I know how busy it gets when you’re close to a sale. Don’t put extra stress on yourself by waiting until the last moment to pack. There is one way to not live surrounded by boxes and still keep your sanity – hire professional movers. If your budget doesn’t allow that, then start the packing process early by boxing up the things that you don’t use often. Things that can be put away early include:

• Off season clothes
• Books
• Kitchen items (will you really be making waffles or a souffle in the last few weeks in your house?)
• Some toys (the plus side to this is when you unpack those old toys at your new house, they’ll seem like new toys to your child!)

Take the day off from work on moving day even if you’ve hired professional movers. You’ll want to oversee the move.

There’s a lot of stress involved in moving out of a house especially when you have a deadline with the buyer’s walk through. To stay on track, begin packing early, download a moving checklist and plan for the move to take longer than you expected.

When you’re looking at an offer that includes your paying closing costs, remember to subtract the amount of the closing costs so that you’re looking at the actual “net” offer to you. When my client has been asked to pay closing costs, I subtract the closing costs before the commission is determined (since you won’t actually receive that money, I don’t want to charge you commission on it!)

The closing costs will be spelled out in the offer, in the Purchase and Sale Agreement and will be on the HUD Settlement Statement so everyone (including your account) knows that you paid this expense.

Photo Credit: Images_of_Money

A buyer will come look at your house 1, 2 or at most 3 times in person but they will go online and look at the photos and video of your house countless times while making a decision. They show the photos and video to their friends and family, share them on Facebook and ask others for their opinion.

Here are my minimum requirements to prepare for your home’s photo and video shoot when you’re selling:

• Your house needs to be decluttered. If you’re not sure if you’ve decluttered enough, take a photo of the room and look at it. Photos are very objective and you’ll easily be able to see if there is still too much “stuff” in your room that’s distracting to a potential buyer.
• Picture you room with 2 buyers, their real estate agent and either their parents or friends. What would your room look and feel like with 5 people in it? Do you have your furniture arranged so there’s only a narrow walkway? If you do, then either rearrange or remove some of the furniture.
• I will only take photos and video of a house on a nice day with a blue sky. Buying a house is emotional. I want buyers to see your house with a beautiful blue sky. Dont’ start off on the wrong foot by having a gloomy, grey background behind your house.

Yes it take a lot of work to get a house ready for its photo and video shoot but you only have 1 chance to make a first impression so make sure your bedroom says, “I’m ready for my close up!”

• that no damage was done to the house while furniture was moved out
• that everything that was supposed to remain in the house is still there and everything else is gone
• that the house is in the same condition “reasonable wear and use excepted”. (This is a standard phrase found in many Purchase and Sale Agreements.)

So what exactly does it mean that the house needs to be empty? It might sound like a silly question but this comes up often in real estate sales. It literally means that nothing should still be in the house that isn’t either permanently attached to the house or that the buyer expressly wants included in the sale. Some buyers want the scraps of paint or matching floor tiles you have left over from projects around the house while some buyers consider this trash. The best thing to do is ask.

Some sellers have told me “We’re leaving _______ because the previous owners left it behind when we moved in.” I wish I could tell you that that argument works but if your buyer doesn’t want it, you’ll have to remove it.

The walk through is the last step before the closing. Make sure yours goes smoothly by removing everything from the house that your buyer doesn’t expressly want.

Appraisers will normally take photos of the exterior of the house, the neighborhood, the kitchen, all bathrooms and the living room. Depending on the bank’s requirements they might take more interior photos.

I bring comparable sales to go over with the appraiser along with a copy of the signed Purchase and Sale Agreement. Banks are going over appraisals very carefully lately so it’s important that we have good comparable houses that have recently sold near your property to support the sales price.

When: Wednesday, September 29th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM
Where: Medford Fire Station 5
Zero Medford Street (at the intersection of Medford Street and Main Street)

Each spring and fall I team up with a local real estate attorney, John Masciarelli, and we offer a free seminar to the public to help educate people about what to expect if you decide to sell your property. John and I discuss marketing, the legal aspects of selling, current market conditions and leave plenty of time for your questions.

Learn What To Expect In This Market When Selling Your

* SINGLE FAMILY HOME * MULTI-FAMILY * CONDO * INVESTMENT PROPERTY

John Masciarelli, A local real estate attorney and I will discuss:

• Foreclosures and Short Sales
• How Do We Determine Value?
• Can I Sell My Property Without Paying Capital Gains Taxes?
• How Do We Prepare Our Home For Sale?
• How Do We Sell Our Investment Property With Tenants?

For those who pre-register: we will review the most recent sales in your area. Sign up by September 28th by calling (781) 446-9720 or reserve your seat below.

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Problems can occur when a seller pays off a mortgage but the discharge (the paperwork from the bank showing that the loan has been paid) is not recorded at the Registry of Deeds. This happens a lot when people refinance. No one thinks any more about the discharge until right before the closing. With bank failures and mergers, it’s quite possible that the bank that held your previous mortgage might not be in business. That makes it even harder to track down and obtain the discharge.

If you’re thinking of selling, you can go online to the Registry of Deeds to see what liens are oustanding on your property.

Most title problems related to discharges of old mortgages can be cleared up in a few days, but there are the odd cases that can take weeks to straighten out. Save yourself a headache down the road. If you refinance, make sure that the release for your old mortgage is recorded at the Registry of Deeds.

1. Sign the deed in advance transferring ownership to the new owner. Your signauture must be notarized. The deed is the only paperwork in Massachusetts that must have your original signature.
2. Give a limited power of attorney to someone who will be attending the closing. Your real estate attorney is normally the best person to handle this. They will then sign the rest of the closing documents for you.
3. Give your attorney a copy of your drivers license. This proves you are you to the buyer’s bank and the closing attorney.

That’s all there is to it! Some sellers do choose to be at the closing, but realize that it’s a choice, not a necessity in Masschusetts.

So how can you put your house for sale and make it as easy as possible for buyers and their agents to see your house?

4 Ways To Make Your House Showing Friendly

1. Leave the house for all showings. Buyers need to feel comfortable opening the cabinets and closets. They need to try the house on for size and don’t feel comfortable doing this if the seller is home.
2. Make sure the house is ready to show each morning. Pop the dishes in the dishwasher and make the bed. A last minute showing can be a great buyer.
3. Use a lockbox. Gone are the days when real estate agents will pick up keys at the listing agent’s office. I’d rather have the keys securely at your house.
4. Use a showing service to schedule showings on your house. My clients always know which agent is showing their house when and have the ability to confirm all appointments. We can block times that aren’t good for showings so that agents can see the time frames that are bad before they try to schedule a time with their client.

The easier your house is to show, the better chance you’ll not only find the right buyer, but they’ll also have the time and space they need to try the house on for size and want to make it their own.

I’ve seen home sellers overdo it where each room has a different aroma. The heavier the scent, the more buyers will think you are trying to cover up a nasty smell. You also want to keep in mind that many people have allergies. The Misty-Meadow-After-The-Rain scent that you find very attractive could set off a sneezing fit in a buyer looking at your home.

When you’re selling a house, my recommendation is to clean the house and open the windows to air it out rather than use any type of artificial scent.