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Things to Do Before Listing Your House

June 30, 2019 by Jack McSweeney

If you’re planning to move, and especially if you have time constraints, you’re probably eager to list your house and find a buyer as quickly as possible. But the last thing you want to do is rush the process and make costly mistakes along the way. Instead, take a step back and put a plan in places before listing your home so that you can attract a buyer and get the best possible price.

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Once you’ve found an agent, discuss when the house will be available for showings and how much notice you’ll need. Put together a list of places your family can go, as well as things you can do, while the house is being shown. If you have pets, make arrangements to bring them somewhere so that they can be looked after during the showing.

Improve Your Home’s Curb Appeal
Prospective buyers make snap judgments within seconds of seeing a house. If the outside doesn’t look neat and attractive, some people won’t even bother getting out of the car. Therefore, it’s important to mow the lawn, weed the garden, plant some flowers, prune the trees, get rid of any damaged lawn furniture or toys, clean the siding, paint the front door and make any other necessary changes so that people who come to look at your home will have a positive first impression.

Clean Up the Inside
Once you entice potential buyers to come into your house, you need to make sure they like what they see. A cluttered and dirty space are instant turnoffs, so sell, donate, store or throw away any items you don’t need—or that take up too much space. Once the space has been decluttered, clean the house from top to bottom. If necessary, hire professionals to come in and make the space shine. The expense will be worth it if it helps you sell your house quickly. You’ll also want to make repairs throughout the home. Little things, such as scuff marks and broken handles, don’t cost much to fix, but they can cause buyers to think that there must be other problems with the house that are less obvious.

The home should be a blank canvas so that prospective buyers can envision themselves living in the space. Remove photos and other personal items and cover any bold paint colors with neutral ones. Stage the house in a way that highlights its best features. Make sure it’s clean, decluttered, and well-lit. Professional stagers can help you achieve the desired goal.

Get Ready for a Flurry of Activity
After you list your home, you’ll likely have many potential buyers come by in the first few weeks. Take some steps to prepare for the flurry of activity before putting your home on the market so that you can impress prospective buyers, which will hopefully pave the way to a quick sale.

Tips for a Successful Open House

June 25, 2019 by Jack McSweeney

When selling your home, an open house is a great opportunity to get potential buyers through your door. However, you don’t want to have an open house that’s not memorable—or, worse, one that’s remembered for the wrong reasons. These events are your chance to make a strong, positive impression to the buying public. Here are four tips for hosting an effective open house:

Keep it tidy. No one wants to walk into a mess. Open house visitors are trying to envision themselves living in the home. Things like overflowing closets and packed countertops make the home seem smaller than it is, so clear all surfaces and put anything you don’t need into storage.

Make sure there aren’t dirty dishes in the sink. Bedrooms should be neat and beds made. Even small things, such as dirty grout in a bathroom, will stick with potential buyers. Mirrors and tubs should also be cleaned.

Make sure it smells pleasant. You may not notice if your home has a distinct smell, but your visitors will. This is especially true if you have pets. Make sure any kitty litter boxes are clean, and vacuum floors and furniture to eliminate animal hair, which could also give off a smell. If possible, have carpets cleaned.

If you spray anything to offset odors, don’t overdo it. Open house visitors are also able to tell if you’re trying to mask something. Keep it smelling clean and neutral.

You can even entice visitors with the smell of freshly baked goods by making some chocolate chip cookies right before the open house. Just be wary of potential allergy issues or choking hazards if you decide to leave complimentary food or drinks out.

Keep it bright. There’s nothing worse than loving the curb appeal of a house, only to walk into a dark and depressing space. Turn all lights on for an open house and draw up any shades. You’ll be amazed by how much a space opens up with a little bit of light. This is especially important for rooms with low ceilings or dark paint colors.

Be prepared. Although visual elements make up a big part of the open house experience, visitors will also remember the information they walked away with. Things like utility costs and snow removal companies may seem like small details, but buyers like to have as much information as possible before they decide to invest in a home. If they don’t have to work hard to get property information from you, they’ll take it as a sign that you’re ready to sell and will be easy to work with. Gather up as many details as possible, such as recent renovations, your roof’s age, utility information, etc.

Open house visitors can tell when you’re making an effort for them. Not only will they feel like they’re home, but they’ll also be armed with the necessary information to put an offer on your property.

