Jim Valentine: Waiting for perfect

Deciding to sell your home is a big decision on many levels, but once it is made the process should become your focal point. Make an action plan for your sale process that includes what you are going to do to get your home ready for sale, the timing of when you want things to happen, and then execute your plan. This sounds simple, but amazingly many people get tangled up at this point while they are “going to put our home on the market.”

Most will recognize that they need to transition from living in the house to getting it ready to present to a buyer. Kind of like getting the Starbucks cups out of the back seat while at the carwash when you are going to sell your car. Clean and spruce up. Change the light bulb that burned out three months ago and coil the garden hose. Minor details, but those can be significant for the visual effect when your home is shown.

This process can be taken over the top. You can chase details for the perfect showing for months without being market ready, or more appropriately, being market ready but not on the market. There are some basic standards that buyers usually want to see. If you meet them your home can be sold at any point from that point forward. They are cleanliness, appearance, and function. The function of your home will be readily apparent to them. That entails your floorplan, outbuildings, or specialized improvements, i.e. - horse set up, height of ceilings, etc.

Cleanliness means you don’t have two weeks of laundry built up, a sink full of dishes, and a cat box working overtime. There is a difference between clutter and cleanliness. Clutter will come in appearance and can often be overlooked. If you are moving to a bigger house, then the clutter is explainable and should be understood. You just don’t fit there anymore. Cleanliness is essential. No one wants to live in a stinky house, and most won’t look past what it takes to clean it up regardless of how low of an offer you will accept.

You never get a second chance at a first impression which means the home must look and present well. This is readily achievable in most cases without a lot of time-consuming work. Does your paint need touch up on the weather side, or an entire new paint job on the outside? Don’t try to make it look like a new home that nobody lived in. With the time it takes to achieve that you could find your market changing.

When you consider selling your home and make the decision to move forward on that path, you are evaluating in a given real estate market. What is happening at that time. The passage of time, however, can bring change and it is important that you remember that as you work to get your home “perfect” to sell.

How many times have you heard someone say, “We’re going to put our home on the market.”? And it seems like forever passes and they don’t. Often times they are tripping over the proverbial dollar to save a dime. They want to fix the minutia to get a little more, but the world is changing around them, and they are losing dollars as they work to save or earn a “dime.”

When you decide to sell, act fast and get it on the market. A bad showing is better than no showing especially if your hook isn’t even in the water, you aren’t on the market. Take care of the essentials, cleanliness and order, but get moving.

International/national/local affairs can change the economy. Weather can go extreme and cause market time loss. Interest rates… can make headlines. “The only thing that is constant is change itself.” (Heraclitus)

If you are waiting for perfect, who’s opinion of perfect are you measuring by? Some want it to “look right.” Some want it to “feel right.” Some want it to “sound right.” Which will sell it? Only the buyer knows so get it on the market and let them decide.

When it comes to choosing professionals to assist you with your Real Estate needs… Experience is Priceless! Jim Valentine, RE/MAX Gold Carson Valley, 775-781-3704. dpwtigers@hotmail.com