As a seasoned home stager, I am usually called in by a realtor to help the homeowner get the house ready for sale. Not so often but still a consistent side of my business, is the request to assess why a home hasn't sold. The reasons are always the same... long before price... there are marketing fundamentals that homeowners rarely think of, simply because the house is their home. You might ask why the realtor can't point those out. They do. Realtors, however, have a perceived vested interest in the selling price, and so sellers don't always trust their advice. I have no judgment about that, or anything else when it comes to listing a home. I am only interested in doing what will reap the best reward and make the best possible deal for the buyer. With that in mind, here are the 5 most common mistakes sellers are making (in my neck of the woods) when putting their house on the market:

1. Thinking "it's been good enough for us"

Sellers, you need to step back. Is it really good enough for you? Why are you moving then? Reframe, if you would: you are selling something expensive and important. A place for a family to call home. This concept oozes with emotion. Emotion isn't always rational - it responds to color, to texture, to feelings. Clean, warm, (or cool if it's the Summer) and welcoming are the ways you will entice a buyer. What says clean, warm and welcoming is well cared for, fresh and sparkling.

2. Making it look like people really live here

Not so much. If your buyers are looking at who lives there, they're not looking at the house. Buyers want a "new" house, a place where THEY can live. Take down all the photos, trophies, certificates, personables- so that the home feels "available" for the next family. Having a seller pack up also helps them get ready to move on.

3. All things to all people

No product can be all things to all people. Pick the largest niche your home fits into and run with it. Whether that is first time buyers, or young families, or the move-up gang...pick one and make your home the "showcase" for the genre.

4. Wanting to win, which means someone else doesn't.

All the best real estate transactions are win-win. Covering up flaws as opposed to fixing them creates bad karma that comes back to bite you later on in the transaction. A facelift is one thing; deluding the buyer is another. Play fair. The game of successfully selling a home is won when the seller gets a good price and the buyer gets terrific value.

5. Pricing

Today's real estate market is like eBay. You cannot underprice a home. If you put a lower-than-market price on the property, and the home has been marketed fully (and well - with great photos, full descriptions, wide distribution) you will see multiple offers and the home will trade at its correct price. Same as eBay. Every now and then there are great stories of a bargain on eBay, but by and large, items sell at what they're really worth.