1. The Top 10
Mistakes Park City Sellers Make
By: Don and Kathy Vallee
The old adage says “what you don’t know won’t hurt you”. The fact is what you
don’t know will cost you a lot of wasted time, money, and possibly even a home
sale altogether. Home selling in [cityname] is a process that requires the seller to
understand several factors that range from timing to pricing to market analysis
and everything in between. Here are the top ten mistakes you could make as a
seller that may have your home going nowhere fast:

2. The Top 10 Mistakes Park City Sellers Make
435.565.0797 | info@parkcityhomesandland.com
1 Choosing the Wrong Realtor
First things first, do not go it alone when it comes to
selling your Park City property and be sure to choose
the right agent. Don’t simply bring on the first agent
you see. Research them thoroughly including seeking
out testimonials from previous and current clients
of theirs. The wrong agent can make the process
stressful and cost you thousands of dollars. The right
one can make your home sell quickly and with little
worry (and often for more money).
2 Too Fast. Too Much. Too Soon.
Fools rush in. We’ve all heard it before. This sage
is actually extremely accurate. The worst decisions
are usually made when we are in a hurry to reach
a goal. This is not the time to apply pressure to get
the home sold by Thursday of next week. An unre-
alistic goal will only create more frustration on your
end and, in your frustration, you may even enter-
tain accepting less money for your property. It can
also scare off a buyer. It gives the assumption that
something is wrong with the home and you’re trying
to ditch it.
3 Overpricing The Property
One of the best things a home seller can do is
to research the market they’re in to determine
comparable home values. If the other homes that
are similar in size and amenity to yours are selling
for thousands less, why would a buyer consider
yours? The answer is: they won’t. Even if you have
an improvement or two that the others are lacking,
by scaring off the buyer with a price that they can’t
justify they’ll never meet you to find out. Be smart
about the numbers
4 Totally Ignoring
Curb Appeal
Your Park City property could be the
most lavish and appointed in the
area, but, if the outside of it looks
like a cardboard box then to home
buyers it’s just that: a cardboard
box. The curb appeal of your home
needs to be clean and well-kept
so that it invites the buyer in to
eventually discover all the greatness
that awaits them. Give the home a
chance to sell by making sure she’s
wearing the right “dress”. Home
selling is a beauty contest first
and foremost.
5 Banning Home Viewings
Open your doors to your home
buyers. No smart buyer purchases
a car without test driving it first
so don’t expect them to spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars on
your home without stepping one foot
inside of it. This is a huge handicap
to selling your property. Remember
that although this is currently still
YOUR home, the goal is for it to
become THEIR home. This means
they deserve the right to inspect it
and see if it fits them well. Buyers
love home viewings.
1

3. The Top 10 Mistakes Park City Sellers Make
435.565.0797 | info@parkcityhomesandland.com
6 Not Staging the Home Correctly
(or at all)
Once you open the doors, don’t have Park City
buyers running for the hills because the home
wasn’t staged for the viewing. There shouldn’t be
toys on the floor from little Sammy’s play date with
laundry awaiting near the dryer. This is the chance to
impress the buyer so make sure the home is spotless
and all repairs are done. Leave the house and let
your agent handle the showing. Have neutral music
playing and light some (calming) fragrance candles.
Playing to the buyers emotions will go a long way to
selling your home quickly and for more money.
7 Skipping a Home Inspection
We get it. Your Park City home is perfect. Now
that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s best you
understand that your home is not perfect at all.
Even some newer homes have flaws. You’ll want
to know about these flaws well before the buyer
does. This way you can repair them or at least
articulate them to the buyer. If a buyer does their
own home inspection and catches you off guard with
maintenance needs, this will be a terrible impression
and also sets back your sale tremendously. An added
benefit of a seller having a home inspection is the
confidence it invokes with the buyer.
8 False or No Info to Buyers
Once you determine if anything is needed to repair
or alter in the home, be truthful at all times with the
buyer and their agent. Always maintain integrity.
Never mislead or provide false information to sell a
home. An experienced buyers’ agent will eventually
find out the truth about the home anyway (to protect
their client) and there are also laws that require full
disclosure. Not doing so will open you up to serious
litigation down the road. Just be honest.
9 Not Stepping Into the
Buyers’ Shoes
Remember, again, that although
this is your home now it’s on the
market to become someone else’s.
With that said, you’ll need to take off
your homeowner’s cap and put on
your buyer’s fedora. When you were
looking to buy this home, how did
you see it? What scrutiny did you put
it under? The next buyer will most
likely do the same or more. You may
already know the home is great, but,
they don’t. You’ll have to convince
them with curb appeal, staging,
pricing, etc.
10 Fido Is YOUR Best Friend,
Not the Buyers’
Everybody loves animals, right?
Wrong. I love them. You may love
them also. Can you promise yourself
that every buyer does, though? No,
you can not. Some are even allergic
to them. When it’s time for home
viewings, be sure to have the pets
stay elsewhere and thoroughly clean,
clean, clean. You do not want your
buyers needing a shot of epinephrine
during the viewing or walking into
a property that smells like Mitten’s
“litter art”.
2

4. The Top 10 Mistakes Park City Sellers Make
435.565.0797 | info@parkcityhomesandland.com
Having the Right Team Goes A
Long Way
Avoiding these 10 home selling errors will put you
in a great position to sell your Park City home much
faster and you’ll also be able to justify a higher
asking price in some cases. My name is Kathy Vallee
and I have the resources to help you sell your home
with little stress to you. When you’re ready to list
your property or simply get a free home evaluation,
contact me and I’ll partner with you to reach
your goals.
3