Happy house selling/buying vibes needed! HELP!

[SeekerMage]

We are (I am really) stressed right now! We found the perfect house and want to bid on it, but ours isnt on the market yet! EEP! (They are willing to accept a contingent bid yeah!)

We are going to have to scramble like chickens with our heads cut off to get it presentable to place on the market and even then it wont be in the condition we want it in. There will be boxes stacked in the corners and obvious clutter. (we have a storage unit already but its near filled to the brim)...but we really REALLY want this house we saw! It is the exact model of a home we wanted to buy a few years ago but couldnt. Not only that but the homes decor is 99% perfect. Pooh mural in one bedroom (perfect for Miss Moose) and stars and moons nursery (my ideal for Lil'bit) in the other. The only room we would need to repaint is the master because its chocolate brown which isnt so bad its just a matter of finding bedding for it. And while Im not necessarily into fate or "signs" there were "signs" all over the place telling us this was our new home! (Oriental border in a room my hubby would use for his painting room/office even a cool rug hubby liked that they said the would let us keep...butterflys all over the place...the girls rooms all ready for them etc!) AHHHHH!!!!!!

Will we even be able to sell quickly with our place cluttered? Clean but with the obvious stacks of boxes and toys. Even if we dont get the highest amount possible Im willing to take a loss just so we can get this place.....AHHHHH.....happy vibes please! (healthy ones too...no more disasters between a needy four year old, teething seven month old and my finger still recovering from stitches I need all the help I can get!) Thanks!

[deborah_r]

Good luck to you - I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I have no experience with buying/selling a home, but when you mentioned being worried about the boxes and clutter making you take a loss I was wondering if you can get another storage space to put the stuff in. Might be worth it if it helps you get full value for your house.

[janeybwild]

Good vibes, good vibes, good vibes. You can do this! I second the pp about renting a storage space though. You should de-clutter if you can. Do you have a friend who can store stuff for a few weeks? Potential buyers need to be able to see themselves living there and that is hard to do if there is stuff everywhere. We just put our house on the market (very similar situation) and worked like mad for 3 nights to get it ready (mainly cleaning, staging etc). Our realtor recommended some fresh flowers and a checklist of how the house is to be shown (e.g. open drapes & blinds, turn on strategic lights, grass mowed, kitchen counters completely bare). The hardest part is keeping it picked up from toys! I've had to keep some emergency things in the diaper bag, like a full meal on the go for DD. Yesterday, we got only 15 minutes notice of a showing, so had to hustle to get out of the house. The checklist really came in handy. Good luck and keep us posted.

[jk3]

This might sound ridiculous but bake something before you show the house. At one house we looked at the seller baked cinammon rolls + offered them at the open house. The house smelled terrific!

Try to get rid of the clutter. It makes a house look much smaller + obviously messier.

Jenn
DS 6/03

[bunnisa]

can you put boxes of stuff in the garage and park in the driveway for a while? People rarely care what the garage looks like.

I'm in the middle of house hunting, and I know that homes with a lot of stuff look smaller than they are. People will pay more for more space (or the illusion of more space)! We're about to put a bid on a house that is SO full of overstuffed furniture, heavy wood chairs, etc, that it seems many 100s of square feet smaller than it is.

Like the PP said, baking something is a great idea. Also, if you leave a radio on with some nice background music, I think that sets a relaxing mood. Pay attention to the porch and the foyer -- first impressions are crucial. Maybe some new potted plants or flowers for the porch? I think I liked it most when a house looked "comfortably lived in". That is, not so clean it's sterile, but clean and still homey -- a clean hand towel next to the sink, fruit on the counter, a few (cute) baby toys out, etc. It makes it easier for me to picture actually living there. But that just may be me. :)

Congratulations on finding such a perfect house!!! How exciting!!!

Bethany
It's a Boy!
William Eric
6/03

[billysmommy]

Oooooh sending you lots and lots of good vibes :) I hope you get your perfect house Keep us posted

[Dcclerk]

Good moving vibes are going out to you.... make sure you catch them!

And in the meantime, some very practical advice. It is almost mandatory that you clear the clutter in a big way. A lot of storage places will give you a deal where the first month is free or $1. Take that deal and be ruthless with the boxes, toys that can't stay in the toybox, random papers, etc. Clutter turns off most people and it is an easy thing to fix. Hire someone to come to your house before it is shown and do a thorough cleaning. You will have to do maintenance cleaning before anyone comes through, so it is much easier to get it at a good base level. Make sure there are no scuff and dirt marks on the walls. Have few if any pictures up of you guys. (Like others have said, people like to see themselves at a home.) Good luck!

[heidi_timms]

I'm a realtor and agree with everything the above poster said. Yes, remove all clutter, knick knacks, boxes, etc. If possible paint and remove scuff marks. Countertops and sink tops should have almost nothing on them-remove cooking utensils, curling irons, makeup, etc. The simpler, the better!

Congrats on finding the house of your dreams!


~Heidi
Mom to Kailey
4/03

[StaceyKim]

I would strongly rec. getting rid of boxes and clutter before marketing your house to sell. Can you rent more storage space or toss some of these things? It would be worth your time especially if you want to get offers on your house. It will help your house sell faster if it looks like it is ready to move into!
HTH