Packing Tips for Moving

June 21, 2019 by Jack McSweeney

Moving into a new apartment or house is exciting, but packing for the move can be a drag–it’s time-intensive, physically demanding and often overwhelming. To help make packing a bit easier, the moving pros at Atlas Van Lines offer the following tips:
Pack a couple of boxes a day, starting well ahead of the move. And pack one room at a time to help stay organized.
Pack the essentials you’ll need during your first night in your new place, such as toilet paper, paper towels, snacks, sheets and cleaning supplies, separately in a clear plastic bin. Also pack a personal overnight bag including a change of clothes, your laptop and toiletries to take with you in the car. Make these the last things you pack so you can find them right away.
Take personal and sentimental items that can’t be easily replaced with you in the car instead of having the movers load them on the truck.
Pack important documents like birth certificates, Social Security cards and tax documents in a special box or briefcase.
To save time and labor, pack things in place whenever possible. For instance, pull out your sock drawer and seal the socks inside with plastic wrap instead of taking them out and packing them in a box.
Use wardrobe boxes to safely pack clothing items like coats and nice dresses without taking them off their hangers.
Vacuum seal your off-season clothes for easy storage when you arrive at your new home.
Write detailed labels on boxes stating which room they belong in–e.g., kitchen or bathroom–and write them on the side instead of the top so they can be seen when the boxes are stacked.
To avoid losing small parts like screws and cords, put them inside plastic bags and secure them on the item they belong to with tape.
Take photos to remember how the wires are connected for your electronics instead of struggling to put your sound system back together.
Prevent toiletries and other liquids from leaking by removing the cap, placing plastic wrap or a plastic bag over the seal, then replacing the cap.
Pack your dishes vertically in a box like records, instead of horizontally in stacks; they’ll be less likely to break.
Are you a visual person? Use different colored tape to organize boxes by room at a glance.
Never lose a box or go looking through five different boxes labeled “kitchen” to find the pizza cutter again. Label each box with a number and make a list of all the items packed in the box corresponding with each number on a notepad, on your phone or in an online document.
Don’t struggle with an enormous box of hardcover cookbooks. Pack heavy items in small boxes.
Perhaps most importantly, though, make the bed early at your new home so you can fall into it at the end of a long moving day.

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What to Do If Your Neighbors Neglect Their Property

June 4, 2019 by Jack McSweeney

When prospective buyers look at a house, they also pay attention to the neighborhood as a whole. One unkempt, overgrown yard can lower the value of surrounding properties, even ones that are immaculately maintained. If you’re concerned about how your neighbors’ neglect of their property could be affecting your own home’s value, there are several ways you can address the situation.

Find Out Why Your Neighbors Aren’t Taking Care of Their Yard
If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, try to have a pleasant chat about the situation in order to determine why the property is being neglected. They might not realize how the condition of their yard affects everyone else’s property values, or they might be unable to properly care for their yard because of physical limitations, financial costs, hectic work schedules, or family responsibilities.

If your neighbors are unable to handle the upkeep of their yard, you and others in the community might be able to volunteer a few hours on a weekend to help out, or local teenagers might be willing to perform yardwork at much lower rates than professional landscapers would charge. Another option is to organize a neighborhood-wide cleanup effort and encourage everyone to participate so that no one feels singled out.

What to Do If Your Neighbors Won’t Listen
If you’ve tried to address the issue politely, but your neighbors were dismissive or hostile, you can bring the issue to the attention of authorities. If your community belongs to a homeowners association (HOA), take the issue up with them. The purpose of an HOA is to enforce rules and standards to maintain the appearance of the neighborhood and to protect everyone’s property values. The body can contact the homeowners in writing to let them know that the current condition of their property violates the rules, require specific corrective actions, and impose penalties for noncompliance. If other neighbors share your concerns, the HOA will be more inclined to take the matter seriously.

If your neighborhood doesn’t belong to a homeowners association, you can raise the issue with the local government. In addition to your concerns about property values, there could be other dangers, such as broken items in the yard that could harm children or pets, and possibly crime. If other neighbors express similar concerns, you can present a united front to the local government and encourage them to address the issue with the homeowners.

Try to Handle the Issue Amicably
It’s generally a good idea to avoid confrontations with neighbors whenever possible. When people live close together and see each other every day, conflicts and misunderstandings can quickly escalate. If your neighbors are neglecting their property, that might be a sign that they need help. Try to find out why they aren’t taking care of their yard, frame your concerns as a desire to protect everyone’s property values and safety, and look for ways to provide assistance if needed. If those efforts fail, contact your homeowners association or local government.