DON’T SABOTAGE YOUR SALE

 

If you have your house on the market or are thinking of putting it on the market then you most likely are in one of these situations:

 

•Up sizing – You’re out of room, the family and all their stuff has grown and there is no such thing as a quiet space of your own.

•Down sizing – You’ve got too much room, the family and all their stuff shrunk and now you have too much quiet and too much to maintain.

•Relocating – Your job, a new lifestyle, a change of career, wanderlust, a family or a business reason has beckoned you to a new place in or out of the city, state, or the country.

•Separating the Household – Usually this means divorce.

•Must Sell –  Often Financial Distress or a Short Sale situation is the cause of this category.

 

No worries - you can do this. I have been involved as a Realtor in all of these situations, some of them personally, and believe me when I say that the whole process is far less daunting than you think. Once you know what to do and how to do it the whole process becomes clear and ceases to be intimidating.

Whatever your reasons are for moving, you are the principle ingredient in how successful the move will be.

 

Moving can be an exciting experience filled with new beginnings … anticipation, new careers, new friends, new places, learning more about yourselves and your personal values; or it can be fearful, filled with regrets, recriminations, feelings of loss, and sadness. How you go about the important steps in getting ready to move and the help you receive in doing so are paramount to the outcome.

 

If for whatever reason you want to sell your house then you are in for some mental groundwork that must be attended to before you can even begin the process. There are some hard decisions to make and some emotional resolutions to undertake.

 

You must come to grips with sentimentality right now and begin to look at the house as a saleable property not as a home; you need to minimalize emotional attachment or the difficulty in selling can be overwhelming. If you have to sell the same reasoning applies; maybe even more so. This is not easy and doesn’t happen overnight but there are many helpful ways to do this if you are willing to try.

 

Spend some private time with your home, walk around and wallow in the memories, look at old pictures, remember the past, think of the future, cry, laugh, make pro and con lists, have your own going away party and then enlist all your friends to help, do whatever it takes but make a decision and then stick with it. Think of where you are in your life and where you want to be. Is stuff all that important to you? Are you defining your life by what you own and what you have? By staying where you are do you make the memories more valuable? Are you afraid of leaving? Are you ready to begin a new chapter in your life?

 

Start a journal and answer all these questions and then write in that journal everyday as you move through this process. First, you have a place to record all your thoughts, fears, triumphs, setbacks, second, you have an invaluable record of your life during the moving process for which you will always be grateful, and third you have an ongoing list of all the questions for your realtor, the title company, and your lender.

 

BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF

Deep down if you really don’t want to sell you will sabotage yourself and become your own worst enemy. I’ve seen sellers look upon buyers as potential enemies … people who were trying to take away their homes and their happy memories. They actually seemed to transfer their sadness at leaving to the buyer thereby becoming victims rather than satisfied sellers. This can go to pretty extreme measures, once my client and I arrived at closing to be told that the seller had requested separate closing rooms since she didn’t even want to see the buyer.

 

SET THE RIGHT PRICE

Part of examining your reasons for selling is to establish your motives.  As in all of your dealings in life it’s best to take the high road. Over pricing, self delusion, increasing physical problems with the house, the idea of putting something over on someone, or getting away with something will all come back to haunt you. Be realistic about what your house is worth in this market; a good realtor will have great input and a supporting CMA to show you what comparable homes have recently sold for in your area and how the housing market is there. Get rid of the “therefores” right now and pay attention to the statistics:

 

“This house is in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors, therefore it is worth much more than the one a few blocks away that has an identical floor plan”.

To pay for a new house I’ve got to have…therefore

I need to get $$$ out of it…therefore

I put so much into it…therefore

I bought it for…therefore

The replacement value for a property like this is… therefore

The assessor doesn’t have any idea of its real value … therefore

They don’t build them like this anymore…therefore

My kids grew up here…therefore

This was our dream house and built just like we wanted …therefore

This was my family’s home … therefore

The lot alone is worth … therefore

The bank has to have … therefore

 

The buyer is not going to help you out and they simply don’t care what you “need” to get out of the transaction. They want the most they can get for their money and a great “deal” is always a good thing. Above all don’t inflate the price and “put it out there and see if someone will come along and grab it” … they won’t and you will lose valuable marketing time. You will also risk accumulating so many days on the market and or a steady stream of price reductions that the property appears stale or worse that buyers think something must be wrong with it.

