Ready -
Set - Sell
Hurrying the process of prepping your home for sale
From the day the "for
sale" sign was pounded in the front yard, it took just two weeks for one couple to
sell their Cape Cod for a healthy price. Had they not decluttered their property, they
might have been forced to sell "as is," accepting 10 to 15 percent less than
market value, real estate specialists say.
Preparing your home for market not only involves purging yourself of stacks of newspapers
and shelves of trophies, but also will involve numerous other tasks, small and large.
Perhaps you’ll need painting, carpeting, floor refinishing and yard work.
The best way to approach the entire project is to break it into small pieces —
creating a systematic and time-saving approach. "It’s like the old saying:
‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time’," one expert says.
Need a contractor to install carpeting without overcharging? Need a quick yet competent
housepainter? Your agent should be able to provide you with several reliable contractors
for these and other tasks.
Sometimes all you need from your agent is some objective advice on how to turn your
day-to-day habitat into a market-worthy entity — plus a brief pep talk.
Focus on the outside of your
home before the inside.
One agent notes that because
buyers are busier than ever, an increasing number of them are previewing homes from the
street before setting an appointment to go inside. Five years ago, about half of all
prospects did drive-by previews, compared with 70 percent today, he estimates.
Besides painting your home and doing repairs to the outside walls and windows, focus on
your "softscape" (your plants and trees) as well as your "hardscape"
(your walkways, brick, stone and concrete work).(up)
Organize your organizing mission.
For every 15 minutes you spend planning, you can expect to save an hour’s worth of wasted effort. Link together related chores as a way of saving steps. For instance, you’ll save time hiring a landscaper who will also haul trimmings away from your yard.
Schedule multiple pickups from charity organizations.
There are many charitable groups that will volunteer to pick up unwanted household items. Setting a time when your excess items can be picked up is one way to give yourself a deadline that should add to your momentum.
Take note of the heavy penalty for inaction.
If you’re under time
pressure to sell a crowded home you’ve inhabited for many years, you face two
alternatives. You can either tackle the often unpleasant chores associated with readying
your house for market or take a steep discount and sell your house in its current
condition.
The reality is that trying to sell a crowded, dirty or cosmetically flawed property could
mean settling for far less than the home would fetch were it in good condition and order.
Remember that the penalty for inaction can be very steep.
Smart Moves by Ellen James Martin. Copyright 1998 Universal Press Syndicate. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright 1998 Norwest Mortgage, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any format without written permission. Norwest Mortgage and design is a registered service mark of Norwest Corporation. Information subject to change without notice. 8A0630B
