I want OUT!

[Sam_2.0]

There was another home invasion today, just a few blocks over. A nice elderly man from our church was pistol whipped & held at gunpoint while his house was ransacked. Right now he's in the hospital

Two weeks ago there was another home invasion where the home owners were also held at gunpoint while their home was raided. Only the home owner also had a gun, and started shooting at them as they were trying to get away. Luckily they caught those guys.

This is totally different than the punks breaking in to steal TVs and xBoxes while people are at work. And just a year ago my sister's house was broken into (they were coming after HER, but quickly left when they realized her DH was home). I don't feel safe here at all, and this is definitely not the place I want to keep my daughter at.

DH finally agreed its time to list the house. Zillow just went from $55k last year to $100k right now (based on recent sales). We owe $85, so I am hoping we can at least break-even. I've only bought a house though, I've never sold one. We are using DH's friend as the realtor and he's giving us a good deal on the commission.

This weekend I am focusing on decluttering the closets and cabinets. Everything we don't need right now is getting packed away and stored at my parent's house. Then I will touch up the paint where needed. Other than things like that, what do I need to do to get ready to sell? Anything I need to be aware of?

[busymom]

First of all, if you don't already have a dog, get one. Most losers are scared off by a dog with a good loud bark....


Decluttering is the key to a quick home sale. DH & I rented storage space just to clear out our junk from the basement. It really helped! Also, take down any family pics. (You want the buyer to imagine their own family living in your home.) Finally, I used to have the house smelling really good when a prospective buyer came by. Whether the smell of just-baked cookies, or a really good-smelling candle. Don't laugh. My house sold in 10 days. ;D

[Works4me]

If you are serious about SELLING do not automatically use DH's friend just because he is giving you a break on the commission. You want to interview at least 3 agents. In addition to CMA's you want to know how many houses they have sold recently, how long each was on the market and how much difference between listing price and selling price.

[Sam_2.0]

busymom - we have a 100lb dog that is not exactly friendly with people that she does not see us invite in. Hopefully that works, but there have been cases where they just shoot the dog On a happier note, the good-smelling candle/cookies are a great idea I will have to pick up a couple on my next run out.

sarahjese - good point. I will talk to DH about that. He's in an industry where you have to use people that you know (so if he does not use this guy or another one, it could be bad for his referrals later). I hope that makes sense.


Oh, and for the dog, if I can get away from work when there's a showing I can run by and pick her up first. Otherwise, she will have to be put into a kennel in the garage. She might bark/whine, but other than that she will be ok. Would that be too distracting/be a deal breaker for someone trying to view the house?

[constanz22]

May 10, 2012 21:03:39 GMT -5 Works4me said:

If you are serious about SELLING do not automatically use DH's friend just because he is giving you a break on the commission. You want to interview at least 3 agents. In addition to CMA's you want to know how many houses they have sold recently, how long each was on the market and how much difference between listing price and selling price.

Agreed! You really should stay away from using friends and family. This is a business relationship/transaction.
Declutter, remove 50% of the items from all closets and cupboards.
Don't just "touch up paint", repaint any rooms that have not been painted in the past few years, using a warm, neutral color.
Price competitively. I'd say, without knowing the details specific to your house or the comps, it needs to be under 100k.
Get a home inspection prior to listing. You will know about any potential problems ahead of time and is an incentive to your potential buyers.

[Works4me]

Makes perfet sense - what industry?

And your husband's friend MAY be the best one - does he sell RE full time?

[Waffle]

Keep it clean - it should be spotless at showings. Fix any little things, you've just gotten used to like loose doorknobs, kitchen drawers that stick, etc. Don't leave the dog in the house during showings.

[Sam_2.0]

DH is a broker/investment advisor. The friend is a RE agent (from a networking group, but they became good friends and we hang out with him & his wife frequently). There's also another RE agent that he knows well that we could use also.

[Sharon]

I had no choice but to leave my dog at the house while my house was for sale. My dog was NOT friendly. I put a sign on the door, and as part of the listing, that the house could be shown by appointment only and that the dog was not friendly. He was in his kennel during the showings and it was not a problem. The realtors reported that he would bark as they came in but once he realized that it wasn't anyone he knew and that he wasn't going to be sprung he quit barking.

