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Why You Won't Get Top Dollar for Your House

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Patrick McLaughlin over at the Hamptons Chatter blog (who is also a Douglas Elliman agent) outlines some reasons sellers won't be able to get the best possible prices for their properties.
He says the East End housing arena "appears to be the best market in about 5 or 6 years." So how can you, Joe and Jane Seller, cash in on this? Here are some mistakes to avoid.

Lousy photos: Make sure your agent gets a pro to shoot your house! You can't expect to sell a million-dollar house with a lousy point-and-shoot digital camera.
No curb appeal: If the front is a mess, buyers get a bad impression before they walk in the front door. Patrick says "If the paint's chipping off the front door, you can easily see the foundation, and the '69 GTO is still on cinderblocks in the driveway you may want to reconsider putting your house on the market." (Curbed asks: how much for the GTO?)

Buckets of clutter: You know what you're supposed to do. Get rid of the extra furniture, the Precious Moments, and take the magnets off the fridge door. It's hard for buyers to see the shape of your rooms when they're distracted by crap.
Overoptimistic pricing: It's not about you or your value as a person. Nobody but you cares how much you paid for it or how much you want to pocket at the end. And no one cares about the feng shui consultant you paid for or the Shakespearean knot garden. Be realistic and pay attention to comps and cold hard numbers.
· A Few Reasons Why You Won't Be Getting Top Dollar [Hamptons Chatter]