The evidence is all around you — neighbors and friends who believed these homeselling myths and suffered financially for it. So why would you persist in thinking these three top myths are true? Please, for your own financial security and a good night’s sleep, believe what you read with your own eyes. These three (expensive, debilitating) myths about selling your home are simply not true.

Myth 1: I Can Sell It Myself!

We do not know how else to put this, since we have tried for years to quash this myth. If, by “sell my own home myself,” you mean you can find somebody willing to pay you cash for your house, then, yes, you can sell it yourself. You can also sell homemade lemonade on the sidewalk, but neither transaction will bring in the kind of money you expect, and both will produce a sour taste in your mouth.

Real estate agents and Realtors® provide local expertise. In the San Diego area, our real estate agents transact more home sales in a month than most homeowners will in a lifetime. They have the skills and experience to get top dollar for your home. They know the San Diego real estate market, and can sell everything from a San Diego foreclosure property to a whole subdivision of condos.

What else do real estate agents bring to the table? Literally, to the table: top-notch negotiation skills. Your own career may never have prepared you for that chilling moment when you are seated across from sincere buyers seeking to knock thousands or tens of thousands of dollars off your selling price.

With your own San Diego real estate salesperson at your side you can sit in comfort, knowing your interests and expectations are protected. A great agent can push back against unreasonable concessions, intimidation tactics and bargain hunting.

In the age of the Internet, unfortunately, a pioneer spirit of doing it yourself has inched into nearly every profession. In some cases the damage is minimal — you failed at making your own scented candles and now the house smells like the perfume counter at Bloomingdale’s on Friars Road. In some cases, though — such as selling your house — the risk is very real.

What many San Diego home sellers fail to realize is the increase in, not the loss of, control of the home selling process when you enlist a residential real estate agent. Your agent can help you avoid amateur mistakes, bring real-time knowledge of the local market, and provide high quality service far above what the internet alone can offer.

Related: The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Selling with Real Estate Agents in San Diego

Myth 2: You Must Make Major Repairs

Your friend’s cousin’s barber spent $75,000 putting in a heated driveway, and his house sold in a snap. Great for him (unlikely, but … sure ... great). This must mean big repairs (and big repair bills) always come before a home sale. Smaller improvements that make a big visual impact will get your best return on investment (ROI).

A new front entryway will go farther to selling your home, at a lower cost to you, than installing a new roof. Fresh paint on interior walls will make your house more appealing than sinking a lot of money into new bathroom sinks.

Large renovations are unlikely to add tremendous value, or simply break even for you, with the sale of your home. An experienced real estate agent can point you toward the right choices.

A carefully cleaned foreclosure property in need of a new central air conditioner may sell faster than the nicest upscale house with a marble-lined whirlpool bathtub.

Myth 3: Hibernate in Winter and Sell in Spring

If the real estate market truly only flourished when the flowers bloom, brokerages would sit idle for nine months a year. No one season or time is right or wrong to sell a house. People need housing year round, even in beautiful San Diego. Rather than focus on a season or trying to time the market, the smart home seller focuses on marketing.

Effective marketing means knowing who will be interested in your home, and what price will entice. Effectively marketing your home does not involve putting up signs on telephone poles, for example, as though your house were a lost dog. By partnering with a real estate professional familiar with MLS, competing homes for sale, and the local real estate market, you can be sure you home will get all the exposure and foot traffic you need to get the right price.

Now that you know these myths are merely illusions, avoid other traps. Contact the professionals at Steele San Diego Homes today to partner with true professionals in the San Diego home selling market. Working with Steele San Diego Homes, you are working with a genuine San Diego Realtor® who knows the housing market and can help you overcome any challenge.