Blog

Simple Things to Get Your Home Ready to Sell

Getting ready to sell a home involves a lot more than just the home. There are also emotions, schedules and other things to consider. Here are some tips to help you in getting ready for the day you hand over the keys to the new owners.

Remove Old Items

Over the course of time most people accumulate lots of things that are no longer needed. It is fairly common for folks to have clothes that they no longer wear, old books and magazines and other items. Go through the closets, cupboards and other storage areas to get ride of all the unnecessary items. Make sure to get things off the kitchen and bathroom counters too.

Separate Yourself from The Home Emotionally

Now is the time to make the decision to say goodbye to the home. It is important to realize that the memories and emotions you have from living in the home will always be a part of you. Moving away from the home is merely separating yourself away from the structure. Imagine how the new owners will enjoy the home and be able to make their own happy memories.

Get Things Organized

Since potential buyers will be coming through the home and inspecting every possible area it is a good idea to get everything as organized as possible. If you need some ideas, here are a few suggestions:

* Put spices in alphabetical order

* Arrange all coffee cups to face the same direction

* Put shoes in order

* Place dishes in nice stacks

Remove Personal Decor

Remove the photographs and items that may have your surname or initials. People who will potentially buy the house want to be able to imagine their own belongings and decorations in the new home. By having generic items in the house it will be easier for people to see themselves enjoying their new abode.

Take Care of the Little Repairs

Give potential buyers a great first impression by making sure all of the little items are handled. This includes

* Replacing light bulbs

* Applying oil on door hinges

* Add new filters to the air conditioner

* Tighten or repair any water leaks

* Fix any holes that may be present in windows, doors or walls

Add More Storage Space

It can be a good idea to find a nearby storage rental agency and get a contract on a small unit. The extra space can help you remove some of your belongings to make the home seem larger. Removing empty bookcases, taking out extra leaves in dining tables and extra chairs can free up space throughout the entire home. It can also be handy for storing seasonal items that you may not need when you are ready to move.

Once you have cleaned up the home and organized everything it will be much easier to sell and start your new life in a fresh new home.

Unpermitted space is a common dilemma in our area. Often homeowners finish off attics or basements without wanting to go through the hassles or expenses of getting permits. Often they want to avoid the extra property value increase for tax reasons. Well these decisions come back to haunt them when they try to sell. Price per square foot is a commonly used measure of value for homes, at least it is in the Triangle of North Carolina. Frequently, listing appointments get tangled when discrepancies in the online tax records for square footage differ significantly from the measured amount of heated square feet. The red flag goes up, and as agents, we start searching for permit records. Buyer's agents and listing agents are much more in tune with their liability regarding the square footage of a home now than they were years ago. Law suits against agents and former homeowners have raised awareness.

Recently, a listing of mine had about 400 s/f of unpermitted finished space. At about $100/sf, that adds up to about $40,000 (I know you can do the math, just put that in for the WOW factor). The sellers purchased the home years ago with the room already finished without knowing it was not permitted. Now, in order to advertise this space - without future legal worries, we had to get it permitted retroactively. Several buyer's agents have already called me to ask about the permitting of the room. The hassle and expense of the process was worth it for the homeowner to be able to advertise and sell that area. Advertising 2700 heated square feet means 2700 permitted square feet! Nobody wants a buyer coming back after the sale claiming a $40,000 discrepancy.

The lack of a permit can also negate future insurance claims. If a fire or other problem arises from the unpermitted space, the insurance company can deny claims on the space and any portion of the home damaged from problem. Can you imagine that coming back against the agent or seller?

The process for this listing started of at the permitting office with about $225.00 in fees. The process in Apex, NC requires you to have the area updated to current codes, not the codes that were in place (and much less stringent) 15 years ago when the work was done. Also, the inspector had the homeowner remove some wall panels and ceiling panels to see what was going on behind the walls. We were fortunate, not too many issues on this home. Because the house was listed for sale, we had to find a licensed electrician and HVAC business to sign on the permits. If permits are applied for by the homeowner, and they are living in the house, not on the market, this is not a requirement. The homeowner can sign off as his/her own general contractor (under $30,000 of improvements). I was able to find contractors I have done a lot of work with to help us out, and we had them do the code improvements. The sellers did have electrical code upgrades to make - ARC fault, added few ground fault outlets, replaced all outlets with tamper resistant outlets, and added an outlet (one every 6 feet). They had to insulate an exterior wall around a french door, which was luckily only 2 sections of paneling. The homeowners had to remove a section of paneling to show that a header existed above an opening - luckily it was up to code. The overall expense was about $1,600, certainly worth it.

Again, if you are considering converting space that will increase the livable area of your home - adding a finished attic or finished basement- take the time and spend the money to go through the local permitting process. It's much easier to do this before than after the fact. And I'm told that inspection fees can be punitive on a homeowner who decided to finish off rooms without getting permits up front.