When you prepare to put your home on the market, you hope that everything will go the way you imagine and that is your home will sell for over listing price the very first day it goes on the market.

The reality isn’t so rosy. The market may slow down. Your home may get few showings or no offers. You may have to lower your list price. Or, your home may not sell at all because you made a big mistake.

So if you’re thinking of doing any of the following five no-no’s, stop yourself right now.

• 1) You like paying more
• 2) You like competition
• 3) You hate getting a great deal
• 4) Interest rates, shminterest rates

Before you go on vacation this holiday season, have you prepared against burglary? Do you store your valuables, close the blinds, lock the back door and so on? Many homeowners might be unaware of a string of burglaries in their neighborhood and come home to find their house broken into as a result.

Home burglaries account for $4.7 billion in property losses every year in the United States, because burglars find a way in.

According to statistics, a home burglary occurs every 13 seconds because someone forgot to lock a window or door — almost 30% of the time. With you going on holiday, make some home security investments to avoid inclusion in this statistic.

Learn more from this informative infographic on burglary statistics and prevention:

Home prices are starting to inch up again in most areas, which is encouraging sellers to believe that their homes will sell quickly and for more money. And that’s when they start making mistakes.

Don’t be one of them.

Overpricing a home is the biggest mistake a seller can make. Asking a high price for your home says more about you than it does about your home. It may show you value your investment, that you have cared for the home and kept it updated and in good repair. But if the price is too high compared to other similar homes, it can make you appear unrealistic.

Buyers shop in a range that they’ve either been given by their lenders or one where they feel comfortable. If they’re searching on the MLS, they will typically look at homes they can afford and may miss seeing the page where your home is advertised because it’s out of their price range.

It’s also psychologically easier for buyers to negotiate in their price target range. Buyers feel more comfortable asking for a little discount on a home within their reach than to ask you for a big discount on a more expensive home.