Charlotte Property Hunters - Find Your Dream Home in South Charlotte and Union County, North Carolina

Many sellers today are looking for that edge over the competition.  What will make my house sell?  How can I be next?  Here are 10 Tips to a Great Showing:

1. Rid Your Home of Clutter. Clean your counters off.  Get rid of any stacks or piles of bills, newspapers, magazines and projects!  Clear your personal products off bathroom counter-tops.  Make sure you can see 90% of your kitchen counter-tops from front to back.  Pick up all toys and get them out of sight!  Never just stack them on the wall.

2. Open Blinds & Curtains. Bringing natural light into your home is important.  Along with this you must ensure your windows, window sills and screens are clean. This will go a long way to brightening any home.  Remember, all buyers are going to look out your windows to identify room locations and positions with exterior views.  Darker homes should consider leaving lights on if opening blinds and curtains are not enough.

3.  Clean, Clean, Clean. The best impression you can make is a clean home.  Before you leave each day ensure the counter-tops and floors are clear.  Make the kitchen and bathrooms shine.  No fingerprints on the walls, doors or appliances.  Double check closets are clean. No dust bunnies!

4. Remove Smells.  No one wants to come into your home and smell kitty litter or pet urination or your dinner from last night.  Make sure to use your vent when cooking and take time to clean kitty litter regularly (more than you would if your home weren’t on the market).  If you need an air freshener get a neutral scent.  Don’t over mask a smell.  That always ends up worse!

5.  Prepare Buyer’s 1st Impression.  Cut your grass, use an edger, clear debris like leaves and branches from the yard.  Water flowering plants.  Step outside and look at your front door.  Then look up, down and around to ensure your buyers will be looking at a neat and clean entrance.  Put your water hose up when you are done watering and cleaning.

6. Bathroom Etiquette. Clear your counters and put your toilet seats down.  No toothbrushes, toothpaste or any other personal items should be on the counters.  Nice hand towels should be out and clean.  Ensure all your clothing is picked up before you leave the home everyday.  Surprise showings happen!  Do a last wipe down before you leave the home each day if possible.

7. Secure Your Pets. Leaving your animals to roam is never the best way to show your home.  Safety is important for your pet.  Consider a kennel.  If you can take your pet with you or find a place outside your home for your animals.  Share instructions or pet names with your agent and the showing service.

8. Leave the home. If a buyer’s agent is showing your home.  Leave home before the buyers show up.  It is a courtesy that will go a long way. Buyer’s agents will follow up and address any questions their buyer has.

9.  Garage, Laundry Room & Basements.  Don’t leave these rooms as your dumping ground.  Get closing containers if you need a place to store last minute items in a clean and neat fashion.

10.  Create a Checklist.  In today’s market you have to be ready on a moment’s notice.  Don’t let a last minute showing get to you.  Have a checklist of items to look for in your home before you leave to ensure you aren’t caught by surprise.  Do a little of it in the evening before you go to bed and then touch it up in the morning. Enlist your family’s help!

1.  Organize, Clean and Neutralize. Get rid of clutter and pack up un-used items, such as large mixers and other kitchen appliances and tools, out-of-season clothes, toys, and exercise equipment. Store items off-site or in boxes neatly arranged in the garage or attic.  Also, consider a yard sale or selling items online or at a consignment store.  Clean the windows, carpets, walls, lighting fixtures, and baseboards to make the house shine.  Power wash the exterior of your home and entry.  Also, make sure you are using the room for it’s intended purpose and that furniture size, quantity and positioning is considered for each room.  Neutralize your paint colors if you personalized colors.  As a rule of thumb, bold colors, no matter how easy it is to paint, are always an issue.  A rainbow of room colors is never popular with buyers.  This is the most important part of preparing to sell your home. 

2. Find Your Warranties/Property Information. Put together the warranties, guarantees, and user manuals for the HVAC System, stove/range, washer and dryer, dishwasher, and any other items that will remain with the house.  In addition, locating the property survey, floor plan, HOA dues payment schedule and amount, property management company for community, neighborhood covenants, restrictions and regulations and any other details you received when you purchased the home can help your Realtor market your home to the fullest!

