The 9 biggest mistakes people make when they try to sell their homes, according to real-estate agents

1. Overpricing the home.

The biggest mistake people can make when trying to sell their home is overpricing it, according to almost every real-estate agent we talked to.

"The best thing you can do is price at fair market value or just below fair market value, but when you overprice a property you miss out on all of the buyers who see it during the first month on the market and then over time you reduce the price until it sells," Spencer Cutler of Corcoran, who sells homes in New York City with an average price of $6 million, told Business Insider. "It wastes time, effort, and sometimes nets you less money than if you priced it correctly to begin with."

Michael Hahn of Compass, who sells $1 million homes in New York, said sellers often make the mistake of overpricing their home in order to leave room for negotiating.

"It's better to price at the market level or even slightly under to yield the most profit in the end," Hahn said.

2. Failing to accept that not everyone has the same taste they do.

 

3. Not paying attention to the market.

 

4. Not choosing the right agent.

 

5. Not using an agent at all.

Not using an agent to help sell their home is yet another common mistake people make when trying to sell their home, Victoria Shtainer, who sells homes in New York in the $4 million to $10 million price range, told Business Insider.

6. Keeping décor that's too taste-specific.

 

7. Not decluttering the home before listing.

"The biggest mistake a seller makes is not decluttering their home prior to listing," Jared Barnett of Compass, who sells homes from $2 million to $5 million in New York City, told Business Insider. "Too much furniture makes a room feel small, giving buyers a hard time envisioning the potential of the space."

8. Failing to make their home as beautiful as possible.

A big mistake is when sellers don't put themselves in the minds of the buyers and fail to make sure their home presents as beautifully as possible.

"I am fastidious (some sellers would say 'torturous') to be sure that every room is as organized as it can be and looking beautiful, which could include painting rooms, editing out furniture, changing out old carpets, etc," Kencel said. "Unless you are positioning your property with an aggressive price and selling it 'as is,' taking the time to make that strong first impression is well worth it."