You're moving and you've decided to sell your home... Big changes are on the way for you.
But before you can march off into your exciting future, you have deal with a bunch of strangers parading through your home like they own it -- going through your bedroom and your closets -- disrupting your the lives of your entire family.
And how long is this going to go on? 30, 60... maybe even 90 or more days?
You're going to need a plan if you expect to get through this with your sanity intact.
You're in luck, because we have one for you. Here are some tips to help you endure life in your For-Sale home:
Begin packing as soon as possible.
If you want your home to sell for a top price, the less clutter there is to overwhelm potential buyers, the better. The easiest way for you to create a sense of spaciousness that buyers will find irresistible is to start packing your things up right away.
This tip has a bonus consequence of making the major packing that you'll have to do later when your home sells much easier by helping you get a head start.
In addition to packing away any unnecessary items in the main living areas, the places where you are most likely to benefit from having extra space are the closets.
The idea is to make it easy for buyers to see themselves as the owners of your home. So, as much as it may make you uncomfortable, you are better off packing away as many family photos as you can stand to part with for a few weeks.
This is a great opportunity for your family to get rid of anything that won't be going with you to your new home. You can give away old clothes and toys, donate them to charity, or even sell them for cash.
Make your home shiny clean.
This is the one time when you don't want to rely on 'everyday clean' to sell your home. In order to show your home at its very best, you will want to clean it from top to bottom.
You may even want to consider hiring some outside help for this, if housework isn't your cup of tea. Even if you bring a professional cleaning crew for an afternoon to concentrate on the areas of your home that need a deep clean, that will put you on the right track.
Realistically, though, you are going to have to concentrate on keeping your home cleaner than you are used to at all times until you find a buyer. Picture a beautiful hotel that is always ready to welcome guests.
The good news is, if you've done a good job de-cluttering your home and keeping it clean and fresh, your home will likely sell much faster than it otherwise would.
Secure your valuables.
One thing that people often forget is that while potential buyers are touring your home, they are going to be opening cabinets, sliding open drawers, and looking in all your closets. This could leave you vulnerable to an unscrupulous person.
It is always better to be safe rather than sorry in these circumstances. Place any valuables, important documents, cash, jewelry, credit cards and checks in a safe or locked drawer.
Keep your computers password-protected and store any prescription medication in a locked location where buyers won't be able to access them.
Give your pets a vacation.
Pets definitely make life wonderful. And goodness knows they are important members of the family. But it can be difficult for buyers to see themselves owning your home when your dog is barking in their ears, or they are overwhelmed by the smell coming from the litterbox.
Not to mention, you really don't want to risk having your pet slip out of a gate or door that's been carelessly left open. Searching for a runaway pet is probably not how you want to spend your evenings. The best solution is to let your pets stay with friends or family while your house is going through this transition.
With these tips, you should be on your way to getting the sale in record time!
Author: Monica Wells of bizdb.co.uk - a companies house webcheck database