 

ASSESS THE SITUATION … LOOK AT WHAT YOU ARE SELLING

Take a hard look at your house and its surroundings … after living in a house for several years we tend to develop blinders and simply don’t see what we don’t want to see. What you have and what it is worth are the key factors in real estate. Assess what needs to be done in terms of projects, the money available to complete them, and the time in which it will take to accomplish this. This is a business deal; you need to make your house so attractive to the buyers that they want your house above all the others they have seen, and they have seen plenty.

 

WHAT IT COSTS TO LIVE HERE

Taxes and whether or not there are any pending assessments are very important to buyers as well as insurance costs. Gather all this information and have it ready because it will be needed.

Every buyer wants to know what to expect in energy and utility bills. Call the companies and get the past year’s bills or averages and print it out for the potential buyers. This is a good time to make available the costs and phone numbers, especially if the buyer can avoid a reconnection fee, of any other services you are using such as lawn and garden maintenance, pool service, snow removal, cable or satellite, security company, pest control. If you have installed a geo thermal system and or eco friendly system then by all means describe it and any savings to the buyers.

 

 PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS

Be straightforward and honest with your realtor and with all the professionals involved in the presentation and sale of your property right up to what takes place at the closing table. There are horror stories that could have been easily avoided if fairness and honesty had not been relegated to the back closet.

 

DISCLOSE AND THEN DISCLOSE SOME MORE

If you have to call roto rooter once a year to clean the sewer pipes of the tree roots then tell the buyers and give them the phone number.

 

Don’t tell the buyers that a gully washer is needed before the basement takes on water … tell them what really happens in a gentle rain so they can have the sump pump functional.

 

If pileated woodpeckers periodically feast on the cedar siding of your house at certain times of the year tell the buyers what works and what doesn’t to chase them away.

 

If the pool heater only kicks on after you whack the motor a couple times then tell the buyers it’s about to die if it hasn’t already..

 

 Remember, if you don’t let the buyers know about problems or even would be problems you can rest assured that the neighbors will. Whatever you do that is not above board will come back to haunt you and believe me it won’t be pretty.

IF IT’S BROKE FIX IT …

Water softeners are a big deal ... so are the problems if one runs amuck before, during, or after closing. One of my clients got his house in perfect condition for selling, complete with new carpeting upstairs and down, hardwood flooring, remodeled kitchen, our staging, and then left for his new home in another state. For twenty-four hours the broken water softener spewed water into the newly carpeted basement before a neighbor came to do a routine check. A restoration company’s bill which was extensive, a month off the market in prime selling season, and a very distressed seller were the result.

 

I always suggest to my clients that they have their furnaces cleaned and inspected, air conditioners checked, water softeners inspected, hot water heaters inspected, and any major appliance thoroughly checked before they put the house on the market. Refrigerators seem to have a propensity for dying the morning of closing or shortly thereafter. Perhaps it has something to do with the deep cleaning they receive as the family moves out but I have had this happen more than just a few times. Investing in a one year home warranty policy for the buyer can be a good idea if the appliances are older and also good advertising.

 

Critters? Mice, bats, and family pets have caused much expense and grief. A realtor who was showing a property I had listed grabbed an upstairs curtain valance and found himself  holding onto a sleeping bat. After running screaming down the stairs, and taking his clients with him,  my clients paid a good sum of money to engage an exterminator and have bat pipes installed only to find out it was a one-time errant bat with an affinity for cedar shake roofs. That horror story has given plenty of my new clients a chuckle and I’m sure a thorough bat check of their house after I left.

 

Had a leak? Explain, show where, show how, show remedy. Whether the leak came from inside or outside a water issue is something you must disclose. Leaks just get bigger and so can problems stemming from them.

 

Plumbing problems?  If two showers are in use at the same time and one gets hot water and one icy cold then disclose it or have it fixed. If the sprinkler dispenses a trickle in the summer then disclose it. If you must cross your fingers or say a prayer every time the toilet is flushed then find out what causes the problem and have it fixed. Water problems are a big deal … that’s why there is flood insurance.