3. Wooing the Buyer With Curb Appeal. Put your buyer hat on and stand outside of your home. As you approach the front door, what is your impression of the property? Do the lawn and bushes look neatly manicured? Is the address clearly visible? Are pretty flowers or plants framing the entrance? Is the walkway free from cracks and impediments?  Is the entrance clear of cobwebs?

4.  Have a Pre-Sale Home Inspection. If your home is more than a few years old be proactive and arrange for a pre-sale home inspection. An inspector will be able to give you a good indication of the trouble areas that will stand out to potential buyers, and you’ll be able to make repairs before showings begin.  This can save you on the back end of your home sale during the inspection period between the initial contract signatures and closing.  Many homeowners go into this period not knowing what to expect relative to additional expenses.  Peace of mind comes with a home inspection.

5. Get Replacement Estimates. Do you have big-ticket items that are worn out or will need to be replaced soon, such as your roof, appliances or carpeting? Get estimates on how much it would cost to replace them, even if you don’t plan to do it yourself. The figures will help you when buyers bring the issue up, and will be handy when negotiations begin.  Buyers today are savvy, have your information together.

All of these items are more important than ever as you prepare to sell your home.  Be ready to look at your home through buyer eyes and remember it is a buyer’s market and many sellers are competing with you.  Find the winning edge and keep it throughout the selling process.  Call Help-U-Sell Buy Today for expert assistance in selling your home today.  We are here for you from start to finish, offering advise and feedback on where to start and how far you should go before your home is ready to sell.

Moving to a new home can be extremely stressful especially if you have children. It is important to be aware of the things that may be a concern to your children when making a move. The best plan of action is to prepare them for the move is to get them involved. By staying involved in the process, they’ll feel they’re part of the transition and more in control of the situation. There are some things you can do to help your children make the move smoothly, below are some tips that can help.

• Prepare them for the move months in advance.  Be honest with your children about when, where and how you will make the move as well as how it will affect them. Changes to schools, different neighborhoods mean distance from established friendships and familiar areas.  For younger children books or movies on the subject can be very helpful.
• Scope out the neighborhood before you move. Are there other children your child can play with? If not, where can your child go to meet friends? Is there a community center or club such as 4-H, Scouts, or Campfire nearby?
• Arrange to visit the school before enrolling your child. Be sure to point out familiar places like the school cafeteria, library, and restrooms. Kids worry about being able to find their way around.
• Involve your child by taking pictures of your new home, and community and encourage your child to share them with others. Check out the new neighhborhood before you move with your child. Are there other children your child can play with? Locate local community centers or club such as 4-H, Scouts and such. If your child is going to a new school, arrange to visit the school before enrolling your child. Children feel more comfortable if they know where they are going and can have any concerns addressed first.
• Be understanding and patient. It is normal to for children to feel anxious, sad and it make take several months to adjust. Be sure to try to keep routines and other daily living habits as normal as possible. Avoid any unnecessary changes that will add to the stress. 

When you think of going green you probably think of recycling or using reusable grocery bags but did you know you can ‘go green’ when you move? There is a growing trend towards these types of moving companies and today there are several different moving companies that incorporate earth friendly practices all while moving you to your new home!

These businesses use eco friendly practices in their daily operations, see the below list for some standard changes the industry is making. 

• Powering that fleet by using  EPA Certified bio-diesel
• Using recycled packing material including rentable crates eliminated cardboard waste at the end of a move 
• Eliminating waste by offering biodegradable replacements for bubble wrap and foam made from materials like cornstarch and recycled paper sludge
• Using a new generation of low-emissions, fuel efficient trucks

 You can also do your part when moving by following the below eco friendly moving tips to help out…there is more to moving green than just moving!

Use eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Moving is messy so when selecting your cleaning supplies, opt for nontoxic, biodegradable cleaners.

Reduce your junk mail. A tip from the Care2 “Green Moving Guide”: File a temporary change of address with your post office rather than a permanent one to cut down on junk mail at the new place. The U.S. Postal Service sells lists of permanent address changes to direct marketers, but doesn’t bother doing so with temporary addresses.

Reduce what you are moving.  You can reduce the amount of stuff you move by having a garage sale or donating items you don’t need. This will help to save on the amount of items you move and will end up saving you money as well as time!