When preparing your home for sale, it helps to understand the common missteps that can quietly cost sellers time and money. Some are obvious, others less so, but they tend to show up again and again. Below is a detailed list of issues sellers often run into as they get their home ready for the market. It isn’t exhaustive, but it covers the areas where small decisions can have an outsized impact.

1. Trying to “time” the market

Trying to pick the “perfect” moment to sell is a common source of stress for sellers. Markets move in response to many factors, most of which are outside any individual’s control. Waiting for ideal conditions can lead to missed opportunities or unnecessary delays.

What matters more is understanding the conditions you are selling into and making decisions that fit your timeline, priorities, and local market realities.

2. Not fully understanding current market conditions

Market knowledge plays a meaningful role in how a sale unfolds. Sellers benefit from having a clear picture of what has been happening recently and what buyers are responding to right now.

That includes:

• Recent sales from the past 45 to 60 days

• How those properties compare to yours

• How long similar homes took to sell

• What competition is currently on the market

• The pace at which homes are being absorbed

Interpreting this information takes some experience. Having someone walk you through what the data means, and how it should influence pricing and timing decisions, can make a measurable difference. A well-informed approach helps reduce guesswork and supports stronger outcomes.

3. Pricing your home too high

Overpricing is one of the most common issues we see when homes struggle to gain traction. It’s understandable. Sellers know their home well, remember the work they’ve put into it, and often anchor to the highest possible outcome.

Buyers evaluate your home alongside other properties currently available to them, and their priorities don’t always align with the elements a seller finds most valuable. When a property enters the market priced above where buyers see value, it can be overlooked early on, when interest is typically strongest. That lost momentum can be difficult to regain.

Pricing decisions deserve careful thought and a clear understanding of current market conditions. We’ve explored this topic in more detail here.

4. Not investing in preparation before you sell

Once you decide to sell, it can help to shift how you look at your home. For many households, it represents a significant portion of their overall wealth, and how it’s presented can influence both buyer interest and final sale price.

Listing a home with little or no preparation can limit its appeal, especially when buyers are comparing multiple options. Small, well-chosen improvements often make it easier for buyers to see value and can support stronger offers. That said, every situation is different, and not every update makes sense for every property.

Focusing on practical, high-impact improvements room by room can help prioritize where time and money are best spent. We’ve outlined those considerations in more detail here.

5. Leaving necessary repairs unfinished

Unfinished repairs tend to stand out to buyers more than sellers expect. Loose handles, small leaks, cracked tiles, or patchy paint can signal deferred maintenance, even when the issues themselves are minor.

Buyers who are comfortable taking on work are often looking for a price adjustment to reflect it (and it’s often bigger than the actual repairs would justify). Buyers who want something move-in ready may simply move on. When repairs are within reach financially and logistically, completing them before listing can help reduce objections, improve first impressions, and smooth the negotiation process.

6. Not being selective about which repairs to take on

Despite the advice in #5, not every repair or improvement is worth doing before you sell. In many cases, the most effective work is simply finishing small projects that were already started or addressing items that are likely to raise questions during a showing or inspection.

Because time and budget are always part of the equation, it helps to be selective. Getting experienced input on what will matter to buyers, and what is unlikely to return its cost, can prevent unnecessary spending. A focused walk-through can help prioritize which items are worth addressing and which are better left alone. We’ve outlined some practical starting points here.

7. Not understanding your mortgage break costs

Before listing your home, it’s worth checking in with your lender to understand how your mortgage is structured and what happens if it’s ended early. This is especially important if you are still partway through your term.

Mortgage penalties can be significant and should be factored into your overall planning. Knowing the numbers ahead of time helps avoid surprises and allows you to make more informed decisions about timing and pricing.

If the penalty is higher than expected, ask whether your mortgage can be ported to a new property. In some cases, that option can reduce costs and offer more flexibility as you plan your next move.

8. Skipping decluttering and staging

Decluttering is one of the most effective steps sellers can take before listing. Removing excess furniture, personal items, and visual noise helps rooms feel larger and more functional. When spaces are crowded, buyers tend to focus on what’s in the way rather than on the home itself.

Clutter also carries through to photography and online marketing. If rooms feel tight or busy in photos, some buyers may lose interest before ever booking a showing.

