Selling a Home

How do you prepare a house to sell?

Doing whatever you can to put your house's best face forward is very important if you want to get close to your asking price or sell as quickly as possible. Short of spending a lot of money, here are several ideas for making your home show better:

• Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden and clean debris from the yard.
• Clean the windows (both inside and out) and make sure the paint is not chipped or flaking. And speaking of paint, if your home was built before 1978, new federal law gives a buyer the right to request a lead inspection. If you think you might have some problems, do the inspection yourself beforehand and make any fixes you can.
• Be sure that the doorbell works.
• Clean and spruce up all rooms, furnishings, floors, walls and ceilings. It's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless.
• Organize closets.
• Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
• Make sure the house smells good: from an apple pie, cookies baking or spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove. Hide the kitty litter.
• Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house.
• Having pleasant background music playing in the background also will help set your stage.

Provided By Inman News

What should you expect from your agent?

• An agent that is dedicated to finding your new home
• Assistance in mortgage qualification
• Assistance in providing you information on communities, schools, churches and other desired characteristics
• A detailed list of available homes that meet your criteria
• Assistance with preparing an offer
• Assistance with the inspection of the property prior to settlement
• Assistance in relocating if desired
• Facilitating the closing process

Pricing Your Home to Sell

Pricing you home correctly is crucial to selling your home in a timely manner at the highest price possible. Current market conditions determine the value. Pricing too high or too low can cost you time and money.

Factors affecting the price

• Location
• Features
• Condition of your home
• Age of your home
• Current market conditions

What you paid for your home has nothing to do with its present value.

The value some agents put on your property is not always accurate.

Homes you think are the same as yours may in fact be very different.

Ultimately, the buyer determined the value of your home based on comparisons they make to other houses currently on the market.

CENTURY 21 Select Group. has access to the latest technology to get you the most current market data available.

Our experienced agents can help you price your home correctly so that it sells for the highest price possible in the shortest amount of time.

Tips for relocating with children

• Set aside time each day during the relocation to sit down and read or play with their children.
• Contact your CENTURY 21 Relocation Professional for information about child care options, schools, recreation department activities, library services, and other activities that will help children adjust to the new area.
• Tell your relocation professional about your childs interests and hobbies so they can send information directly to each child about possible activities relating to their interests in the new location. Have the information geared to the childs age group.
• If possible, include the children in the home finding trip. Many children will respond favorably if they are involved in the decision of which house to buy. Letting the child pick out their own room in the new house can help them in the process as well.
• Include the children in a preview trip. It is important for kids to be able to see the new neighborhood and schools they will be attending.
• Remember older high school students may no longer meet in-state tuition requirements for their choice of college.
• Visits to college campuses may be incorporated into preview or homefinding trips.
• It is important for relocating children to meet local children in the first few days of the move. These first contacts may not turn out to be their best friends, but it will start the process. The children of neighbors and co-workers are a good place to start.
• Allow children to maintain contact with special friends after the move. This can include having friends from the old neighborhood come visit if distances are short, or allowing the child to call friends in the old location periodically.
• Encourage them to write or e-mail their friends as well.
• Allow your relocation professional to provide your children with pen pals in the new location in the months prior to the move. This will help the children to learn about the new location and will give them a chance to make a new friend before they move to the area. Pen pals can come from company families or from the local schools.