[Deleted]

Holy Cow - are you in a metro area that you are having such trouble with home invasions? It sounds very frightening.

[Deleted]

The main thing is to make the home as clean and attractive as a possible. Give everything a good scrubbing, declutter, and repaint trim if possible. Check outside. Sometimes stuff accumulates outside. Do you have yard tools, a yard card or other odds and ends? Put all that stuff away, weed and rake the landscaping to freshen in up. Look for any trash like popcans and stuff that may have gotten tossed in your yard.
When showing, i think your best bet is to take the dog with you when you leave the house. If you can't, then make sure the dog is in a confined area like a dog kennel or crate so that your dog isn't jumping on any prospective buyers. That is a huge turn off. Other than that, make sure it is priced to sell and ask a reasonable selling price. If you price it to high in the beginning, you will lose a lot of potential buyers because a property is usually hottest when it first comes on the market. I know people that priced to high, had lots of lookers, then it didn't sell for a long time because they over priced it. Keep in mind what you are trying to accomplish which is a sale at a decent price and don't get too hung up on an actual number.

[Deleted]

I also second the home inspector. You don't want to be caught by any big surprises and you want to be prepared because people will use the home inspection to make a house sound like it's on its last legs. Your report will give you some perspective.

Also, what kind of flooring do you have?

Finally, you need someone who is brutally honest and who will let you know if your house smells. Unfortunately as pet owners we get used to the doggy or cat box smells after a while. Scented candles or those other room deorderizers make it seem like you are hiding something and can really backfire with folks who have allergies or asthma.

Clean + well priced = sale.

[Deleted]

I have to agree with dog & cat odors. In fact, I'm picky enough that if I know a dog or cat is living in house, regardless of smells, it gets scratched from my list of possible homes.

[Peace77]

Check your curb appeal. Wash your front door and windows. Make sure there is no litter or weeds visible. Sweep your walk and clean or replace your doormat.

Consider planting some inexpensive flowers. Be of the things that appealed to me about our home was that both of our next door neighbors have beautiful flowers.

[Deleted]

May 11, 2012 6:11:40 GMT -5 @bonnap said:

Finally, you need someone who is brutally honest and who will let you know if your house smells. Unfortunately as pet owners we get used to the doggy or cat box smells after a while. Scented candles or those other room deorderizers make it seem like you are hiding something and can really backfire with folks who have allergies or asthma.

If a house smells like actual cookies, I'd be okay. I'd probably think, aw, they made break and bake so I'd think it was homey.

I'm not a candle person, so that smell would probably annoy me and make me think you were trying to cover up cat pee smell.

[Peace77]

I don't like scented candles either as they bother my allergies.

Good alternatives:

Slice and bake cookies. You don't have to bake a whole batch -just put a few in the oven and turn off the oven before you leave.

Simmer in tiny crockpot or pretty saucepan some stick cinnamon, cloves and orange peel.

[Sam_2.0]

We do live in a metro area, but for the most part the neighborhoods here are safe (I know there are other posters also from this metro area, just not my little suburb). But for some reason, over the past two years, things have really gone downhill in this little pocket we live in. But I don't feel safe staying, and it really angers me that other people think they have the right to just barge into someone's home.

We have all hardwoods & tile, with area rugs on top in the LR and bedrooms. The dog is mainly an outside dog, but she sleeps in our bedroom at night. A good, deep-cleaning is on the list for this weekend. We've been working on the front yard & planted some flowers last week, so it looks fairly decent. We just cleaned up the backyard and filled in the holes from the dog, so it looks pretty good too. Inside paint was redone last summer so just some small touch-ups are needed (I went to the store & asked for the same color they were selling for new construction homes, so its neutral & current). And I am due to make a new batch of choco chippers, so DH will be happy Maybe some banana bread too.

As for appliances, right now our plan is to live with MIL & FIL until we can find a new place (and we may move over there sooner if something else happens). We can't take any of the appliances with us, and I would prefer to just sell them all with the house. Is that normal to include them in the sale? When I bought the house it only came with the dw & the stove. But I want to leave the fridge, deep freeze, & w/d as well (all match, all 6 years or newer).

[constanz22]

Where I live, most homes come with the appliances, so, it shouldn't be a big deal to leave them. It's probably even a nice bonus for your potential buyer pool, as it will likely be a first time buyer in that kind of area and price range.

