7 mistakes that cost home sellers hundreds of thousands

After enough transactions, a pattern emerges. These are the seven recurring mistakes, ordered by the damage they cause.

1. Pricing above market "to leave room to negotiate"

The most expensive mistake. The first weeks after listing are when a property gets maximum attention. If the price is too high, serious buyers skip it — and they do not come back.

Three months later you drop the price, but now the property has been sitting and buyers ask why. In practice, a correctly priced property sells faster and for more than one that started high and came down.

2. Relying on asking prices instead of transactions

Your neighbour is asking 2.8M NIS. That does not mean anyone will pay 2.8M NIS. Check the Tax Authority transactions database and see what actually closed on your street in the last six months.

3. Poor photography

Almost every buyer sees the apartment on a screen first. Dark, vertical phone photos with laundry in the background disqualify the property before anyone visits. Professional photography costs a few hundred shekels and returns that many times over.

4. Not preparing the apartment

You do not need a renovation. You need: remove excess furniture, clear personal items, paint damaged walls, fix what is broken, and clean thoroughly. A relatively empty, clean apartment looks larger — and larger is worth more.

5. Concealing problems

Damp, unpermitted construction, a neighbour dispute, a dysfunctional house committee — all of it surfaces in the lawyer's due diligence or the bank's appraisal. If it surfaces after you have agreed a price, the buyer will demand a bigger discount than you would have given upfront, or simply walk.

Disclosing upfront is both a legal duty and an economic interest.

6. Being present at viewings

When the owner is home, buyers do not speak freely or picture themselves living there. They also do not voice the objections that would let you address them. Let the agent run the viewing.

7. Negotiating on price alone

Price is one parameter. Vacancy date, payment terms, what stays in the apartment, and schedule flexibility all carry value. A buyer who needs to move quickly will pay more for fast vacancy. A seller who can flex on dates gets a better price.

Bottom line

Most of the money in a sale is determined in the first three weeks: the price you set, how the property looks in photos, and who sees it. Everything else is management.