House Cleaning

In today’s tough real estate market home sellers need to pay attention to the smallest of details, for they can be the difference between selling your home and watching it sit on the market month after month. These details can range from minor repairs to a major restaging. For any home to sell these details must be a part of an overall plan that includes correctly pricing your home for the real estate market today.

One detail that is often overlooked by sellers is a thorough and comprehensive cleaning of your home before putting it on the market. A clean home will not only appear organized and well kept but will tell potential buyers that you as a seller have cared for your home. This is an important factor for any buyer. When buyers see a dirty home they’ll wonder about things they can’t see. They may not consciously realize they are doing this but every buyer will register a dirty home on some level. Seeing a dirty home, any buyer concerned about the condition of a home, will not get that all important “Warm and Fuzzy” feeling that most often leads to an offer. Remember, for most buyers, a home purchase is based on emotion. So make sure your home is clean, organized and well kept. It will go a long way to selling your home without breaking the budget.

For my sellers I always recommend a good home cleaning service to come in and do an overall cleaning of the home before the first open house. This is a top to bottom cleaning that should include all hard surface floors, windows, bathrooms, kitchen cabinetry and baseboards as well as vacuuming under and around furniture. A good home cleaning service can, within a few hours, have the home looking and smelling clean, and most importantly pass the white glove test. From there it’s an easy task to perform touch ups on a regular basis.

When having your home professionally cleaned it’s important to specify things that are particularly important for the sale of your home. A clean kitchen should be the main focus with the bathrooms a close second. Windows should also be an important part of a professional home cleaning. If your cleaning crew does not do windows there are many good window cleaning companies that can handle the task. Before your crew leaves it is advisable to walk though the house and inspect their job. If something has been missed or is not done to your satisfaction let the cleaning crew know. A good professional home cleaning service wants a happy customer and will make sure the job is completed to the homeowner’s satisfaction.

Every home under the right conditions will sell. To ensure your home has the best possible chance of attracting the few buyers out there, make sure your home is a complete and attractive package that buyers simply cannot resist. Price and appearance are two of the most important factors in the sale of a home. Discuss the price with your agent to arrive at the best possible dollar amount to attract buyers. Once you’ve attracted them with a great price show off your homes true potential with a clean and sparking appearance that tells every buyer your home is special. These are the homes that sell, so don’t over look the appeal of a clean home because it can be one of the most important reasons buyers are attracted to your home.

Escrow open at Last

I have buyers! Actually I've had these buyers since March. We've looked at a few houses and put in a few offers and now we have an accepted offer on a Bank Owned property. Banks drive hard bargains when it comes to contingencies and a closing date. The bank allows 5 days for buyer inspections after that too bad so sad. If we close late due to the buyers side an initial $300. will be charged, plus $50.00 per day up to 10 days and then escrow is cancelled. No problem the lender assures us.
We submitted of Friday 9/21 and had a verbal acceptance on 9/24 with a closing date of 10/24. So we move forward. Today is 10/5 with 18 days til escrow closes and we still don't have a fully executed PA from the bank and Escrow and title were opened today. We've done the appraisal and the buyer is doing his home inspection this weekend but since the house is sold as is, he's doing it just for his own piece of mind. Good idea for every buyer. The lender called me this morning wanting a preliminary title report to submit for full loan approval. I had to call escrow as they were shuffling paperwork and plead with them to get a prelim to the lender ASAP.
I'm sure the buyers side of this transaction will be completed on time unfortunately the bank side doesn't seem to have a clue or any sense of urgency in this sale so well have to see what happens.

Haunted House For Sale

The subject had to come up sooner or later being so close to Halloween and all. I once had the pleasure or misfortune of listing a house that the owner later revealed was haunted. Now the house had been for sale for a while and wasn't in great shape to begin with and then the owner has the nerve to drop this bombshell on me. I'm no clairvoyant or medium, but honest to god I never felt weird in the house or felt someone else was there when I was by myself. So when Ms. X told me there was a spirit in the house I thought she was kidding and almost laughed. Luckily, I learned long ago, make absolutely sure your client isn't serious before you laugh. That has saved my @$$ several times. We talked a little about her spirit and after she continually insisted there was something in the house I had no choice but to believe her.

So, of course I had to do my duty and disclose, so out comes an addendum to the TDS. I’m stumped as to what exactly I should write. After all I've never seen a ghost so I’m disclosing that the owner believes there is a PRESENCE in the house. The office got a good laugh and I had to endure a little rib tickling but all is well that ends well.

I disclosed to everyone who wanted to look at the house and most people took my disclosure with a grain of salt. After all the house was a track home with no shady past and was built in 1985. Most people didn't really believe me. Finally we got an offer and the buyers were actually delighted at the prospect of a ghost in the house. I knew we should have raised the price…Oh well, live and learn.

Attention Pack Rats

If clutter has you down, The National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net) offers these handy tips.

Kid’s Room·

1. Place bins and boxes on lower shelves so a child can put away the toys.·



2. Label storage so it’s easy for children to put items where they belong.·



3. Provide low hooks to hang up sweaters, pajamas, jackets, book bags, etc.·



4. Take children with you when you go to donate unused items.



5. This helps them learn to part with things.

Closets·

1. Pull out everything you haven’t worn in the past year.·



2. Display what you want at your fingertips and store the rest on top shelves or in drawers.·



3. Make sure you can see what you have in your closet.



4. Consider installing good lighting.



5. Hang like items together — shirts, pants, dresses, etc.

Kitchen·

1. 
   Consolidate things that work together, such as baking pans, electrical appliances, plastic containers (with lids), and pots and pans.·



2. Rotate food staples out of your pantry.·



3. Feel the flow of activity. Place glasses near the sink or refrigerator. Put snacks in a convenient drawer or cupboard.

Garage·

1. Decide how to use the space. Is it a workshop? Is it a storage center?·



2. Toss things that don’t work!·



3. Sort, purge and properly store treasures.·



4. Consider floor-to-ceiling shelving, racks, stacking drawers, hooks and pegboards

Get organized, you'll thank yourself now and your real estate agent will thank you later.