Selling your island home can be an emotional experience since you likely have countless memories in your Sanibel or Captiva home. It can also feel foreign to you if you haven’t sold a home in Florida or in a vacation marketplace like Sanibel and Captiva Island.
Here are 3 common mistakes sellers make that we’ll help you navigate when it comes time to sell your home on island.
1.) Don’t Become So Attached
Problem: You love your home and might have been living in its current condition for years, therefore the small faults aren’t a big deal to you. However, potential buyers will not see the value of your memories when inspecting the property and formulating their price. Repairs both big and small will leave a lasting impression on prospective home buyers.
Solution: Look at your property through the eyes of the buyer. Ask your Realtor® for critical advice on what to repair, replace and clean up. An experienced agent can point out the most important changes to make and offer suggestions for credible vendors to use.
2.) Be Open To New Pricing Strategies
Problem: You might have your own opinion on what your home is worth. But it might differ from what the market will support right now. Be wary of the agent who places a high price tag on your home just to encourage you to list with them.
Solution: Check the sales stats of the agents you interview to sell your home, and pay attention to their average list-to-sales price ratio and days-on-market. You should be open to different methods of pricing your home. Some strategies might seem contradictory to your selling goals but can ultimately help your home sell for more than asking price. We’ve seen it happen!
3.) Disclose What You Know
Problem: Your home might leak in one edge of the room when it rains hard in the Summer. Or, maybe there are drainage issues in the yard. Your gut instinct might be to hide this from your Realtor® and potential home buyers.
Solution: We encourage you to disclose what you know during the listing process. We’ve seen numerous instances where leaks and drainage issues pop up during the home inspection and cause the buyers to wonder what else isn’t being disclosed. This fear of the unknown even aides in some buyer’s decision to back out of the contract. We’ve even seen homeowners attempt to sue the previous homeowners for problems they feel should have been disclosed during the selling process.
Believe it or not, these are common mistakes we’ve experienced that have caused a setback for the homeowners trying to sell their island home. We’re happy to share more information about specific situations that you might have questions about in your home. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us! 239.472.1950