After selling real estate for 10 years, I can say I’ve seen some very interesting things. A home for sale with no second story flooring (you could literally see through the floor to the dining room), a toilet installed in the middle of a master bedroom to name a few. So, here’s a list of things I’ve seen that will definitely help you NOT sell your house:

1. Put a For Sale By Owner sign in your yard and never answer your phone.

2. Refuse to get major repairs done on your home that are necessary like plumbing, foundation, AC or roof repairs.

3. Spend no time staging your home for pictures.

4. Take pictures of the bathroom with the toilet lid up, dirty clothes on the floor, and dishes in the sink.

5. Let your yard go “natural” – not mowing, trimming, or cleaning out flower beds.

6. Not addressing that “funky smell” in the house.

7. Unusual paint colors on the walls (black, sparkle, dark red, blue, or green).

8. Follow the buyers around while they tour your home to see what they say.

9. Allow Fido to roam in the house and yard so he can jump on and possibly bite potential buyers.

10. Too much restriction on the times a buyer can see the house (only the second Tuesday of each month from 11-12).

11. Sign a contract to sell your home without your ex-spouse’s signature (the one that lived in the home with you and is still on the title and mortgage).

12. Not disclosing important information like previous flooding, fire and pest issues or insurance claims.

Let a professional realtor help you not make these and many other mistakes that end up costing home owners thousands of dollars when selling real estate. We usually more than make up for the cost of our commission for our clients by saving them money. Let us know if we can help!