By Jule’ Dunham
Greetings from the World of Real Estate with Julè. International Goat Days 2019 was a fun time for the community as well as those who traveled from afar to enjoy the festivities and food.
While the weather was quite warm it was still fun to see the children with their painted faces and carrying balloons that my booth provided.
There is nothing like charging one smile per balloon and receiving payment in full.
I shared a booth with my fellow agent, Samantha Newman from Tipton County. Our objective was to let the community know that we are available to assist them with their selling and buying real estate needs. Without a doubt, we met some great people and are going to enjoy servicing them with their next transition.
I will leave the rest of the International Goat Days 2019 report to the newspaper.
Moving on to this week’s article which will entail a few ideas on “Selling Your Home”. Please look forward to several articles on “Selling Your Home” as there are several topics, I would like to share with you.
Let’s first explore the thought of why you want to move. Is it because you want to live closer to your job, live in a better school district, want a larger or smaller home, move to a smaller lot line, move to acreage, or simply move from grumpy next door? Once you have established why you want to move, then you can better decide where you want to move.
Do you have enough equity to make a reasonable change in location? If you have resided in your current home for several years, the answer is probably yes. Be sure to check with you mortgage lender to get more accurate information on how much equity you have in your home.
If you just need more space in your current home, is it possible to add on a new room? Should it not be possible to add on due to restrictions, not enough room to add on or simply do not want to deal with that type of adventure, then relocating may be the wisest thing to do for you and/or your family. Something that many buyers do not realize is that they can “shop rates” without hurting their credit scores. Now wasn’t that a surprise!
In today’s market, inventory (homes for sale) is short, and buyers are looking for homes to suit their needs.
Selling your home is going to require some work on your part. Your objective is to get your home in shape as though you were the one coming into it for the v e r y f i r s t t i m e and loving it. Appearance is everything! Now, the hard part begins.
Yes, you are going to need to do things that you have put off for some time now.
You may have heard real estate agents say that a seller needs to declutter, clean, paint, do repairs that need to be done (not rebuild the house), spruce up the garden etc. They really do have your best interest at heart. If you want to sell the home, you must get it ready for sale.
First things first. DECLUTTER. This task can certainly be a very difficult one. Taking one room at a time is the way to go. Have 3 bins or boxes available labeled: Donate, toss, and keep. The “keep” bin should be minimal. If you haven’t worn clothing in more than a year get rid of it. Items that are deteriorating in any form should be considered gone. You know, like that wedding dress you wore when you married your EX- husband. Why would you want those bad vibes hanging around any longer?
Of course, you will probably want to keep irreplaceable items such as photos, the family Bible, and such.
We Americans have more “stuff” that most countries on this planet.
Keeping your important paperwork such as warranties, utility bills, maintenance repairs and schedules including who did the maintenance.
Any buyer will be happy to receive this information about their new home. If you find that you are having a difficult time with the process of decluttering, I highly recommend hiring a professional organizer to make this event successful.
I am in the process of purging paperwork. Shredding these old papers is like lifting a weight off your shoulders. It just feels good to get rid of the Hmmmm, well mess.
Please stay tuned for more selling tips next week.
Should you have a topic you would like addressed, please feel free to contact me.
Here is your local realtor, Julè Dunham, signing off until next week.
Crye-Leike Realtors
Julè Dunham, Affiliate Broker, SRES. Contact her by phone at 901-828-8471 (cell) or 901-840-1181 (office) or by email to: [email protected] for an appointment to speak with you, your group or club. “Let’s Make This Happen Together”
