Cutting back at least 50 percent of what normally sits on a surface, for instance, is a good rule. The goal isn’t to make them fall in love with your colors, decor and taste but to let them easily see how they can apply theirs.Ģ. Less is always more. Strip down your stuff to beyond what you think is appropriate. In many places, you can’t sell your home if any permits are still open.īe sure to show your efforts. A three-ring binder brimming with value-adding docs and receipts for recent big-ticket improvements “demonstrates how much you care about your property and makes great reading at the open house,” Buysse observes.Īdvice from Realtors, professional home stagers and senior move managersġ. Your taste isn’t the key. You’re selling someone’s future home, not your current one. While at city hall, check your permits. If you ever needed a permit - for a fence, pool or deck, for example - from your local government to get work done, there’s the risk that it was never properly finalized and closed. Getting some documents might require some digging or a visit to city hall, so start early. Gather your paperwork. Land surveys, deeds, manuals, warranties - good home sellers have excellent documentation ready for a potential buyer. A few thousand spent could net you a few tens of thousands ask your Realtor first, though, if the upgrade makes sense. “It doesn’t take long to reglaze a bathtub white to bring it up to date,” Stanton says. Modernize where you can. At this point, don’t bother with a major kitchen renovation, but consider throwing some cash at market red flags: drippy, unattractive faucets or toilets swirled or cottage cheese ceilings melamine cabinets 1960s pink tubs and tiling. Next, build the rest of your team. In addition to having the help of a Realtor, you’ll also likely need an attorney, possibly bank involvement, and perhaps a stager, personal organizer or senior move manager. Note that Realtors can take training that leads to a senior real estate specialist (SRES) designation, meaning they’re expert in meeting the specific needs of older clients. Get full presentations from at least three real estate professionals, including an initial estimate of how they’d price your home and why. Start the Realtor-selection process. This might seem early, but the longer you have to work together to prepare the house and the marketing for it, the better. Stanton adds, “It’s wonderful having a complete record of your house as you lived in it - not just as you sold it.” He recommends capturing the exterior of your home when leaves change color, when spring flowers bloom and, on trend right now, at twilight. Ekerdt, author of Downsizing: Confronting Our Possessions in Later Life. Your goal: Have each room decluttered by month three.īegin taking photos. “In a competitive market, your house needs to show well in snow, in moonglow and in pool season,” notes third-generation Realtor Richard Stanton of Stanton Company, in Montclair, New Jersey. People in our studies told us that dealing with all this, under a moving deadline, was extremely stressful,” says University of Kansas professor emeritus David J. “If you’ve been a good housekeeper, you’ve been purging things away in the ‘backstage’ areas of your home - drawers, cupboards, closets, attic, basement and garage. One trick is to consider tossing every object you haven’t touched in at least a year. The “no” possessions should be sorted into Donate, Family, Toss or Sell boxes. (“Otherwise, the maybes will take over your life,” Buysse warns.) Have those boxes and bins ready, and decide on ways to mark and categorize them. Buy, boxes, bins and other containers, and schedule at least one working day for each room, with a firm yes-or-no mindset about what to keep. “But don’t move stuff to storage indefinitely - it’s better to get rid of it!” “If your daughter’s husband is coming with a truck in two months to pick up that riding mower and humongous cabinet, store them,” says Mary Kay Buysse, executive director of the National Association of Specialty & Senior Move Managers. Having a dozen neatly stacked bins in your garage won’t hamper the sale, but if the overflow includes furniture, bicycles and/or extra TVs, look into a storage rental or pod. Create a storage plan. Even if you are merciless with decluttering, chances are you’ll have lots of possessions you’ll need to store during the sales process.
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