For most people, selling a home is the biggest financial and real estate transaction they'll make in their lives. With so much money changing hands and so many legal and administrative processes to navigate, home selling can become an overwhelming experience, and this, unfortunately, can lead to costly mistakes. It's important to take things slow, ask questions, and proactively avoid these three common missteps.

3 Common Home-Selling Mistakes

1. Not Consulting an Attorney

Selling a house entails a large amount of paperwork, including contracts, deeds, and closing documents. A real estate attorney handles all of this red tape for you, ensuring everything is completed correctly, in your best interests, and filed with the appropriate departments and agencies.

They will also attend the closing to oversee the smooth resolution of the sale. An attorney will be your main point of information throughout the real estate transaction, ready to answer your questions and provide much-needed peace of mind.

2. Over- or Under-Pricing Your Home

When listing your home for sale, be sure to investigate the local real estate market. See what similarly sized homes are going for in your general neighborhood. Pricing too high will keep buyers—and reasonable offers—at bay. Pricing too low will deprive you of money you may have been able to get out of the home.

Also, don't forget to figure in the "hidden" costs of selling a home: agent commissions, closing costs, staging expenses, and home inspection repairs, to name a few.

3. Withholding Repairs

Don't assume that a buyer will overlook repair issues. In most cases, they will have a professional home inspection performed before closing, and all needed repairs will come to light. They may then request that you pay to fix these issues before the real estate transaction moves forward, or they may try to negotiate a lower price to offset the repairs.

But trying to hide the need for a major repair could be seen as shady and derail the entire real estate transaction.

Steering clear of these common errors will help you sell your home with a minimum of stress. When you need an attorney to represent you in a real estate transaction, trust Bernardini Law, P.C. Since 2011, Christine Bernardini has been providing clients with professional guidance and legal counsel in all manner of real estate law cases. Call (978) 794-5525 or visit her firm's website to schedule a consultation.