This is a very informative blog by Kathy Godwin of Cross Country Mortgage. She has prepared a list of items you need to remove from your home when you are getting it ready to sell. Much of these items are things people often don't think about.
I've found folks are often surprised about medicines, especially prescription medicines. Unfortunately, I show many homes in the Cary, Raleigh and Triangle area that have medicine in the pantry, bathroom drawers & medicine cabinets, kitchen cabinets, on bed-side table, etc. Fortunately, I have great clients who have been pre-qualified prior to viewing homes.
There is one thing I don't see mentioned and I'll add it as #10:
#10: Unmentionables - yes, please put away the under garments. We all wear them (well most of us) but, it does make many people feel uncomfortable and gets a lot of giggles from kids. How many times do I open laundry room doors, bedroom closets, bathroom shower curtains, etc to find under garments hanging around. Oh, and remind the kids, especially the teens.
Read on for the other 9 items:
You’ve placed your home up for sale after living there for years. The transition to it becoming another family’s home has begun. For sales and security reasons there are steps you should take.
It’s time to prepare for showing your home to strangers. Brace yourself and take action.
Your family made this house home for years. Now it’s time to begin the transition to letting another family make it home. There are 9 items to move or get rid of in preparation. With one eye on security and another on salability, here are the 9 items:
1. Personal paperwork - This includes bills, invoices, letters from government agencies, taxes, wills, etc. Maybe you currently store them in a file folder or freestanding file on your desk. Or post on a bulletin board. Remove them and put them in a safe place so potential buyers aren’t tempted to peek at them. It also helps to prevent identify theft.
2. Money - You may have a coin jar where you deposit your loose change. Or dollars stuffed in a drawer for emergencies. Put them in a safe place for now—like the bank!
3. Weapons, guns & ammunition - Don’t just hide these…remove them from your home. If a potential buyer discovers your hiding place, they may wonder if the neighborhood is safe. Or, they may unwittingly mention it to someone else (who might just be a thief).
4. Coats & shoes - If you have a coat rack by the back door and a place where everyone takes off their shoes, you may want to remove them. A mess at the back door may mean that there’s not enough storage space. You want the area to look spacious and clean.
5. Family photos - If you have a ton of framed photos sitting on a table, on the fireplace mantle, or hanging in a hallway, well, homebuyers may have difficulty seeing your house as their home. The goal is to get them to view your house—not your home.
6. Jewelry and valuables - In addition to putting away your jewelry and valuables, hide your jewelry box, your stamp or coin collection, and your valuable antiques such as vases, figurines, or artwork. Some “potential buyers” aren’t potential buyers at all.
7. Medicines - Don’t just hide it…remove it! There are many reports of both prescription and non-prescription medicine being stolen from listed homes.
8. De-clutter countertops and tables - Removing almost everything from the countertops and tables (see #4 and #5) will make the home seem more spacious.
9. Magnets - on the refrigerator – enough said!
You may think of other things to do. The keys are security and de-personalization so potential buyers can more readily see your house as their home.
Kathy Godin, Award-Winning Loan Officer and Branch Manager
CrossCountry Mortgage Inc.
(919) 789-9888
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