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Selling Your Home

How to Get the Most

When Selling

Anchor 1

If you're considering selling your home, you might look into easy ways to improve and update your home in order to sell for the highest amount possible. There are a few smaller scale remodeling options with great return on investment:

  • Front door: 103%

  • Garage door: 98.3%

  • Stone veneer: 97.1%

  • Deck addition: 92.8%

  • Minor kitchen or bathroom remodel: 91.1%

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Home improvements pay off in more ways than one. Beyond the enhanced beauty, livability, and pride that comes with remodeling, you also provide yourself with enhanced market values and a higher resale price. Often, I will suggest small items with big returns at our home meetings.

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If you're thinking about selling in order to build new, you might consider remodeling instead. First off, how long do you plan to stay? If you want to increase space, you should think about building new unless you have an unfinished basement or are able to add another floor. A good way to go through the remodeling process is to remodel in phases. You can meet with your realtor to see what your home is worth compared to your dream home, as this can help you know to buy, build, or remodel depending on your budget, needs, and desires.

Accessory Dwelling Units

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Accessory dwelling units (ADU) are a great idea for an addition, an option to move into, or a feature of an existing property you're looking into. ADU are small, typically one level units that are a separate structure behind the main house. Local governments across the country are making it easier to build and rent out ADU for numerous reasons: they are an affordable housing option that can be offered in areas with tight inventory, the homeowners pick up the cost of developing one of the most affordable forms of housing, and because the ADU must be far back enough as to where it cannot be confused for the actual house, ADU provide invisible density.

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Why might you think about investing in or moving into an ADU? They are great for small households, divorced parents, empty nesters, having family live close, or for people who need the rental income. They are a good option for divorced parents because they can keep the family close together while simultaneously saving money, or by having family move in you can guarantee that help with kids is only steps away.

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Obviously these ADU don't build themselves, but there are a few ways that can make it an accessible option for you:

  • Home equity lines might make sense

    • Some banks may provide loans given the revenue potential​

  • Dweller is a company that specifically works with people to build ADU

    • Dweller will build and install the ADU at no cost and then own, manages, and rents it out. As the homeowner, you get 30% of the rent

    • The homeowner owns the ADU after 25 years or at any point by purchasing it through a declining buyout 

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ADU can provide a source of passive income, an opportunity to work from home, a place for family to live, and much more. If you have the space, you might consider it as an option next time you're thinking of remodeling or moving!

Preparing Your Home

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  • Air the home

  • Less is more

  • Pack up all personal photos

  • Remove personal necessity items from bathroom

  • Rent a storage space to remove all visible storage boxes

  • Remove unneeded furniture to make rooms look larger

  • Remember the rule, “one will do”

  • Use mirrors generously

  • Replace worn, stained carpeting and cracked floor tiles. Be sure that any remaining carpet, drapery, or upholstery does not smell

  • Wash the windows, inside and out. Remove unnecessary screening

  • Decorate the patio or deck with flowerpots and furniture

  • Landscape

  • Trim all hedges, pull weeds, and tidy up yard

  • Repair all plumbing, faucets, running toilets

  • Clean or repair/replace worn caulking around tubs, sinks, countertops

  • Deep clean entire house, oven, fireplace, garage, etc.

  • Power washing the exterior will make everything look cleaner

  • Replace or supplement existing furniture and accessories with rentals if need be

Getting Ready to Move

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2 MONTHS OUT:

  • Sort your closets, drawers, cabinets, and any other areas of concern

    • Pare down: use up, sell, recycle, or donate anything you don’t want to move. Make it a family project

  • Contemplate holding a garage sale prior to your move; this will help you reduce the amount of stuff you need to move and earn some extra cash on the side. Start planning one now, or think of charities that could take your stuff

  • Analyze which items may be recycled, tossed, or donated

  • Reserve transportation: Moving truck, portable container, friends. Get quotes from at least three movers and read reviews

  • Do you need storage? Start researching storage options now

  • Plan loading and unloading times and help

  • Take photos of your home to identify where things go and how you styled your shelves, nightstands, and counter spaces. Make a moving folder or booklet--include an inventory of your household items with a video or photos. Great for memories too!

 

6 WEEKS OUT:

  • Notify current services you will be moving. Schools, doctors, banks, pharmacies, etc…

  • Arrange for additional help with child care, pet care, and general manpower

  • Create a spreadsheet and plan for your move

  • Consider getting quotes for painting any rooms you would like to upon move in

  • Research your new community and schools so you know as much as possible before you move

 

1 MONTH OUT:

  • Notify any old or new associations of your move and fill in paperwork. There may be some charges to move in or out to be paid at closing

  • Notify old and new schools and arrange for the transfer of school records

    • Begin registration process at new schools

  • Notify doctors and dentists of move, and seek referrals. Collect all medical, dental, and school records to ensure you do not forget to obtain them at a later date: some require written permission for this. Keep these in a safe place

  • Purchase boxes, tape, and other moving items

  • Unless you’re buying new packing materials, keep an eye out for used items that could be used for packing (old towels, sheets, etc.)

