Are you getting your house ready to sell?!  Congratulations! Let’s run through a checklist get your home ready ASAP

It’s going to be a process and a project but you can do this!

Welcome back.  My name is Cori and I‘m a proud Marlboro Township resident and your local REALTOR® with the Monmouth County Dream Homes Powered by RE/MAX CENTRAL.  On this  YouTube channelI talk about about all things Monmouth County, Marlboro Township and real estate.  If you are interested in all these topics, check back each and every week.  I try to put out fun and interesting content and i’m always here to answer your questions about Real Estate and Monmouth County.  Feel free to hit the subscribe button and the little bell icon to be notified when my new videos are released every single Monday.

Selling is hard work

Selling your house is NOT easy; and don’t let anyone tell you that it is.  Did you know, moving is categorized as one of life’s most stressful events.  I’ve  ONLY had major moves twice, and trust me it was no walk in the park.

If we think about the moving process, it really starts when you make the decision to move, right?  You’re researching where to move to, timelines, logistics, and so on.  It’s enough to make your head spin, or if you’re like me, enough to keep you up at night! On top of all of this, you realize that you need to sell your current home – ouch!

If you’re like most people, you will need to sell your home while living in it and that’s what we’re focusing on today.  How do you get this done and done quickly, in let’s say 30 days or less, while living in your home?

Where to Start

In this video I’m  going to give you a week by week guide of what you can do to successfully prepare for listing your home  I will also tell you,  the work you put into preparing your home and semi staging it can translate into a higher purchase price AND fewer days on the market. The whole point of this video is to help you get your house ready to sell, quickly, easily with as little hassle as possible. 

The  goal with this guide is to make your home look as fabulous as possible.  While your home is listed you want it to appeal to a wide group of potential clients and to allow them to envision themselves living there.  Keep in mind, as realtors what we are truly selling is Space, and we want your space to look fantastic.  Ready?

To keep this video short and sweet I am going to be running through this timeline quickly, so at the end of the video you can download a printable checklist that I have made for you.   There will be a link in the description box below so don’t forget to grab your copy!

Oh and one last thing, I am going to literally break this 4 weeks, so in one month from today, you’re house will be ready to hit the market!

WEEK ONE


Let’s talk a look at all your belongings

Stuff, we have lots of it, so let’s talk about it.    Week one.  You are going to look at and analyze everything in your entire house and put it into one of three categories.  The categories are as follows:  Trash, Treasure and Donate.

Go through your homes with a sticky pad and start to label items.  I find it’s always best to start with your treasures.  Those are things you 100% are taking with you to your next home.  

Trash,  Items that you no longer want and are truly         not suitable to give to anyone else.  These items may include old torn up furniture, clothing that has definitely seen it’s day.  It may be old childrens toys or just basic, hmm what do you call it?  JUNK.

And the final category is donation.  Keep in mind there are always people out there who are less fortunate and could use a little bit of help.  If you are not going to be using items such as furniture, or cookware, clothes or yard supplies and they are in good shape, why not considering donating them?  Put them in a separate pile and together we can figure out what you should do with them.  

On a side note, I have a page on facebook called pay it forward.  No money is EVER exchanged here and all items are donated to help those in need.  

Get a clear picture of which category each and every item inside and even outside your house falls into.  

Conduct Interviews

Next up is the part about finding a realtor.  Normally I would tell you to set up and conduct interviews with a few local REALTORS®.  But i’m going to save you a TON of trouble and time and effort.  This girl right here?  If you are selling or buying in Monmouth County, NJ,  I’m your girl.  

Okay okay, I do recommend interviewing at least three realtors and getting recommendations from friends and  family.   You need to find someone that you like and feel like you can trust.  

I’ll cover my best tips for hiring a REALTOR® in a future video so make sure you subscribe to our channel and keep an eye open for that. 

Plan for Storage

Finally during week one,  you need to come up with a plan for storing the items you are you using right now but you are going to keep and take to your new home.  Consider renting a storage unit or asking friends or family if you can store these items at their place temporarily.

