West Chester & Liberty Township OH Real Estate: Preparing Your Home To Sell (Part 3)

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Are you getting your home ready to list it for sale?  Preparing to sell a home in West Chester, Liberty Township or Beckett Ridge can be an overwhelming task if you are not prepared.  The process of getting your home ready can be simplified by breaking the areas of your home up into groups. 

In my previous posts, >>Preparing Your Home To Sell, we covered Curb Appeal, Front Entry / Porch & Landscaping and in >>Preparing Your Home To Sell (Part 2) , your first impression was covered. 

Today we will cover the first floor living areas including the formal living room & dining rooms, the family room and first floor study.  When you are trying to get propspective buyers to fall in love with your home, you need to offer them enough space that they can easily imagine themselves and their belongings living comfortably in your home.  They are going to make observations about whether the space inside your home feels open and spacious or tight and cramped.  Give the buyers the vision of enough space for their wants and needs and you will get your home sold.

De-Personalize:  Everyone’s home is defined by the homeowner’s personal taste and right now your home is defined by yours.  You need to transform your home to meet your buyer’s need.  To do this, you must take “you” out of your property.  In essence what you are doing is de-cluttering.  You will eventually have to pack up your belongings anyway,  so start now by packing up all of your collections of figurines, sports collectables, commerative dishes, etc.  At best these collections will distract buyers from truly seeing your home, worse yet they may likely see them as clutter.

**Keep in mind; you may need to rent a storage space for a short period of time to store all of the items that you are going to be packing up and/or moving early.**

In the family room and formal living room you will need to remove or replace any personal or family photos.  You want buyers to feel at home in your property and if they are surrounded by photos of you and your family they will feel as though they are just guests in your home.  They may also be distracted from looking at the features of your home by all of your photos.  Also needing to be removed are any signs, pillows or plaques with written sayings on them.  There are many great quotes to be found on household items, they just don’t have a place in the home sale process.

In these rooms less furniture is better also.  Take an honest look at how much furniture you have.  Can you remove that extra table to open up some space?  Any furniture that blocks a window must be removed.  Removing the ottoman is almost always a good idea also.  Any freestanding bookcases in these two rooms must go.  They aren’t adding any value and they certainly have clutter on the shelves.  Also needing to be removed are baskets, decorative screens, magazine stands and all live plants.  Remove all items from fireplace mantels and from window sills.

In the dining room, remove any leaves from the dining room table until there are no more than 4-6 chairs situated around it.  Again, here in the dining room all collectibles, excess dishware, etc. must be removed.   Any glass enclosed dining room furniture pieces should be very sparcely decorated/filled.

In the study/home office the desk top must be completely cleared off of all stacks of papers, files, magazines, etc.  All extra tables, freestanding bookcases and mis-matched file cabinets must be removed as well.  On the walls, all of the awards, diplomas and photos must also be removed.  This space must be staged to create a space that the buyer can picture themselves working in.  If this space is being used as something other than a home office or if the furniture here is mismatched, consideration should be given to buying a nice desk and chair to stage this room or contact a home stager for rental options.  Any built-in bookshelves in this room or any other room in the house should hold only hardcover books that fit properly on the shelves.  No paperback books or oversized books, pack them up!

Why do you have to do all of this you ask?  Because you are going to be trying to sell your home for the highest  possible price that you can get and clutter costs money.  De-cluttering your home for sale will help you sell for more.  If you list your home for sale without doing any home staging and your home doesn’t sell, your 1st price reduction is likely going to be $5,000 – $10,000, so de-clutter.  It’s worth it!  Keep in mind I’m not suggesting you throw your belongings away, just pack them up and put them in storage.  All you are really doing here is getting a jump start on the packing for when your home sells.

You are now on your way to creating a great  impression for home buyers as you continue preparing your home for sale in today’s West Chester, Liberty Township, Beckett Ridge and Mason, Ohio real estate market.  In the next post in this series of articles we’ll cover Preparing Your Kitchen.