  • Dispose of paint, oil, and weed killers

    • Drain fuel out of mowers

    • Discard propane tanks from grills

  • Contact current services to cancel after your moving date:

    • Gas

    • Electric

    • Cable

    • Garbage

    • Newspapers

  • Contact aforementioned services in your new area to start service on your move in day

  • Contact your insurance agent to transfer medical, property, fire, and auto insurance policies, and while you have them on the phone be sure to ask about coverage while you’re in transit

  • Create a designated folder for moving-related expenses where you can file all receipts. This will come in handy as many moving expenses are tax deductible. Obtain an IRS Change of Address form (form 8822) by calling 800-829-1040 or visiting the IRS website. You will be able to download and print form 8822 and most other IRS tax forms: e.g. form 3903 to help deduct moving expenses.

  • Order new blinds and curtains

  • Create an inventory of your stuff so that you can compare against the moving company’s list to ensure you don’t lose anything in the move. It’s also a good aid in determining how much moving insurance you need

  • Make an unpacking plan for the new home: who does what and diagram where the furniture goes. The movers will not rearrange your furniture for you unless you are prepared, so think this through

  • Start preparing your kids for the move. Talk about it and engage them in the process--maybe they can help color-code boxes so the movers know where everything goes

 

1 WEEK OUT:

  • Pack

  • Label your boxes. Be sure you’re labeling each box for where it goes in your new home--if you don’t do this now, you might very well forget what’s in which box. Also, where applicable mark the boxes “FRAGILE”, “DO NOT LOAD”, or “LOAD LAST”

  • Disconnect and disassemble your computer and peripherals

    • Backup your computer files on a disk or flash memory drive. You should plan to take these files with you in the car or whatever mode of transportation you will be using to get to your new home. Exposure to extreme temperatures can damage your software and files

  • Contact locksmith to change locks of your new home on move-in day

  • Pack a moving day survival kit

  • Pack a moving day box of things you’ll be moving yourself so you have access to them right away. Cell phone, light bulbs, tool kit, scissors, flashlight, trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, aspirin, bed linens, etc.

  • Make sure you have extra packing material on hand for things that arise last minute!

  • Notify the USPS of your new address

  • Forward your mail to your new address

  • Contact new landscaping company

  • Contact new cleaning company

  • Collect valuable items such as jewelry or heirlooms and keep them separate from the rest of your packed belongings so you don’t risk losing them

  • Return any borrowed items, such as library books, and collect any clothing that you may have taken to be dry-cleaned

  • Confirm closing/move in dates with your real estate agent; confirm dates with your storage people

  • Confirm the amount of the cashier’s check for your closing

  • Get together all keys, alarm codes, and garage door openers and place them in a folder so that you are prepared to hand them over to the new owner or your real estate agent

  • Think about quick and easy meals you can prepare for your family to use up the remaining food in your refrigerator so that it does not go to waste and so that you can pack up some kitchen items

  • Empty, clean, and defrost your refrigerator and freezer. Use baking soda to get rid of any foul odors

  • Notify the police in your town if your home will be uninhabited for a long period of time

  • Before you move, mow your lawn one last time--especially if your home will be unoccupied immediately after your departure

  • Make sure you know what to do with final trash

 

ON CLOSING/MOVING DAY:

  • Do the walkthrough with your real estate agent. Make sure everything’s where it should be. Ask for all appliance manuals and such

  • Bring cashier’s check to closing with driver’s licenses

  • Do a final walk-through of your home to make sure you have everything

  • Inform your movers of any special instructions or general information

  • In your new home, tape names to doors to assist movers; map out the floor layout so movers know what’s going where; finally, prepare your new home for moving to prevent any damage

  • Have some cash on hand: a $20-25 cash tip per mover is typical

  • Arrange for payment for movers

  • Pay your movers

  • Have carpets cleaned

  • Verify your utilities have been set up correctly

  • Change garage code

  • Check fire alarms, radon detectors, and make sure you have fire extinguishers in your new home

 

AFTER YOUR MOVE:

  • Unpack and get organized

  • Go to the County to file your homestead property taxes

  • Give a change of address to the following:

    • Employer

    • Banks

    • Schools

    • Doctors

    • DMV (updated license)

    • Creditors

    • Insurance companies

    • Friends

    • Families

    • Cell phone company

    • Credit card company

    • Magazine and newspaper subscriptions

    • Voter registration

© 2017 by Sheila Mitchell, Realtor  |  Designed by storrar-designs.com

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Licensed in Minnesota.

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