Getting ready to MOVE

Buying and selling a home requires the moving of one's stuff. One has to begin the process well before closing day (the day you sign papers to transfer title). It must actually begin before one personal item goes in a box. The day you decide you want to live in a new place is the day you begin the moving process. Many times the idea of moving traumatizes us to the point we are unwilling to consider buying in the first place. I mean, who wants to go through all that aggravation? Planning and organizing and packing, whoa, this is too much like work!

You have to focus on your ultimate goal. Put the thought of the work of moving to the side. The hard labor will only last a short time. The benefits ( being in a new home) will last much longer and hopefully make you much happier as well. Once you have mentally accepted and maybe even embraced the thought of living in a new place, you get a new energy. How often has a home seller wondered why no one has bought their home only to realize, perhaps not, that they have a mental block about the impending move? Until you are ready to accept the fact, you aren't ready to sell or move.

OK, so now you've gotten in the right frame of mind. We just wait for someone to make an offer we like and then start packing, right? Wrong! The job of packing actually needs to begin when the idea of selling is first conceived. I'm not talking about packing up everything. You still live there. De clutter and depersonalize your house as much as possible. Your goal should be to make the home seem more spacious. Buyer's will want to see some furnishings but they might be turned off by your trophy bass or stuffed jackalope. Consider the services of a home stager. For a nominal consulting fee, a home stager can advise you on ways to make your house look it's best. This can pay dividends far beyond the cost. Homes that have used the services of a professional stager sell more quickly and for a higher dollar amount than non staged homes.

Whether you use a professional (www.invitingspace.com) or not, you need to begin the process. Getting ready to move before you have to move, will help sell your house more quickly, take some of the stress out of the actual moving day and may also allow you to get rid of things you don't need, don't want and didn't realize you still had.

As always, if the reader has any real estate need or question, feel free to send me an e-mail at www.sparker@lkwood.com and I will do my best to serve you!