[8 Bit WWBG]

Decluttering and staging are the best things to do. Plus, good decluttering reduces moving costs substantially! When faced with the trouble and cost of transporting something, all of a sudden pitching it out seems really attractive.

[Deleted]

But for some reason, over the past two years, things have really gone downhill in this little pocket we live in. But I don't feel safe staying, and it really angers me that other people think they have the right to just barge into someone's home.

Sounds like you have a meth lab or drug dealing house in your neighborhood. A friend of mine had this. The crime in the local streets went down dramatically after the people living in the house were busted.

hope you are able to sell your house quickly!

[Wisconsin Beth]

Sam, there's a thread started by chiver about selling her condo, in YM. I'll try to find it and bump it for you. and 2kids10horses started a home improvement thread. I'll bump that too, if I can find it. They may be helpful to you.

I'm sorry you're having to do this. It sucks that some people can be such miserable mean idiots.

[Peace77]

If you can afford to do it, offer assistance to the buyers for the closing costs. The less money that the buyer has to bring to closing will help sell the house faster.

[Sam_2.0]

A 60 yr old guy was shot & killed today as he was out for a morning jog. DH drove past maybe 20 seconds after he had been shot. He saw the guy slumped over on the sidewalk, and people flocking to help. Later watching the news we learned what had really happened

I got the bedrooms cleaned out & straightened up this weekend. And the hall closet cleared. Just a bit of decluttering in the LR, Kitchen, and garage, and we should be good to go. Sign is in the yard

[thyme4change]

Clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean and then, clean.

Shampoo the carpets, and yes, empty the closets. Remove furniture if you can. Get brutal - have the "If I had to pack for a two week trip, would I bring this?" mentality. The emptier the better. An entire empty cabinet?! It would be better if there were 2 empty cabinets. You only have 2 pans in there - perfect! Lawn = immaculate. Paperwork = packed up. Counter appliances = who need them?

[mmhmm]

OMG, Sam. I'm so sorry your family has to be subjected to this, and sorry you have to leave your home. Hope you find something else that's perfect for you, where you can feel comfortable and safe.

[Sam_2.0]

lone - I am beyond pissed. It seriously angers me that some punks can make things so bad around here and make people afraid to be in their own homes. If it was just DH and I, it wouldn't be so bad. But I am not willing to let my daughter grow up like this either (no way in HELL is she going outside to play while we live here - and I can't take her to the local parks because of what goes on there).

[taz157]

May 13, 2012 21:26:18 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

OMG, Sam. I'm so sorry your family has to be subjected to this, and sorry you have to leave your home. Hope you find something else that's perfect for you, where you can feel comfortable and safe.

[Jaguar]

Sam I am beyond sorry for you and your family. Peace be with you & yours.

[Deleted]

sam, I've lived somewhere before that I didn't feel safe. It's a sad thing when you don't feel safe in your own home, so I hope you're able to sell and move quickly.

I've never sold a home, and apparently my views as a buyer aren't the norm. When I was looking, the things that I was concerned with weren't things that could be easily changed. I didn't really worry about cosmetic stuff and preferred to buy at a lower price than have the seller upgrade stuff (and the asking price) with things I may not have liked or have them just take the cheapest option to make things *look* better.

My advice is the same as what pp have said. Make sure everything is neat and clean, including the yards. Decluttering can include knick knacks and furniture, remove anything that makes your house look "full". Get "stuff" to a minimum to make every area (including closets and other storage areas) look more spacious. Make sure your house doesn't smell funny. Fix anything that needs it, and pay attention to the things you may not notice anymore because you've gotten use to it.

[constanz22]

You said, "the sign is in the yard". So, who did you decide to go with for a realtor? Please tell me you are not trying to do FSBO. Did you decide on a price? I'm sorry that things have gone so bad in your neighborhood. My fear is that unless you underprice your house by A LOT, it probably isn't going to be easy to sell. Especially with the recent violence in the neighborhood, people are not going to be flocking to buy a house there. It's a tough situation for your family. I wouldn't want to stay there either. If it doesn't sell, could you rent it? There's probably a better rental market in the neighborhood than buyers. Do you have extra funds you could use if you have to sell for less than you owe to get out?