 

Electrical? If the circuit breaker trips when you use the toaster and the coffee maker at the same time then find out why and have it fixed. If you get a light show when you plug in a lamp then call an electrician. Wiring should be inspected and updated by a licensed electrician if you have any doubts about safety or condition.

 

Unsure? Nothing is ever too small to be disclosed and if in doubt disclose. One of my clients disclosed that at certain times of the year ladybugs would gather in a warm sunny area of the front deck (buyers laughed as they were in an absolute ladybug flyway at their present home) Another disclosed she had trapped a mouse 8 years prior to listing and had seen no others since (the buyers thought that someone that honest was a rarity and didn’t even request a home inspection).

 

Bad odors? Find out where and why and eliminate them … critters in the attic, a dead mouse in a vent, old pet accidents, heavy garlic and onion cooking, smoke,  sour beach towels, camping equipment stored in the basement, gym shoes in the entry. Buyers always sniff the air when they open the door. Hopefully no one smokes in your house but if they do then outside they go and don’t allow any butts near the doors. Hire a fresh air deodorizer company of which there are plenty available and do whatever it takes to rid the house of that smell … smoker houses do not sell fast.

 

Roof condition? This is a very important issue for buyers who will want to know how old the roof is and if there has been any hail, wind, or (in certain parts of the country) ice damage. If you have had recent roof repairs be sure to keep all receipts for the work done and exactly what was done. After a certain age the roof may be a negotiable item in the purchase offer and if you think it may be do you want to attend to this yourself or negotiate?

 

Chimney? If you have one you want to have it cleaned and inspected. Everything from a potential fire hazard from soot buildup to squirrels nests or worse is always a possibility.

 

Pool? Heaters, cleaners, liners, and plumbing should all be inspected. I’ve had to pay and/or split the bill for pool heaters and narrowly avoid unhappy purchasers after closing. Not all agents are willing to do this and a pool that is not in perfect working condition for that housewarming party on the fourth of July can become a bone of contention very fast.

 

Sticky door? Fix it. All door handles and locks should be in perfect working condition. This is where the welcome to the house begins … one quick turn of a key without breaking fingernails or putting your shoulder to it to open is all it should take. Over time doors take quite a beating and now it’s time to spiff them up especially those which are used infrequently. If the handles are scratched and discolored invest in new ones and the same for the locks. This is a good time to get them all keyed the same so that you don’t need three or four different keys for various doors. If you have storm doors or screens now is the time to rescreen and weather strip if necessary.

 

Overstuffed garage? Unstuff it. We all pretty much ignore our garages … they are depositories for just about everything and a lot of what doesn’t belong in them. Buyers want to see a clean, roomy, and fresh smelling garage. Paint the inside if the walls have become scuffed or if like many garages it was never painted in the first place. Repair dents and dings and take a good look at the door and the door opener’s condition, the inspector will. Rent a unit of some type for all your interim objects (and there will be plenty of them).

PRE HOME INSPECTIONS

Many sellers have pre-home inspections especially in older homes so they know what they’re up against.  Of course you must disclose anything you find but most likely it would have been found regardless …why not fix it now or at least make mention of it so you face no surprises … buyers will most likely have their own inspection but you have the advantage of knowing ahead of time if there are issues to be addressed and can do so. Plumbing and electrical concerns are some of the biggest safety issues and also smoke detectors and carbon monoxide safety requirements. In certain areas city inspections of your house are required before you can even put your home on the market … and of course there will be a charge. This information is available online and easy to find

 

WHAT TO CHANGE … WHAT TO LEAVE ALONE

I do not suggest major renovations with the idea that you can “make a killing” when you sell and greatly increase your profit. This is a very dangerous gamble and there is no guarantee the buyer will like your choices of color, woods, appliances, building materials, or even room and space design. Market fluctuations play a huge role in this as well.

 

Projects that will usually increase the value of the house often fall under general maintenance and updating. Removing old wallpaper, repainting with new and fresh colors, refinishing wood floors, recarpeting, these are the types of projects that will increase the presentation of any home and often its value. If the bathrooms and kitchen are in bad shape then you need to do some very budget minded and constructive thinking. Bathrooms and kitchens are important and you can do a lot without calling in high end designers. 