WEEK TWO


Start Packing

First things first, take a deep breath.  Packing stinks, no matter how you look at it.  But it must be done, so let’s just dive in and start parking.  I strongly suggest you break your house down into rooms and you tackle one room a day and take it from there.  

Move Items to Storage

Once you have gone through each area and you have everything you can packed up, you are going to move those items you want to keep into the storage space you arranged in week one.

WEEK THREE


Make Repairs

Now that you’ve got rid of a bunch of stuff you are going to walk around your house and look a much much closer closer.  Make a list of all and any items that need to be repaired and make a plan to have them repaired as soon as possible. If you need the name of a local handyman just ask.   Trust me, it’s a lot of work, but I promise you  It’s worth it!  You want your house in tip top shape when it hits the market.  

You will also want to make sure that you’ve been properly maintaining all of your major systems. Be sure you have your HVAC system serviced, have be sure you appliances work property, and you just  may want to have someone look at the roof.

Remember, the goal is to make sure your home shows in the best possible light.  We want your home to look well cared for and loved.

Hire a REALTOR®

Next, you’re going to hire a REALTOR®.  Remember, all the way back in week one when you interviewed agents, well I hope it’s still been in the back of your mind because now it’s time to make your decision and hire one.

It’s now that time to put pen to paper and start signing the listing agreement.  Now it’s getting super exciting.

Discuss when you will be officially ready to activate your listing and be sure your agent hired and scheduled a professional photographer.   

Ask Questions

During this week, ask your REALTOR® all and any questions you may have.  See if they have any tips on how to make your home show better or any last minute tips or tricks.  

Showing Instructions

During  week three, you need to come up with a plan for showings and how you would like them handled.  Especially now if you are watching this video during the Covid – 19 pandemic.  This step can be complicated if you work from home, or have kids or pets. Now add in a quarantine and world wide virus…..  Yup it can cause a bit of stress.

Come up with a plan for quick tidy up, and always be sure your beds are made.  Side note, I can’t imagine not making my bed each and every day.   You may want to buy a few small baskets or cute bins that you can use last minute to hide some of your belongings. 

 Keep in mind that you want to make your home as easy and accessible to show as possible.  Discuss what works best for you with your agent, for example do you need 2 hours notice, 24 hours notice etc.

WEEK FOUR


Yay you are almost there.  I bet you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Be honest, your  house is looking pretty darn good isn’t it?  Week four is time to add the finishing touches.  So let’s go.  

Hire a Landscaper

Curb appeal isn’t anything, it’s EVERYTHING.  Hire a landscaper to clean up the front and back of your home. Your get one chance to make an impression and trust me first impressions are everything.  Not to mention overgrown trees can send the wrong message.  Make sure everything looks beautiful including your front door and entry way.  Don’t be afraid to add a pop of color.  If the season is right add some flowers in decorative pots. 

Professional Cleaner

I know you have been cleaning for weeks and weeks, but now You are also going to hire a professional cleaner to do a deep clean, and I mean a TRUE DEEP clean.  This includes flooring, Ceiling fans,  windows, toilets, light fixtures, and everything in between. Top to bottom, left to right and inside out.  You want your home to spell scrumptious!

Get Ready for Photos

Tell your agent you are ready and have them get professional photos.

Finalize Documents

Be sure all documents are signed and you are ready to go.  Simply reach out to your realtor and ask if everything is done and ready to go.  

Get that house on the market

You did it.  It’s been a long 4 weeks but you should be proud of what you have accomplished. Your home should be hitting the market any moment now. Don’t forget, you will need to give a house key to your REALTOR®.  Chances are you did that already, but i’m just double checking. 

You did it!

You did it.  Take a look your home.  Can you believe your pulled this off.  Take a deep breath, maybe open a bottle of wine and now it’s time to relax and your agent handle the rest.

As promised, if you’d like to download a printable copy of the checklist, simply click here.

So, there you have it!  What do you think?  Are you ready to list your home in 30 days or less?  Thank you so much for joining me this week.  I”ll be back next monday to talk to you about something else that has to do with Monmouth County, Real Estate and or Marlboro Township!  Cya then