California Mortgage Planning
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Selling a Home
Step 1: Separate "House" from "Home"
Your house is an investment. Your "home" is the life and memories that happened within the house. The cold, hard fact is that potential buyers don't care about your home, they will be viewing the house and comparing it with dispassionate eyes to other houses currently for sale. Don't take it personally.
Step 2: Review the house for deferred maintenance, wear and tear
Look at the carpets and floors, the paint - including nicks on the baseboards and banisters, the grout in the bathrooms and kitchens, the ceiling fixtures and door knobs and the kitchen appliances. Fix it, clean it and make sure the house sparkles! The question you need to ask is, "Will a buyer see a house that is move-in ready or a house needing repair?" The house doesn't need to look new, but it does need to look well maintained. Feel free to use my Home Maintenance Checklist to help your pre-sale maintenance review of your home.
Step 3: Review the yard for curb appeal
The condition of your yard will cause a potential buyer to draw conclusions about the condition of your house. An untended lawn or shrubs, lack of plants and flowers, a retaining wall slightly in need of repair or stained concrete on the front walk or patio will create the first impression of the house before the buyer even walks in the door. The reality may be that you don't have a green thumb or you haven't had a spare moment to make the yard special but you will never get the opportunity to explain that to a potential buyer and offset their first impression.
Step 4: De-clutter with ruthless abandon!
The "clutter" that we all accumulate after years of living in a house typically makes the house appear smaller and difficult to easily see the home's attributes. Additionally, personal momentos block a buyer's ability to envision their own possessions in the house. Tackle those closets, cupboards and countertops and clear them with ruthless abandon. Turn your house in to a Model Home that will allow the buyer to see themselves living in it.
Step 5: Interview Realtors to list your home for sale
There are only two things that sell a home: Price and Marketing......and the hard truth is that all the marketing in the world won't compensate for the wrong price. As a result, Interviewing Realtors to List Your Home For Sale is a critical step in the successful sale of your home.
Step 6: Request a Net Sheet from your Realtor and meet with your Financial Advisor
The Net Sheet is an estimate of the funds you will receive at closing after the mortgages and transaction costs have been paid. The proceeds from the sale of your home are often your single largest transfer of assets. This is the optimum time to meet with your Financial Advisor and transform your financial future. Are you losing investment interest because you are paying to much credit card interest? Are you behind on your college fund or retirement goals? Now is the perfect time to analyze your overall financial goals before making a mortgage choice for your new home.
Your house is an investment. Your "home" is the life and memories that happened within the house. The cold, hard fact is that potential buyers don't care about your home, they will be viewing the house and comparing it with dispassionate eyes to other houses currently for sale. Don't take it personally.
Step 2: Review the house for deferred maintenance, wear and tear
Look at the carpets and floors, the paint - including nicks on the baseboards and banisters, the grout in the bathrooms and kitchens, the ceiling fixtures and door knobs and the kitchen appliances. Fix it, clean it and make sure the house sparkles! The question you need to ask is, "Will a buyer see a house that is move-in ready or a house needing repair?" The house doesn't need to look new, but it does need to look well maintained. Feel free to use my Home Maintenance Checklist to help your pre-sale maintenance review of your home.
Step 3: Review the yard for curb appeal
The condition of your yard will cause a potential buyer to draw conclusions about the condition of your house. An untended lawn or shrubs, lack of plants and flowers, a retaining wall slightly in need of repair or stained concrete on the front walk or patio will create the first impression of the house before the buyer even walks in the door. The reality may be that you don't have a green thumb or you haven't had a spare moment to make the yard special but you will never get the opportunity to explain that to a potential buyer and offset their first impression.Step 4: De-clutter with ruthless abandon!
The "clutter" that we all accumulate after years of living in a house typically makes the house appear smaller and difficult to easily see the home's attributes. Additionally, personal momentos block a buyer's ability to envision their own possessions in the house. Tackle those closets, cupboards and countertops and clear them with ruthless abandon. Turn your house in to a Model Home that will allow the buyer to see themselves living in it.
Step 5: Interview Realtors to list your home for sale
There are only two things that sell a home: Price and Marketing......and the hard truth is that all the marketing in the world won't compensate for the wrong price. As a result, Interviewing Realtors to List Your Home For Sale is a critical step in the successful sale of your home.
Step 6: Request a Net Sheet from your Realtor and meet with your Financial Advisor
The Net Sheet is an estimate of the funds you will receive at closing after the mortgages and transaction costs have been paid. The proceeds from the sale of your home are often your single largest transfer of assets. This is the optimum time to meet with your Financial Advisor and transform your financial future. Are you losing investment interest because you are paying to much credit card interest? Are you behind on your college fund or retirement goals? Now is the perfect time to analyze your overall financial goals before making a mortgage choice for your new home.