If you're one of the many homeowners thinking about selling your house to maybe profit from the market, gain the incredible appreciation of your property, and turn it into cash, you should think about all the elements at play and how to prepare to deal with future uncertainties. Keep in mind that there are more bidders than there are homes in most of the United States, which temporarily drives up prices and causes numerous bidding wars.

But selling a house can become more difficult if you don't have a plan and help ignoring the tried-and-true practices that have helped home sellers in the past. "It's a hot market, but it's a hot market for things that are priced correctly and prepared to come to the market," says Molly Gallagher, real estate agent and partner of the Falk Ruvin Gallagher Team, part of real estate brokerage Keller Williams Milwaukee North Shore in Wisconsin.

This are 12 common mistakes to avoid when selling your home:

1. Working alone.

2. Waiting for the home selling season.

3. Pricing too high.

4. Refusing to make changes.

5. Keeping clutter.

6. Opting not to neutralize.

7. Skipping major repairs.

8. Cutting costs on photography.

9. Hiding problems.

10. Being unavailable.

11. Being unwilling to negotiate.

12. Letting your emotions get the best of you.

Risky Moves Homeowners Make When Selling

It may seem simple to reduce commission by not using a real estate agent to represent you, but you will lose out on their market expertise, contacts, and assistance throughout the process. A real estate agent is essential to a successful and less stressful property sale, unless you are a Realtor® sales associate and have a real estate license.

Properties that are sold by the owner typically sell for less money overall. According to the National Association of Realtors' 2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, which was published in November 2020, the median selling price of FSBO homes sold for $217,900, while the median sale price of homes sold with an agent's help was $242,300. Professional advice is more likely to help you sell your house for the full market value if that's what you're after.

Waiting to Sell

Spring and early fall are often hailed as the best times to sell a house, but that doesn't mean you should wait months to put your home on the market. While December and August see the fewest sales homes still sell every month of the year, says Anne DuBray, a real estate broker with Coldwell Banker Realty in Deerfield, Illinois.

In fact, February is the best month to put your property on the market, DuBray says – even in places that see long, cold winters like Chicago and Milwaukee. "People are less distracted in that month than every other month of the year," DuBray says.

Pricing Too High

You want to sell your house for top dollar, but be realistic about the value of the property and how buyers will see it. If you've overpriced your home, chances are you'll eventually need to lower the number, but the peak period of activity that a new listing experiences is already gone.

"Time will kill you," DuBray says. "You still think you're going to get showings and showings (as time goes on) and you just don't." For that reason, it's important that your real estate agent is honest with you about what your home will sell for, based on the recent sales of similar homes in the area.

Refusing to Make Changes

Unless you're planning to sell your house to an investor who will flip the property, selling your house "as is" won't yield the highest possible sale price.

Homebuyers today expect move-in ready conditions and want to see a blank slate that allows them to picture themselves living in the home. That means you'll need to update appliances, paint walls neutral colors such as gray or khaki and remove old carpeting.

Keeping Clutter

It's tough to remove belongings while you're still living in your house, but presenting each room and space in its best light means you'll need to declutter in more ways than one. Get rid of items you don't need anymore, but also remove oversized couches and other large furniture that dwarfs the room, clear out closets so they don't look overcrowded and put away decor that displays too much personal detail.

"Just because you see any empty surface doesn't mean you have to have something there. Give the eyes a moment to rest," wrote Jessica Harris, an interior designer and manager of production design at furniture retailer Living Spaces, based in Southern California, in an email.

Opting Not to Neutralize

While removing personal decor choices is a part of decluttering, it's also an important part of neutralizing your house so the buyer doesn't immediately think of the people who currently live in the home.

Depersonalize, declutter, declutter, stage and declutter!

It's crucial for purchasers to be able to visualize living there. That might be a difficult task if your possessions are dispersed all over the place.

"Remember to remove personal photos, memorable items and more from the home," Harris says. "You want the potential buyers to envision it's their home, not yours. If it's something you question, go with your gut. Think simple, clean and refresh."...More