6 Tips to Simplify Selling a House
By: Kristin Louis
Are you ready to sell your house and downsize to a home with less room since you are now empty nesters? A smaller home can certainly make life easier, however, getting there is a lot of work. Showings disrupt your schedule, cleaning eats up all your free time, and in the meantime, you still need to attend to your daily needs.
When you’re standing on the starting line, selling a home with so many memories may be upsetting and cause a great deal of angst. But the stats show that many retirees are doing it every day, and so can you. These tips will help you coordinate a painless household move.
The Three Piles
Everything in your home is potential clutter, so you need to make some decisions on what’s going with you, going to a charity, or going out the door. If you don’t need it, mark it for charity or mark it for the junk pile. Remember that everything that goes with you will incur moving costs, so be judicial. For the charity and junk piles, start with things that definitely won’t be missed, like old home décor, extra linens, or old books. Hang onto favorite books, and memorabilia that you do not want to lose, like a child’s favorite stuffed animal. But only keep the most essential pieces of furniture, and for those pieces that you cannot decide, consider temporarily moving them into a storage unit.
Deep clean
An immaculate home is a must for open houses and showings. If you don’t have time to do your own deep cleaning, hire a cleaning service. Even if you’ve blocked out a weekend to scrub baseboards and wash cabinets, it’s worth hiring out tedious jobs like window washing to save time.
And clean some more
Don’t send professional help away just yet. Even if it’s something you wouldn’t normally splurge on, a regular service saves loads of energy when selling a home. If you’re determined to do your own cleaning, hire a housekeeper to help with the chores. Different from a maid service, housekeepers perform regular household duties like vacuuming and dusting throughout the home, laundering the clothes, and even taking the pets for a walk. An online search tool can help you find local companies and compare rates, and will provide the average rating of each service to help you make an informed decision. Considering that cleaning the home is a big-time commitment and needs to be done efficiently, a housekeeping service can be worth the investment and stress relief.
Simplify meal time
More schedule demands means less time for family meals, especially when it comes to clean-up. Rather than resorting to take-out, plan a menu of meals that cook quickly and only use a few dishes. One-pot meals like stir-fries, casseroles, and pasta are easy to prepare and clean up.
Restrict showings
Showings at all hours of the day cause chaos for your schedule. Rather than risking a last-minute showing in the middle of the day, set showing rules with your realtor. Many people request advance notice of showings and don’t allow any after bedtime.
Have a showing game plan
When a showing is scheduled, there’s no time to waste tidying up and getting out of the house. Avoid forgetting something important in the chaos by making a checklist of what lights to turn on, checking toilets, checking the sink, etc.
Feeling overwhelmed by everything to be done before selling your home? If you need guidance to sell your house, reach out to a real estate agent who can help you prepare for your move step-by-step. With the right team by your side, you can navigate this move and settle into a home your family will love.
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