By Matt Peterson
Minnesota Exclusive Homes
People stress out when they try to sell their homes. That’s all but guaranteed.
After several years of photographing homes for sale and talking to hundreds of sellers and agents I’ve seen it all too clearly. I have simply inquired about setting up a photo shoot with a frustrated homeseller, which unleashed a whirlwind of pent-up rage.
Careers, children, pets, aging or sick relatives, natural disasters, financial crises, divorce — and now a pandemic — are all stressors that coincide with selling a home. It's hard to juggle all those things — get ready for a photo shoot or showing, find time to sit with an agent and sign contracts — and ultimately find that next home.
However, there are really simple solutions. So here are some things to consider and tackle early in this entire process to avoid anxiety, anger and frustration.
1. Understand the selling process.
Of course, this is impossible to simply do, if you haven't sold a home. However, overwhelming odds are that you are working with a real estate agent. Ask him or her questions. Pore over paperwork with that agent, so nothing catches you off guard. It's common for people to sign and date the dotted lines — on nearly all forms of agreements, including real estate — without first studying the details. Read everything thoroughly, so you don't have to say, "Nobody ever told me that."
Talk to people. Become familiar with common hiccups that happen to other sellers and certain laws that impede the process, like septic system compliance or new zoning proposals. Every city, township and county has housing regulations, and sometimes they're very obscure. You'll definitely want to know if there's a new ordinance since you bought your home.
Watch videos. It's no longer a mystery that answers to nearly everything are on YouTube. In the midst of our current coronavirus pandemic and many "shelter-in-place" orders taking effect, this is the perfect opportunity to practice social distancing while soaking up some knowledge. Furthermore, there are online tools specifically for home sellers, such as HomeLight.com. It has information tailored for first-time sellers, retirees, people facing financial crises and much more.
2. Prepare as early as possible.
I recently attended a conference with dozens of real estate agents, and success coach Kelly Avelsgard reminded us of a simple but deliberate mindset: “Do it now.” Sellers should heed that obvious advice because the most common, recurring setback for homeowners is time management. Too often people wait until the last minute to get things done and that attitude can hamper a real estate transaction.
For example, I have photographed houses in which I spent more time cleaning than taking pictures. In several instances, I have photographed homes that were still being painted! And in one comical experience, a real estate agent asked me, "So, can you take photos and work around this?" Roughly a half-dozen workers were knocking out drywall and renovating the entire house — plywood scraps, nails, power tools, dust everywhere.
The main point is that lack of preparation puts everybody in a hurry, and that leads to mistakes. That can fuel anger and create awkward situations between sellers, agents, buyers, contractors and others.
If there's a project you can tackle, “Do it now.”
3. Get rid of stuff.
Nothing can expedite your home-selling process and relieve stress quite like getting rid of things. I have relocated several times during the past few years — across the country — and purging items would've streamlined that process. Take a look around the garage, closets and cupboards and be deliberate about downsizing your collection.
Ask yourself three questions: “How much do I enjoy moving tons of things into another home? How much do I enjoy asking my friends for help? How much do they enjoy moving my stuff?” Unless there's a basket of puppies involved, the answer is always the same.
I personally struggled with ridding myself of many belongings but felt better when I did. People write articles about this stuff, and there's an entire TV show dedicated to it: Hoarders. OK, that's on a massive scale, but sites like Good Housekeeping have really cool ideas for decluttering, and it's frightening how a quick scroll through their list is so applicable — nearly every item on that list is presently camping out somewhere near me. Old cords? Check. Expired coupons? Check. Have you thought about DVDs, lately? Even pawn stores won't accept those.
So go ahead; jettison that cargohold. If the only workout you're going to get from an old weight bench is moving it to the thrift store, then make that your last workout with it. But if you have one of those giant bigscreen TVs from the 90s, maybe keep the weight bench a little longer.
4. Make the right repairs.
Don’t ignore obvious flaws around the house because they could cost you more money by receiving much lower offers … and fewer offers.
It’s amazing how many for-sale homes in Arizona have defective pool equipment. For those who can’t afford the fixes, that’s understandable. But the prospective home buyer specifically looking for a pool home wants a functioning pool … or a deal so hot, he or she wins and you lose.
Fixing the most obvious cosmetic and mechanical flaws with your home will mean more offers, more competition and more money, often more than the cost of making those repairs. However, be careful. Some experts warn that it's possible waste money by repairing things that really don't matter, things that will otherwise go unnoticed or won't add value to the home. TheBalance.com helps you weigh those options.
5. Get help and help others.
Your real estate agent can provide all sorts of assistance, but so can other people. Ask family and friends for insight. Perhaps they’ll notice something about your home that everybody else overlooked. People become oblivious to things that they constantly see. How many times have you driven to work and realized you couldn’t remember the commute?
Ask people to take things off your hands. You might just be helping them out, as well. Better yet (and this totally sounds like "not better yet"), help someone else move, if you can. Hardly anybody enjoys this, but it’s an unwritten rule that if you help someone move, they owe you one when the time comes. That token alone is enough to cut your stress like a knife.
Good news: You’re already working on step 1 and 2. Keep it up. We have a plethora of free reports and tips on our website that apply to many seller scenarios. ... Click here