Five ways to help make selling your home simpler and more efficient.
Have you ever wondered if a home was haunted? A case about ghosts made it to the New York Supreme Court that now requires sellers to fill out a separate disclosure if they feel their property is haunted. While it’s popularly known as the “Ghostbuster” ruling, the case is frequently cited in property law classes, textbooks, and other courts. In Oklahoma, we do not have to disclose whether a home is haunted or not, but we can always ask the owner.
Now onto today’s topic: How can you continue to live in your house once you put it on the market? Your home has always been your sanctuary, your one true personal space, but now it’s listed for sale and will soon get a ton of foot traffic. This can get very stressful and make it difficult to continue living your normal life in your house, especially if you have young children. So here are five tips to help you continue living your life in your for-sale home and keep things a bit less hectic:
1. Start packing now. Packing and storing boxes in the basement or garage is completely acceptable. We want to open up as much space as possible; we’re emphasizing floor space and square footage, so the larger it feels, the more money you’ll get.
2. Sell, donate, or throw it away. While you’re packing, try to get rid of things you don’t need. My recommendation is if you haven’t touched an item in a year and it’s not an heirloom or memory, it’s time to part with it. Try to at least donate items that are still in decent condition.
“Packing and storing boxes in the basement or garage is completely acceptable.”
3. Get squeaky clean. A clean, cared-for house can net you $5,000 to $10,000 more for your sale. Shoot for five-star hotel perfection when cleaning, and focus particularly on bathrooms, the kitchen, windows, and floors. Make it sparkle!
4. Maintain privacy and safety. Buyers are going to be looking through closets and other areas people wouldn’t typically see. Ensure there’s nothing valuable or personal anywhere that they could find. If you’re unsure about an item, be on the safe side and lock it away somewhere secure (this includes medications).
5. Involve your kids. Nothing is better than having your kids be part of the selling process. The easiest way to get them involved is through games or a reward system so they’ll help you clean the house and prepare it for showings. You won’t believe how motivated kids can get when there’s something fun tied to a chore!
If you’d like to dig deeper into the tips above or have any questions about real estate in general, please shoot us an email or give us a call. We would love to help in any way we can.
