – they will be there to handle them for you. Finally, they are familiar with all the paperwork and pitfalls involved in real estate transactions and can help make sure the process goes smoothly.
Mistake No.2 – Setting an Unrealistic Price
Setting the right asking price is key. Overpriced homes do not sell. Don't worry too much about setting a price that's on the low side because, in theory, this will generate multiple offers and bid the price up to the home's true market value. In fact, under pricing your home a bit can actually be a strategy to generate extra interest in your listing.
Mistake No.3 – Expecting To Get Your Asking Price
Any smart buyer will negotiate, and if you want to complete the sale, you'll have to play the game. Most people want to list their homes at a price that will attract buyers while still leaving some breathing room for negotiations. This will allow the buyer to feel like he or she is getting a good value and allow you to get the amount of money you need from the sale.
Mistake No.4 – Getting Emotionally Involved
If you can remember that you are selling not just a piece of property but also an image, a dream and a lifestyle, you'll be more likely to put in the extra effort of staging and perhaps some minor remodeling to get top dollar for your home. These changes in appearance will not only help the sales price, they'll also help you create that emotional distance because the home will look less familiar.
Mistake No.5 – Skimping on Listing Photos
So many buyers look for homes online these days and you'll be doing yourself a real disservice if you don't offer photos as well. At the same time, there are so many poor photos of homes for sale that if you do a good job, it will set your listing apart and help generate extra interest. Good photos should be crisp and clear, should be taken during the day when there is plenty of natural light available, and should showcase your home's best assets.
Mistake No.6 – Not Being Properly Insured
With the average number of people who will be on your property, you want to make sure you are insured in case someone has an accident on the premises and tries to sue you for damages.
Mistake No.7 – Trying to Hide Significant Problems
Any problem with the property will be uncovered during the buyer's inspection, so there's no use hiding it. Either fix the problem ahead of time, price the property below market value to account for the problem, or list the property at a normal price but offer the buyer a credit to fix the problem. Realize that if you don't fix the problem in advance, you may turn away a fair number of buyers who want a turnkey home. Having your home inspected before listing it is a good idea if you want to avoid costly surprises once the home is under contract.
Mistake No.8 – Not Preparing Your Home for Sale
Sellers who do not clean and stage their homes are throwing money down the drain. If you can't afford to hire a professional, that's OK – there are many things you can do on your own. Failing to do these things will not only reduce your sale price, but may also prevent you from getting a sale at all. For example, if you haven't attended to minor issues like a broken doorknob, a potential buyer may wonder whether the house has larger, costlier issues that haven't been repaired.
Mistake No.9 – Not Accommodating Potential Buyers
If someone wants to view your house, you need to accommodate this person, even if it is inconvenient for you. And yes, you have to clean and declutter the house before every single visit. A buyer won't know and won't care if your house was clean last week if it isn't clean when he or she views it.
Mistake No.10 – Signing a Purchase Contract With an Unqualified Buyer
It's more than reasonable to expect a buyer to bring a pre-approved letter from a mortgage lender (or proof of funds for cash purchases) showing that he or she has the money to buy the home. Signing a contract with a buyer whose purchase of your home is contingent on the sale of his or her own property may also put you in a serious bind if you need to close by a particular date.
Whether you're interested in buying or selling your NC Mountain home or NC Mountain land the friendly and knowledgeable staff at A1 Mountain Realty can help. We make it our mission to provide our clients with the most comprehensive North Carolina Mountain Real Estate listings around. In the business of real estate the best knowledge means the best possible choices are available. When it comes to our clients we won't stop till you are completely satisfied. A1 Mountain Realty is located on main street in downtown West Jefferson NC, stop by or call 336-846-4900 or you can visit our website (www.a1mountainrealty.com) and take a look at all our listings. While on our website be sure to take a look at our webcam and view the West Jefferson downtown area and Mt. Jefferson.
Information gathered from Realtor.com
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