Staging builds on this foundation. Thoughtful placement of furniture and décor helps define spaces and create a sense of flow, making it easier for buyers to imagine how the home could work for them. Staging doesn’t always mean replacing everything you own, but it does benefit from a neutral, objective eye.

While staging can involve some cost, it often helps a home show more clearly and confidently, which can influence both interest and perception.  That’s why we cover the cost of staging for our clients in most of our compensation packages.

9. Not painting because ‘buyers will change it anyway’

This is a common hesitation, and it’s understandable. Many sellers assume that painting isn’t worth the effort since a future owner may plan to change colours regardless.

In practice, freshly painted homes tend to show better and feel easier to move into. When we live in a space, we naturally choose colours that suit our own taste. Buyers, however, are walking through with fresh eyes and limited imagination after a long search and an even longer move.

Neutral, well-applied paint helps rooms feel clean, cared for, and ready to live in. It allows buyers to settle in first and think about personal touches later, rather than feeling like painting is an immediate task waiting for them.

10. Not deep-cleaning before showings

Cleanliness tends to register with buyers as a signal of how well a home has been cared for. Even a house with dated finishes can make a strong impression if it’s clearly clean and well looked after.

Details matter here. Walls, windows, baseboards, floors, cupboards, and the less obvious corners all contribute to the overall feel of the home. When those areas are clean, buyers are more likely to focus on the space itself rather than on what needs attention.

The same applies outside. Tidy garden beds and freshly cleaned surfaces, such as siding, decks, walkways, and driveways, help set expectations before buyers even step through the door. A thorough cleaning is one of the simplest ways to improve how a home is perceived.

11. Not de-personalizing your home

This is something stagers mention often because it consistently affects how buyers experience a space. The goal isn’t to strip a home of warmth or character, but to make it easier for buyers to picture themselves living there.

Highly personal décor can make that harder. Family photos are the obvious example, but the same applies to religious items, collections, trophies, children’s artwork, and deeply sentimental pieces. When those elements dominate a space, buyers can feel like guests in someone else’s life rather than potential owners.

Builder model homes offer a useful comparison. They are intentionally designed to feel welcoming without being personal, using neutral finishes, simple furnishings, and thoughtful styling to appeal to the widest possible audience. The same principle applies when preparing a lived-in home for sale.

Neutral walls and pared-back furnishings help shift the focus back to the home itself. Buyers are looking for a place where they can imagine their own routines and a fresh start, not a home that still feels very much like it belongs to someone else.

12. Assuming spring is always the best time to sell

Spring is often thought of as the ideal time to sell a home. Historically, this has been the trend in many markets. That assumption, however, can oversimplify a much more nuanced reality.

Markets are influenced by many factors beyond the time of year, including interest rates, buyer confidence, inventory levels, and broader economic conditions. Relying on the calendar alone can lead sellers to delay a move that might make sense sooner, or to wait for conditions that don’t materialize as expected.

What tends to matter more than the season is whether the current market supports your goals. When conditions are favourable, waiting for a specific time of year can introduce unnecessary risk. Flexibility, paired with a clear understanding of local market dynamics, often leads to better outcomes than following a traditional timeline.

13. Not getting a pre-inspection

A pre-inspection can be a useful planning tool for sellers. It provides a clearer picture of a home’s condition before it goes on the market, allowing you to address issues on your own timeline rather than reacting to them mid-negotiation.

In markets where buyers include inspection conditions, a pre-inspection can surface potential concerns early. This gives sellers the opportunity to decide what to repair, what to disclose, and how to price the home accordingly, reducing the risk of last-minute renegotiation or a deal falling apart.

One potential drawback is that a pre-inspection removes plausible deniability. If a serious issue is identified, a seller may be required to address or disclose it. In practice, this is rarely a meaningful disadvantage. Most buyers will conduct their own inspection, and material issues tend to come to light either way. Discovering them earlier simply shifts the timing and allows for more thoughtful decisions.

In stronger markets where buyers may feel pressure to submit firm offers, a pre-inspection can also provide reassurance. When buyers have access to credible information about a home’s condition, they are often more comfortable moving forward with clearer expectations.

