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Preparing Your Home For Sale
Why You Need to Prepare Your Home
Once you’ve made the decision to sell, it’s wise to start early to prepare your home to go on the market so there is time to do what’s needed to make it sell quickly and at the best price. Why is special preparation needed? The answer is simple: the way we live in our homes is a lot different from the way a house needs to look when it’s being sold. The home we live in reflects our personal style and is filled with the things we love. Yet our style may be different from a prospective buyer’s style, so it’s necessary to make our home much less personal so that it will appeal to the majority of prospective buyers.
Home Staging
The process of preparing a home for sale is called Staging®, and it’s the opposite of decorating. A Staged home is meticulously clean, free of all unnecessary belongings, and with no obvious signs of deferred maintenance. A Staged home uses carefully selected items from your furniture and accessories to provide a series of positive first impressions as visitors move from room to room. Staging has been used in other parts of the country for over 30 years, and has an impressive track record. According to HUD statistics a StagedHome® usually sells in about half the time and for 17% more than one that isn’t staged. Staging is a small investment with a large return.
Whether you’re ready to sell now, or just curious about the process, we can help. We can make recommendations on how to prepare your home for sale, and we also can refer you to a home staging professional in your area if you’d like extra help.
Getting Started
If you want to start early, here are some things to do:
- Review all your belongings and categorize them as follows: Discard, Donate, Sell, Immediate Use, Keep and Pack for Use Later.
- First remove everything that will be discarded or donated.
- Next pack things that will be used at a later time such as seasonal clothing, Christmas decorations, etc.
- Arrange for off-site storage if needed.
- Plan a garage sale (see below).
- Once all the discards and donations are removed, review the house very carefully for necessary repairs or repainting.
- Attend to any repairs or maintenance that may be needed.
- Make the house meticulously clean, inside and outside.
If it seems as if there’s a lot of work to do, remember that you’re protecting the equity that you’ve built over the years by making sure that you sell at the best possible price.
Stage, Staged and Staging® are federally registered trademarks of StagedHomes.com
Garage Sale Time
Now is a great time to get rid of all those unnecessary things you accumulated - things you no longer want or need - and bring in a little extra cash at the same time.
A garage sale is not hard to prepare for and can be fun! Enlist the help of the whole family in organizing and pricing your merchandise. Perhaps you could arrange a joint sale with a few neighbors. Advertise the sale in your local paper and with signs placed around the neighborhood. Be prepared to bargain and drop prices, if necessary, to clear out your inventory. Make arrangements with a local charity to collect all the leftover items after the sale.
Tax Deductible Moving Expenses
Many of the expenses connected with moving may be tax deductible, if the move is job related. Some of these include:
- The cost of moving your household goods.
- Expenses incurred while house-hunting.
- Travel expenses during the move for you and your family.
- The cost of meals and temporary lodging for up to 30 days after you get the new job.
- The expenses, of selling your house and buying a new one.
To substantiate your claim, keep an accurate, detailed account of your moving expenses, including all receipts.
Special Care for Pets & Plants
Moving companies are not allowed to handle the shipment of pets, so you will need to explore your alternatives.
Shipping animals by air is the fastest and most convenient method. Most airlines are familiar with the care and handling requirements of animals.
If you must take your pet with you in the car, call ahead to make sure pets are allowed at your overnight stop. Check with your veterinarian for hints that could make the trip more enjoyable for both you and your pet. Before moving, be sure licenses and all vaccinations are up-to-date.
House plants do not travel well in the dark interior of moving vans. Plants are difficult to pack and may have to survive several days without light and water. Moving companies will not guarantee the condition of plants that are shipped and some states will not allow you to bring plants across their state line due to the possible transportation of harmful insects or diseased vegetation. Check ahead before bringing plants with you to ensure that you will be allowed to cross state borders with them.
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