Preparing to leave a home you’ve lived in for a while may take weeks, and in some cases, even months. Families should take great care when establishing closing and vacancy dates. Although not always possible, Caring Transitions usually recommends an 8-10 week window for the entire relocation process. This includes tasks like mover and realtor selection, downsizing, space planning for the new residence, packing, moving, unpacking, and finally, disposing of unwanted items through auction, sale or donation.
If you are one of many home sellers who are concerned your home may linger on the market while others sell quickly, be sure to price the property correctly and realistically assess your home’s appearance. When a home is in disrepair, or dirty and cluttered, buyers may not be able to see beyond the mess to effectively compare the home value to other properties.
Chances are downsizing can help improve the appearance of your home, appeal to more buyers and help reduce your moving expenses by eliminating the cost of packing and moving unnecessary items. Downsizing is often part of the “home staging” process. “Staging” is the art of preparing a home for sale to make it more desirable to buyers. Staging a home can be compared to detailing a car before it is listed for sale. According to the National Association of Realtors, the average home staging investment is between 1 and 3 percent of the home's asking price, yet generates a return of 8 to 10 percent.
In those cases where a home is densely cluttered, preparing to go to market may require a thorough cleaning and aggressive downsizing. Professional estate sale and online auction services can help. Costs of these services may be less than home staging services and produce similar results. Typically, professional estate sale management fees are paid as a percent of the sale proceeds. Once those fees, plus any administration fees, have been paid, the net gain on the estate sale belongs to the home owner. Even when the profits from an estate sale are minimal, the owner will “profit” by selling a decluttered home faster.
Before you go to market, contact Caring Transitions for a free consultation!