Friday, November 7, 2014

Quick Clean Up Tips

My tips for selling a home when you get a last minute showing request.

Everyone has stuff. Stuff needs to be put somewhere – but you can’t expect to be on your game and your kids to be perfect 100% of the time.

So, I offer a few quick tips to make your life easier without making you feel like you’re a prisoner to showing requests to sell your home.






Quick Tip #1: Buy each child a storage container and at any given time, they can have as much stuff out as will fit in the storage container. This is so that if you have a last minute showing it’s easy to straighten the house quickly. Everything just gets thrown into the container and then put into the
closet. 30 seconds of cleaning. And the buyer won’t know that it’s shear chaos in the container.

Quick Tip #2: Buy smaller containers for bathroom items that you like to leave on the counters, such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, contacts and eyewear, and facial creams. You can quickly sweep these items into the smaller plastic container, close the lid and place it either in a drawer or under the sink. The items stay clean and are again easy to access when you get home and are ready for use. Yet the counters look spotless and show their best to the buyer.


Quick Tip #3: Stay committed to keeping the dishwasher empty or at least no clean dishes in it. That way, if you get a last minute showing request, you can throw all the dirty dishes in it and even run the load if you have time. Yes, buyers do sometimes look in the dishwasher, but it’s better to see dirty dishes in the dishwasher than in the sink or on the counters.

Quick Tip #4: Any dirty laundry can get thrown in the washer and dryer. Keep the clean stuff put away so the dryer is free if you need to throw the dirty clothes in it to tidy up the laundry room for a last minute showing.


For more tips on selling your home visit My Website


Monday, November 3, 2014

Where to Put the Christmas Tree?

Many people think now is a terrible time of year to sell their home. Please let me give you my take on selling your home in the winter months.

Your home will show it's true colors in the winter months in Nebraska. When the wind is blowing at 40 miles per hour and it's bitter cold, buyers will notice if your home is cozy warm and quite. And buyers will be impressed!!

There are fewer buyers on the market in the colder months, but these buyers are seriously looking for a home. They are not your Sunday Open House Tire Kicker Buyers that make so many of us crazy all summer long. Winter buyers are determined to buy a home. They ARE looking for a place to put their Christmas tree.

So, the time is now to put your home on the market for these buyers. When you put your home on the market, there will be a "showing period." The goal is to make that as short as possible. Your REALTORS® marketing plan is very key to the success of this as well as competitively pricing your home.

Once you get an offer, you'll be in the closing period for 30-60 days on average. This depends on the type of loan and lender they are working with. If you plan for a 30-45 day closing period, you're going to need an offer on your home by November 15, 2014.

Then you must ask yourself what your goals are? Are you okay with selling right before Christmas? Remember, they are looking for a new place before Christmas. But that means you must also find a new home before Christmas or have your plan B in place (living in a short term rental or with a relative). If this is something you're not willing to do, maybe you should consider waiting to put your home on the market.

What are the pros and cons to waiting until after the first of the year to put your home on the market? Well, the pro is obviously convenience to you. You won't have to deal with the showing appointments during the holiday season. And you won't have to pack up and move either. But there are also cons. The biggest being almost everyone else has chosen to wait until after the first of the year to market their home for sale, so the market is saturated with homes and your's is no longer the only one to choose from. This means possibly taking a lower price and certainly being up among other competition. And in Nebraska, it's typically actually colder in February than it is in December, so you may be moving in even colder temperatures.

There are many other things to consider in selling your home, but at this time of the year, these are the major concerns of most sellers. Call me to discuss all your concerns and help you decide whether to market your home now or wait. Sometimes a third party can help you see things more clearly.

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