Moving on Up: 48 Ways to Speed Your House Sale

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Originally published in Florida Realtor Magazine, this infographic compiles the best of the best suggestions about how to prepare your house for sale.

You’ve heard the same tips over and over about the importance of curb appeal and de-cluttering.

While these guidelines are as relevant as ever, they do bear repeating. You can also add some (or all) of these minor tasks to make a major difference in getting your move on.

The pros at HGTV, the Real Estate Staging Association, and Moneycrashers.com can’t ALL be wrong!

Take a look – I think even the most motivated seller may have missed a few!

(48 Tips to Sell Your Home)

 

 

The Home Selling Mindset

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(The Home Selling Mindset)

You may think the most challenging aspects of selling a home is the de-cluttering and the de-personalizing of the property to make it attractive to the broadest base of buyers. For some that’s the case, but I’ve found that disconnecting is the hardest part.

Not true for every seller of a house, but when you still look at it as your home it makes seeing the property as a commodity in a marketplace challenging. From the door jamb that chronicles the dates and heights of your children, to the fireplace that was the backdrop for family photos, the place you loved and decorated as your own may be a hard habit to break.

When selling your home, two things to remember:

“It’s business, nothing personal.” ~ Mario Puzo
“Numbers don’t lie.” ~ A local Florida mortgage lender

What does it all add up to? Reality sells houses.

I don’t mean we should list your home super low and take the first offer that comes along because it is better than the one you got the day before! But sellers should prepare themselves emotionally to look at their home as a property with a discernible value at a given point in time.

1. Some sellers put a property they never inhabited on the market. While it can be listed “As Is” in this case it may be worthwhile to hire a home inspector to do a pre-listing inspection to discover issues lurking. Although you wouldn’t otherwise have had knowledge – the buyer’s inspector will surely report on the unattended water heater and the dry rot and the terminate infestation. You could lose an impatient buyer by not taking a little time and money to strike pre-emptively.

2. If it is your home and you are at all handy (or have a relative who owes you a favor!) do a walkthrough as though you were buying the house. Look beyond your favorite things for those little issues that add up: dripping faucets, missing caulking, old water stains from a previous leak, a color palette from a bygone era, etc. A neglected home will give an impression that larger issues loom. In sales, perception is reality. A little sweat equity will help shine favorable light on the property.

3. If you are moving out of your very first home, or one in which you have made years of memories, you may feel the stomp of strangers passing judgment is disconcerting at the very least. Do yourself a favor:

Don’t be home when people come for showings.

Don’t be insulted by an offer; it’s a starting point for a negotiation.

4. Are you going to look at your next home and offer a full price offer on first look? Probably not. Think like a buyer to keep your emotions in check. I employ professionals like home stagers because they know what buyers want to see.

When you get in the mindset of professional detachment and the understanding of the importance of highlighting what the market considers the property’s best features – only then are you positioning your home for sale.

Your First Mortgage

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What they are doing is offering an exclusive loan opportunity for young professionals; specifically for dentists, attorneys, doctors, architects, CPAs, engineers, and PhD level professors who are in their career for five years or less since their graduation.

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Stunning Six Bedroom Home with Amazing Floorplan

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Simplicity is stunning in the bold lines & easy elegance of this 6 Bedroom/3 Full Bath/3 Car Garage home.

At approx. 3889 sf, the space is beautifully designed to flow effortlessly.

Built in 2012, the exterior is edged with lovely landscaping touches & backs to a wooded buffer offering relaxing views from the outdoor covered patio.

With five bedrooms upstairs, the sixth is conveniently located just off the kitchen for the ideal home office or to accommodate a live-in domestic. The huge loft area makes for the perfect playroom or personal fitness center. With the brilliantly configured open floor plan, there are endless options for changing things like the formal dining room into a LR/DR combo to suit your lifestyle.

A sleek kitchen with just the right touches of contemporary features a convenient walk-in pantry & 42″ wood cabinetry that reflects against the sparkling stainless steel appliances & granite countertops.

The master suite will take your breath away with all its glorious space & a clothes closet that could qualify as its own bedroom! A recessed tray ceiling provides just the right touch of drama to contrast the zen tranquility of the master bath’s tub, & glass enclosed shower stall; while all the home’s baths showcase model-perfect style & finishes.

This spectacular home is nestled in amenity-rich Concord Station that boasts a community clubhouse, Jr. Olympic swimming pool, playgrounds, basketball & tennis courts, & a well-appointed fitness center.

Know Before You Owe

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There are many moving parts when it comes to buying a home, but one of the biggest complaints I’ve gotten as a Realtor is about how confused clients are by mortgage loan documents. Instead of clearly stating financing options, they tend to confuse consumers.

But last month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released their new rules on mortgage servicing, mortgage loan origination compensation, and the mortgage origination process. As part of the “Know Before You Owe” program I believe these will go a long way toward empowering borrowers with the detail they need to make an informed decision.

I’ve had many clients ask me questions about the loan docs from their lender because they typically struggle when comparison shopping for mortgage products. However, the revised documents are much clearer and offer more of an “at a glance” comparison guide to the pros and cons of a selection of loan options.

Additionally, because the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure are very similar in format, they will enable consumers to easily compare the estimate with the final terms of the loan. It will therefore be less likely for the borrower to be blindsided by hidden costs and unwelcome surprises at the closing table.

The revised Closing Disclosure will be particularly advantageous to home buyers. At present, the HUD-1 settlement statement is typically disclosed the day before the closing. Under this new program, a detailed accounting of the transaction will instead be released for their review three days prior to the scheduled closing. This will now allow borrowers some much needed time to actually review final loan terms and costs. They will fortunately now have time to ask important questions and even potentially negotiate some closing costs prior to the closing.

The scheduled effective date is August 1, 2015, but the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is already working with industry and consumers toward implementation. Coupled with the strong real estate market recovery in many sectors across the country, procedural reforms like these are a big part of consumer confidence and a renewed sense of faith in the mortgage industry overall.