When listing your home for sale, you will be instructed by your agent to clean-up and fix-up your home before the first buyer takes a look.
A previous post discussed removing anything from the home that you wish to exclude from the sale. Further discussion of that post revealed that sellers should also consider what personal property in the home is valuable to them - monetarily or sentimentally - and remove them.
Remove all valuables from your home during the marketing period. It doesn't matter if these items are expensive or just irreplaceable in your heart. There's no need to let the buyers think that maybe, just maybe, you'll be willing to part with these items as part of the home sale transaction.
If something in your home "fits" that home well, such as a favorite bench that sits in the nook on the front porch so perfectly, and you absolutely must take that bench with you to your new home, then store that bench away during your home's marketing period. Otherwise, the buyers may ask you to include that item in the sale. True, you can say "No" and move on, but why run the risk of upsetting the buyers?
Take an inventory of the personal belongings in your home. What is so important to you that you couldn't possibly leave it behind for the new owners? Gather up these items and store them away. It will give you a head start on your packing! And, it will also help you as you begin the process of decluttering and depersonalizing your home.
As an added bonus, by removing these items that are important to you, you eliminate the chance of these items becoming accidentally damaged, say, by a buyer knocking into them and breaking them.
Remember: If that bench is the perfect thing for your front porch, you can always buy an inexpensive one at the department store to replace it!
Special thanks to Michael Roberts for his anecdote about the bench.
Snottiness... there oughta be a rule against this on Active Rain..."Remember: If that bench is the perfect thing for your front porch, you can always buy an inexpensive one at the department store to replace it!"
What a wise guy.
but what if the new buyer does not want it... then you have two %$&*ing green benches? Or you can leave the one and the new buyer can sue you for the cost of hauling the eyesore away...
No more... I will not comment on your blog again.
Until you post a new entry.
Maureen, Maureen, Maureen...
You make me laugh! I'm going to have to send you a bench for your birthday. I'm thinking of this bench, even though it's not green. You could always paint it and use it to stage your next listing.
Think of it this way: the seller must keep their bench. They love it. But when they remove it from the front porch, the porch then looks barren. So, buy a new, inexpensive bench to replace it. It helps the home look more inviting, thus more appealing to buyers. By the sellers spending a few dollars on items such as this dreaded bench, they add to the appeal to the home, possibly generating more interest, quicker offers, and maybe even a higher selling price.
When I sold my last home, I removed the kitchen table, which was nice until the kids started using it... I replaced it with a very cheap table and a nice tablecloth. It looked great (thanks to that tablecloth). This cost me about $50. But my kitchen looked great and the house sold. Yes, now I have an extra table. But it's working out great as a craft table for the kids in the basement. Or I could have donated it or sold it at a tag sale if I didn't have a use for it.
Don't forget special framed bathroom mirrors especially over the sink. Replace the ones you cannot live without.
One more "valuable" not to overlook..please remind the sellers to remove prescription medicines. We tend to forget this.
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Q. Can I take my shelves? http://www.bloodhoundrealty.com/BloodhoundBlog/?p=873
Made me think of you....and the green bench