I was recently invited by the Redfin Blog to share what I’ve learned about selling homes over 55 years and more than 20,000 transactions. Redfin reaches about 4 million readers a year, and I was glad for the chance to speak directly to consumers about the mistakes I see sellers make most often.
You can read the full article here: What Sells a House: What Really Matters
The advice I gave Redfin focused on two costly mistakes that are entirely avoidable.
Overpricing is the number one mistake sellers make. A home priced right from day one will almost always outperform one that starts too high and gets reduced later. Buyers today are informed. When they see a price reduction, they don’t think “bargain,” they think “what’s wrong with this house?” Work with your agent to set the right price using comparable sales data, not wishful thinking.
Skipping the pre-listing inspection is the second biggest mistake. For a few hundred dollars, you can identify problems before a buyer’s inspector finds them and uses them against you at the negotiating table, or walks away entirely. There’s another benefit most sellers don’t consider: when you hire the inspector, you shift the responsibility for any errors from yourself to the inspector. That’s transparency buyers appreciate, and it’s protection you deserve.
The Redfin article also discusses staging, and this is where I’d offer a different perspective. The real estate industry treats staging as if rearranging furniture sells houses. In most homes, the floor plan determines where the furniture goes. What actually matters is that your home is clean, decluttered, and well-maintained. A buyer won’t remember the throw pillows on the couch. They will remember the leaky faucet in the kitchen.
If you own a luxury home, that’s a different conversation. Those sellers benefit from professional interior designers, not agents with a weekend staging certificate.
The fundamentals haven’t changed in 55 years: price it right, present it honestly, fix what needs fixing, and choose your agent carefully. Interview at least three. Ask hard questions about their marketing plan and how they communicate. And don’t assume the agent who quotes the highest price is the best choice – that’s often a listing tactic that backfires.
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