Read the first article in this series here >>  Preparing Your Home For Sale In Today’s Real Estate Market (Part 1)

Read the second article in this series here >> Preparing Your Home To Sell In Today’s Real Estate Market (Part 2)

Wondering what your home is worth in today’s real estate market? Request a market value analysis here!

West Chester OH Real Estate: Top Home Buying Mistakes To Avoid

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 Top Home Buying Mistakes

Buying a home can be a daunting task.  It is likely the most expensive purchase that you will ever make.  Just one mistake could mean disaster — resulting in a stressful experience and one that may not end with you in the home of your dreams.   In order to avoid such an experience, buyers should get to know the most common home buying mistakes.

 

The top home buying mistakes to avoid:

Going solo: Buying a home is a complex transaction. It should be a team effort. You need to find an experienced  REALTOR® that knows the area that you are looking in,  a lender with good interest rates and low closing costs, a competent, experienced home inspector, a good insurance agent to provide your homeowner’s insurance policy, insurer, and a title company to conduct the title search and the actual closing. Assemble your team before you start the search for your new dream home.

Love at first sight: Be sure that your home fits your real needs. Buying a home is an emotional process and it may be that the first home for sale that you see is the perfect fit.  Just be sure that you are looking past the “perfect” paint colors and the granite counters, to be sure that the home fits your budget and your lifestyle. Be sure the home is in a community and neighborhood you feel comfortable in. Drive around in neighborhoods several times before you buy to check out schools, noise and traffic patterns. 

 

‘Loanless’ shopping: Get pre-approved for a mortgage before you begin looking at homes for sale.  This will give you an idea of not only how much you can afford to borrow, but also how much you are comfortable borrowing. It’s also critical to be pre-approved for a mortgage before making an offer,  sellers will take you more seriously. 

Buying too much home: Home buyers buying more than they could truly afford, in part, led to the collapse of the housing market. Buy more than you can afford and your dream home will become the same nightmare. Analyze all your monthly costs including debts, food, transportation, entertainment, and savings. Your total monthly debts, including your mortgage, should not exceed 36 percent of your income before taxes. Don’t forget to budget closing costs, plus moving, redecorating and maintenance. Look ahead and allow for increases in ongoing expenses such as utilities and taxes. 

Misplaced trust: You are engaged in what’s likely your most valuable purchase ever. It’s a business transaction. Ask family, friends & co-workers for referrals, but don’t take their word for it. Be sure that the professionals you are working with have experience and your best interests in mind. 

Accepting oral agreements: Get it in writing. The rate lock, the home inspection, disclosures, the contract. Always. Should a dispute arise, you’ve got the details documented. 

Skipping the fine print: Understand what’s really in any document before signing it. Get documents in advance, take time to read them and ask questions. Get copies of your mortgage and closing papers a few days ahead of closing. 

Forgetting or betting on resale: Avoid buying a home that costs 50 percent more than neighboring homes. Reconsider buying the most expensive home on the block. Neighbors’ lower home values will weaken yours. Buy intending to flip your investment only to have the market fail means when it’s time to sell your price may not cover your costs.  

 Making an unconditional offer: Protect yourself with these contingencies:

1. Mortgage financing: You may be pre-approved but is the house? A formal appraisal confirms — or not — that there is sufficient value in the home to warrant the loan. If the house appraises lower than the sales price, the loan may be declined.

2. Inspection: Never buy an existing or new home without a thorough home inspection. Walk through the home with the inspector to learn more about the house and any concerns he or she may have.

3. Insurance: Confirm you can get adequate insurance coverage. In some areas, or following certain disasters, it can be difficult to get types of hazard insurance.

 

Thinking of buying a home in West Chester, Beckett Ridge or Liberty Township, Fairfield Township, Monroe or Mason Ohio?

Search the entire MLS database of homes for sale here!

 

Wondering what your home is worth in today’s real estate market? Request a market analysis here!

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