Let’s Talk Real Estate – November 2016

There’s nothing easy about moving but there are some tips that can make moving easier. I have been a Realtor for 15 years and have watched 1,000+ clients move. I’ve also helped friends and family, and have acquired a lot of ideas that make the process smoother.

Here’s 6 tips that have made moving much easier:

Come up With a Plan—Make a plan that is easy, doesn’t overwhelm you and has a comfortable timeline. Keep it simple. Give yourself deadlines and work the plan.

Start Now—Start by interviewing real estate brokers and choose one that you’re comfortable with who can help you select all the vendors. You can let your Realtor be your Project Manager and help manage those vendors. Get advice from your Realtor, and get a list of contractors such as painters, carpet installers, gardeners, movers and estate liquidators to prepare your home for sale. Start packing now. So many times when I bring an offer to the sellers, their first reaction is, “Oh no—we need to pack!” If you pack a little each day over time, it makes it a lot easier.

Get Rid of Stuff—This part paralyzes some people who have a great attachment to their belongings and have assigned a sentimental value to them. You have three options with your belongings: move them, store them, or get rid of them. There’s great help available from estate liquidators. They come in, mark what you don’t want, then they sell it on eBay, Amazon, or through an estate sale or auction. If you can’t part with your possessions, store them. This can really help a lot of people who don’t want to make a decision on what to get rid of. After a year, go back to the public storage and see if you really “need” anything in storage or if it’s time to part with it.

Preparing Your House For-Sale—Most houses I see don’t need much preparation. You do need to complete projects not completed, as no one wants to buy someone else’s projects. This is not the time to start major renovations. Focus on the first impression such as fresh carpet, fresh paint, fresh bark on garden beds and fresh flowers at the entry. You may have to do serious clean-up for smoke or pet smells, or repair deferred maintenance that’s obvious.

Selling Your Home—Vacant homes are great and can be staged with furniture that’s attractive. If you have the financial resources to move before you sell, that’s the best way to do it. You can get a “bridge” loan that will help you buy your next house, and then when you sell your current house you pay off all or part of the bridge loan. If you’re not in a position to get a bridge loan and living in the house when it goes up for sale, don’t be there when your house is shown—take a walk or go to the neighbor’s. Another tip is to negotiate with the buyer to have extra time after the close of the escrow to stay in the house so you have more time to move without feeling rushed.

Moving Day—Your Realtor can help provide you with a list of movers. They can simply load your boxes and move them or they can help you sort, wrap, pack, move and unpack! You’ll also need to call and cancel all the utilities (garbage, cable, internet, gas, electric, water). You also need to call your insurance company and cancel your home insurance but may want to change it to a renter’s policy if you are occupying after close. Lastly, go online and do a change of address with the post office as well as all your magazines and newspapers.

Hopefully, these tips will make moving easier!