10 THINGS THAT WILL ABSOLUTELY KILL YOUR HOME SALE

When you're selling your home, you need every advantage you can get. And there are few homes that are magically market ready without a little help. If your home needs a touch more than a little help, it's time to get focused. After all,

listing your home when it's not in the right condition to sell will probably only end in frustration. And, in this case, frustration means: your home sitting on the market for months with no offers or the errant, offensive, lowball.

If you want to make sure you get home sold quickly and for the right price, you'll want to avoid listing it with the following:

1. Excessive damage

Maybe the home you're selling was used as a rental and trashed by frat boy tenants, or maybe you just haven't kept it up as you should. Either way, those holes in the wall that look like the living room was used as a boxing gym, the scratched-up wood floors on which dinosaurs have clearly been racing, and the yard that's barren except for those two-foot-tall patches of weeds are not what buyers are looking for. Unless you're planning to offer your house for a price that will make buyers emphasize the good and ignore the bad and the ugly, it's going to need some attention.

2. Carpet in the bathroom

It's just gross. And everyone who walks into that bathroom is thinking one of two things: 1) There's gotta be mold under there; 2) There's gotta be pee on the floor around that toilet. This is one update you'll want to do before you list. Or, if you're already listed and your home's not selling.

3. Big, nasty stains

A buyer shouldn't know where your dog likes to mark or where your kids spilled the entire bowl of holiday punch. If the stains on your carpet are that bad, potential buyers will stroll in and run right back out. No one wants to buy a pigsty. Invest a few bucks in new carpet. You'll make the money back since you won't have to drop your sales price.

4. Pet smells

Speaking of pets…they smell. You probably don't notice since you live with them everyday, but buyers will, and it might be enough to turn them off. Deep clean the carpets and the upholstery, invest in some air fresheners, and remove cat boxes from the house for showings. The last thing you want is a potential buyer referring to your house as "the stinky one."

5. Loud dogs who bark every time someone approaches the home

One last word on pets. Barking happens, whether it's your dog or one that belongs to a neighbor. But you don't need that on the day of your open house. Offering to pay for doggie day care for a neighbor's pooch can eliminate the issue and help create the serene setting buyers want.

6. Your dead lawn

Lack of curb appeal won't necessarily kill a deal. In many cases, you won't even get potential buyers to get out of the car. If the front yard is a mess, buyers will naturally think the mess continues inside.

7. A bad agent

Face it. Not all of them are winners. If your agent is: rude, uninformed, lazy, uncommunicative, belligerent, or unwilling to take your opinions into consideration, get a new one. An agent who isn't giving their client the right type of attention probably isn't going to get the job done.

8. Your sloppiness

Those drawers and cabinets you shoved everything into when you cleaned off your kitchen and bathroom cabinets could be a deal breaker for picky buyers. We all know buyers open stuff. They look in drawers, they open cabinets, they examine closets. If these spaces are messy and overstuffed, they may assume there's not enough storage space.

9. Unreasonable sellers

Big problems in your house can be deal killers, but they can also be deal sealers, if you are reasonable. If your inspection uncovers plumbing, electrical, or roofing problems (or all three!) and you're unwilling to negotiate, you can kiss that sale goodbye.

10. Bad Taste

Your poor decorating choices and failure to keep up with

trends from this year—or century—may haunt you when it's time to sell. If it's true that many buyers have no vision—and all you have to do is watch House Hunters and observe a buyer getting hung up on a paint color to know that's true—then you are really in for it with your crowded house full of ugly, outdated crap.

Are You Really Ready To Sell Your Home?

When you put your home on the market, you may think you're really ready to sell, but if you're throwing roadblocks in front of buyers, you're really not ready at all.

When you're not really ready to sell, you tend to be unrealistic and say things to your friends, family and your real estate agent like this:

"I can sell it myself."

"My home is worth more than that."

"The buyer can fix things themselves."

"Let's price it higher, and see what happens."

Let's address these one at a time. About 15% of homes sold by their owners are successful. Sure you can sell it yourself, but your home is competing with listed properties that are effectively marketed and represented by real estate professionals.   Those that list with a real estate professional also get a 14% higher sales price on average then selling it by themselves.

You may believe your home should be money in the bank. It should be worth more than you paid for it, it should never go down in value, and it should provide you with enough equity so you can trade up to another home, put your kids through college, retire, or meet some other financial goal.

There are times when you can really make out selling your home, and times when you won't meet your goals. If you stay in your home long enough to build equity (at least 4 years or more), don't take out equity loans or lines of credit, and you keep your home in good repair, you're likely to make some money when you sell.

Realistically, your home is only worth what a qualified buyer will pay for it today, not what it was worth yesterday or what it will be worth tomorrow.

Last, most buyers don't want to fix anything, so if your home needs work, you're cutting down on the number of buyers who will make offers on your home. That leaves you with only the buyers who want a bargain or a fixer-upper, which means you won't get top dollar for your home.

If you're serious about selling your home, you'll hire a professional to advise you and help you. A real estate professional will show you the current numbers and comparables and explain current market conditions and how they will impact your pricing and marketing strategies.

You're ready to sell if you're prepared to listen to your real estate professional and follow his or her advice. You're ready to sell if you're willing to do the hard work to make your home appeal strongly to buyers.

You're ready to sell if your price your home to current market conditions, not what you believe you deserve.

DON'T RISK YOUR SAFETY, LIST WITH AN AGENT

One of the best reasons to list your home with a real estate agent isn't just about getting more money for your home. While a real estate agent can get you up to 14% more for your home, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, he or she can also protect you and your property.

When your home goes on the market, you don't know where your buyer is going to come from -- the Internet, the sign in your yard, a neighbor referral or the buyer's agent. Having your home professionally listed makes your agent the point of contact so you don't have people coming to your door who aren't qualified and ready to buy a home.

To expose your home to the most qualified buyers, your listing agent operates within a cooperative of real estate brokers called the multiple listing service (MLS). Competing brokers may bring their buyers to your home and receive a share of your agent's commission for helping to sell your home.

The MLS is the fastest and broadest way to expose your home to as many ready, willing and able homebuyers as possible. Through the MLS, your home may be promoted on Internet sites such as Realtor.com, Zillow and Trulia, where homes are showcased with virtual tours and multiple photos. Your agent may showcase your home in local media and put a sign in your yard so interested buyers can drive by and see your home's curb appeal.

Serious buyers use these tools to choose homes they're interested in. They realize that your home is listed through an agent and will get in touch with their own agent or your agent if they're interested. Anyone who ignores or tries to circumvent these obvious signs of agency is not the buyer you want.

Real estate professionals have ways of identifying genuine buyers. True buyers are prepared and ready -- they've been preapproved by a reputable lender, they're represented by an agent, and they're willing to share information about their parameters and timeline for buying a home.

What about open houses? Most real estate agents offer them only when they have increased security to protect your home (and themselves), such as asking another professional or a lender to accompany them.

Open house visitors are required to sign in, and some agents ask to see and make notes of drivers' licenses. Serious buyers won't mind these precautions, but someone who is interested only in decorating ideas or stealing prescription drugs from your bathroom won't likely comply.

Since you're being represented by an agent, there's no reason to open your door to anyone who says he or she is a real estate agent or a buyer unless they have an appointment.

Simply direct doorbell ringers to call your listing agent for an appointment. If they try to plead, bargain or get angry with you to get you to open the door, don't do it. Call the police.

There's a good reason why 88 percent of sellers list with a real estate agent over selling their home by themselves. Don't risk your safety -- it's never worth it.