 

TAKE WHAT YOU WANT … NOW

 If you want to keep the dining room chandelier then remove it now and put up a suitable replacement. The same goes for a bathroom mirror, shelving, wall hangings, window treatments, or anything you really want. If you don’t do this now then the buyers may very well want or expect those items to be included in the sale.  Usually you will need to specify that attached plasma TVs and wall speakers are not included in the sale unless you intend that arrangement.

 

DON’T BE HOUSE PROUD

 I’ve shown far too many houses where the sellers have gone overboard with cute little notes, pictures, drawings, and poems telling potential buyers what fun they have had over the years in the fabulous house, in the fabulous neighborhood, with the fabulous neighbors, and on the fabulous deck, patio, pool, or lawn. This can backfire and make buyers wonder why you would ever leave it. Buyers feel like they are being exposed to more personal history than they want, or that they may not wish to develop personal relationships as you have with the neighbors. They don’t want to see a measuring stick by which they may be measured, and they don’t want to feel like they are being juried for a private club’s membership. If you follow all the steps your house will sell itself to the right buyers.

 

WHAT TO DO WITH FIDO AND FLUFFY

Dilemma. The ideal situation is for them to take a vacation and visit the relatives on that lovely farm and not set a paw on the new carpeting or that shiny newly sanded hardwood floor before closing. We had two dogs and a cat when we went through this process so I understand what you will go through. Unless it is completely impossible it’s better not to  have them there for showings. I drove home, packed them up (and I did not have a car loving cat) and drove them around while the buyers had their uninterrupted visits. It paid off and my scratches healed.

Aside from the allergy factor for many, your pet is just not as lovable to any but you, your friends, and your family.  Leaving them in cages in an area of the house will guarantee the buyer will be looking at the cages and not the area. The buyers will either feel sorry that they are locked up (perhaps even tempted to open the door and risk a nip or a scratch for which you will be held responsible), or nervous.

I once showed a house with a cute Spaniel in a kennel in the laundry room that the buyers oohed and ahhed over instead of paying attention to the room, and since we were told there would be a dog on the premises we then went on to tour the rest of the house … no one was prepared for the caged Rottweiler in the walk-in closet of the owner’s suite. The dog did not bark and the cage seemed inadequate as he leapt at us and threw himself and the cage toward us; terrified was an understatement. We did not finish the tour. Nothing should interfere with the buyer’s uninterrupted attention while seeing the house, especially after all the work you have gone through to get them in the door.

 

SKIP BAKING COOKIES … THE ONLY SMELL THAT COUNTS IS CLEAN

Room deodorizers, baked goods, potpourri all say there is something to cover up in this house and let’s go find it … and they will.

Hire the best cleaning service around and call in your super neat friends … the house should absolutely sparkle. Windows inside and out, door jambs and sills, stairwells, under and behind every movable thing, every drawer, closet, shelf, ceiling fan, toilet, shower, tub, appliance, fixture, fireplace doors, right down to the chimney flu. If the carpet is older get it replaced with a neutral and best you can afford, this will also give the whole house a fresh “new” smell. Replace all the toilet seats with new and new shower curtains as well.

Buyers will run their hands over tile in the bathroom, peer into every drawer, oven, microwave, and nook and cranny they can find. You want them to find clean, clean, clean everything.

 

AMBIENCE

Create an atmosphere of warmth and charm. Make it so that people look around your house then sit down in a comfortable area to drink it all in and do not want to leave. As they look around they notice other details and begin to imagine themselves in the house and they start making it their home. This is what you want. I’ve shown houses like this, some of which I have staged, and the results are spectacular. The buyers may feel they can’t quite afford it or the drive may be longer than they had planned, but these buyers can’t forget the property and will often find a way to make any perceived obstacles disappear. They have already begun hanging their art work, placing their furniture, and wondering if you would be willing to leave certain items that lend themselves to the atmosphere. I have seen buyers go out and purchase very similar furnishings because they wanted to keep that feeling. You have accomplished your goal and negotiations are much easier when the buyers have fallen in love with your house.

 

By Jan Lee Nelson