Common Mistakes When Selling Real Estate
There are a number of mistakes that can be made when selling a house, that can result in the selling price being lower than it could have been. Once these potential errors have been identified and understood, they can be avoided with the likely result that a house will sell for more money in a shorter period of time. That's what you want, isn't it? 
Here are a few examples of common errors.
"I will list my house with the agent who gives me the "best deal", meaning the highest valuation. That way I am sure to end up with more money than if I list with an agent suggesting a lower valuation"
This is a very common error and one that can be costly. It is not the agent or the seller who decides on the value of a home, it is the buyers. This can be uncomfortable to accept, but accept it you must. Buyers have been busy looking at homes and comparing values. They will spot an overpriced home immediately and ignore it. The greater the home is overpriced, the greater the price reductions the homeowner will have to suffer to bring it down to the level where the buyers perceive value and actually make offers.
"I need some room to negotiate, buyers always expect to get something off the list price."
Buyers make offers when they see value, and when value is present, it is likely to attract more offers. When competition exists between buyers, they will not want to lose the house by offering below the list price, and they may even go above it. I can show you recent examples from the Multiple Listing Service data, where sellers have taken little or no discount from the listing price. Why add on an amount that you expect to give up, it only slows down the sale process.
"I can always go down in price but it is difficult to go up, I don't want to leave anything on the table."
Research conducted by the National Association of Realtors shows that the longer a house is on the market, the greater the price reduction that will be necessary to achieve a sale. Fair or not, when a house has been on the market for some months, buyers start to think that there may be something wrong with the home, or that the seller may be getting desperate and be ready to negotiate at a much lower price. Having initially set a high price, it can be emotionally difficult for a seller to let go, believing that the price is "right". This can result in the home spending unproductive months on the market, being ignored by the pool of buyers. As discussed above, if you have priced your home a little below market value, buyer competition will emerge and correct the situation. At the end of the day, the house will sell for what it is worth, not more.
I conduct regular research on home sales data provided by the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island, and it shows consistently that homes that are priced correctly will sell quicker and for money than homes that are overpriced when listed. Pricing your home correctly to sell, is the most competitive advantage you can give yourself, but it is widely missunderstood by sellers and agents alike.
I will be happy to advise you on positioning your home to sell so that you will soon be feeling like , and to help you avoid common mistakes which will leave you feeling like 