14. Relying on too many outside opinions

Selling a home often comes with a flood of advice. Friends, family members, neighbours, and coworkers are usually well-intentioned, but their experiences may be outdated or based on very different market conditions. What worked for someone else a few years ago, or even a few months ago, may not apply now.

This can be especially challenging for first-time sellers, who are trying to make sense of conflicting suggestions while also navigating a major financial decision. Pricing is a common example. Many people assume that starting high leaves room to negotiate, but current market behaviour doesn’t always support that approach.

What tends to matter more is having guidance that reflects what buyers are responding to right now, based on recent activity and real-time feedback. Clear, current information makes it easier to make confident decisions and avoid strategies that feel intuitive but no longer work the way people expect.

15. Not taking time to get a clear understanding of the costs associated with selling your home

When sellers think about the cost of selling a home, commission is often the first thing that comes to mind. While it is one of the larger line items, it isn’t the only one that affects the final numbers.

Other costs can come into play depending on the property, the mortgage, and the timing of the sale. Without a clear picture upfront, those expenses can surface late in the process, making decisions feel rushed or uncomfortable.

Taking the time early on to understand how these costs add up helps with realistic planning and avoids last-minute surprises. We’ve outlined common closing costs and considerations in more detail here.

16. Not leaving enough time to prepare

Preparing a home for sale almost always takes longer than people expect. Even sellers who plan well in advance can find themselves scrambling in the final days before photos or showings begin.

Rushing the preparation stage tends to add stress and can lead to shortcuts that affect how the home presents. Giving yourself more lead time makes it easier to spread tasks out, make thoughtful decisions, and prioritize what actually matters rather than reacting under pressure.

Once you’ve decided to sell, it helps to map out what needs to be done, what can wait, and what may not be worth doing at all. We’ve put together a simple, downloadable prep checklist to help sellers plan the timeline and stay organized.

17. Focusing on list prices instead of sale prices

When preparing to list, it’s important to understand what’s actually happening in the market, not just what homes are being listed for. List prices reflect strategy. Sale prices show outcomes.

A pricing approach that works well in one situation may not make sense in another. In some markets, pricing slightly below recent comparable sales can attract more attention and lead to stronger competition. In others, it may not. What matters is seeing how similar homes ultimately performed, not just where they started.

It’s also worth noting that homes priced too high can miss buyers who are searching just below that threshold. In some cases, those properties end up selling for less than they might have if they had been positioned differently from the start.

Looking at both the list price and the final sale price provides a clearer picture of how buyers are behaving. We’ve explored this pricing dynamic in more detail here.

18. Not fully understanding what you’re signing.

Real estate transactions can sometimes move quickly, and paperwork often arrives in stacks rather than single pages. It can be tempting to skim or assume the details are standard, especially when timelines feel tight.

Every document you sign has implications, whether it relates to price, conditions, timelines, or legal obligations. Taking the time to understand what you’re agreeing to helps prevent misunderstandings later and gives you the chance to ask questions before anything becomes binding.

If something isn’t clear, it’s worth slowing the process down long enough to get an explanation you’re comfortable with. We’ve discussed an example of one important issue here.

19. Overlooking the exterior and landscaping

The exterior of a home sets expectations before a buyer ever steps inside. While curb appeal alone won’t make or break a sale, neglecting it can negatively influence how buyers perceive the value of the property from the outset.

Improving the exterior doesn’t require major expense.  In fact, we don’t recommend spending a bundle on elaborate landscaping just for selling purposes. Depending on the season, small updates like fresh paint or stain, trimmed landscaping, cleaned walkways, or simple plantings can make a noticeable difference. These details signal care and maintenance and help buyers approach the rest of the home with a more positive frame of mind.

Attention to the exterior is often one of the more cost-effective ways to improve first impressions. We’ve outlined some practical curb appeal ideas and considerations in more detail here.

If you want to dig a little deeper, you may also find these helpful:

• 9 Seller Mistakes When Picking Real Estate Agent
• Top 10 Seller Mistakes – While Your Home Is For Sale
• 10 Seller Negotiation Mistakes, and How To Avoid Them
• 6 Pre-Closing Seller Mistakes, and How To Avoid Them

Updated December 2025