It's Time To Get Organized!

Life is about to change! Your usual, everyday schedule becomes very different the moment you put your home on the market. You never know when someone is going to call, so you must keep your home in showing condition at all times. It is much easier to straighten an organized home where everything has a place. It's hard to clean around clutter!

Before you list your home, you must set aside some time to get organized. Buyers will look inside your closets, pantries, basements, and some will even look in your cabinets. If closets are over crowded and basements look messy it will say to the buyer, "There is not enough closet space or storage space in this home!"

Here are a few organization tips that will make a difference:

*Clean, organized closets help sell homes!

*Take everything out of the closet. Dust the shelves and vacuum.
*Touch up the paint if the walls are scuffed.
*If the space allows, add more shelves.
*Add robe hooks on the door.
*Use baskets to conceal small clothing items, flip flops, belts, bags, etc.
*It's springtime and it's time to put away those winter clothes! Keep only seasonal clothes in the master bedroom closet. If you have a closet that is not being utilized, move all of your out-of-season clothes and shoes into it. If you do not have extra closet space, nicely fold the clothes, place them in plastic containers, and store them in a climate controlled area in your home. If you have no other place to store them, fold them nicely and place them in the top of the closet.
*Remove all items from the floor of the closet. Neatly place shoes on racks. It you do not have racks, you can purchase plastic shoe boxes at the dollar store. Place your shoes in the boxes, label them, and stack them in your closet.

* Every woman loves a walk-in pantry in her kitchen!

*Pull everything out and look at the expiration dates. It's probably time to toss some things!
*If space allows, add more shelves.
*Add a rack to the back of the pantry door. It creates unbelievable space.
*Group like items together.
*Create a space to hang table clothes.
*Use baskets to organize paper goods.

*Every man dreams of a clean, organized basement!

*If possible, remove all items from the basement and clean.
*Clean out all spider webs, leaves, dirt, and trash.
*Pressure wash the floors.
*Throw away broken sports equipment.
*Use plastic tubs to conceal toys, paint supplies, pool equipment, etc. Stack neatly along the walls or on shelves.
*Hang yard tools and hoses.
*Purchase heavy-duty, ceiling-mounted hooks to hang the bicycles on. It looks much neater to have them hanging than to have a pile of bicycles on the floor.
*Make room for cars! Believe it or not, garages were originally built for cars! Buyers must be able to envision that there is enough room to park their car inside the basement.

I hope this will get you started. It takes time to get your home ready to sell. There are so many homes available for buyers to choose from, yours must be the one they can't forget. Happy organizing!

Want To Sell? Don't Overprice Your Home!

Overpriced homes do not sell! Don't make the mistake of overpricing your home when you list it. Your home will sit on the market and you will end up making less money from the sale because of the carrying costs you will incur. Look at the true market value of your home instead of letting emotion take over. If you price your home right, you will sell it quickly and come out on top!

If you really want to sell your home take these points into serious consideration before deciding on a price:

*A CMA (comparative market analysis) prepared by a realtor is a great starting place to get a close estimate of the market value of your home. A CMA uses homes currently on the market and recently sold homes in your area.

*The first 3 weeks your home is on the market are the most crucial. Experience has shown that most of the calls and activity occur during this time. When an inquiry is made, your home will be marked off the list if the buyer and/or agent thinks it is overpriced.

*Realtors form very strong opinions about homes they believe are overpriced. They do not want to lose credibility with their clients, so they will give their honest opinion about the price of your home. Most of the time realtors will not even show homes that are overpriced.

*Most sellers have the idea that they have to plan for "negotiating room." It is okay to leave a little room, but when you tack on a lot of extra when pricing your home, it may exclude buyers who are trying to stay within a certain price range. Most people have a certain amount they have been pre-qualified for and they will not look at homes that exceed their approved amount.

*A seller has the right to price their home at any amount they want, but the home is required to appraise for the contract price. If it doesn't appraise then the buyer will have to come up with extra cash and most of the time they don't have it. This will cause you to lose a sell.

*A good realtor will do whatever possible to market your home and bring in buyers. If your home is overpriced, your realtor will waste a lot of time and money advertising your home.

*When your home sits on the market for months it begins to come under question. People will ask, "What is wrong with this home and why has it been sitting on the market for such a long time?" Remember, your goal is to sell the home in the shortest amount of time possible.

*You cannot decide on a price for your home by calculating what you paid for your home, adding all the extras you have put into the home, and adding the commission you will have to pay. You must price your home by looking at the market value.

If your home has been sitting on the market for a long time, you have to ask yourself the question, "Why has my home not sold?" If it is clean, well staged, and in a good location, then it is most likely overpriced. If you really want to sell your home, price it to sell!