Saturday, August 01, 2009

Realtor

We have a realtor coming over to our house on Monday. Keep in mind that this house is the first house we have bought and, therefore, the first house that we have ever tried to sell. So help me out with something, everyone. I think that it's VERY important to have the house tidy when the realtor comes. Tyler thinks it doesn't matter what state the house is in when the realtor comes. What is your opinion? Am I knocking myself out for no good reason?

10 comments:

Stinson Clan said...

I don't think this is a question of whether tidiness matters or not. It is simple math:

(1) We all know it is really the woman's castle - not the man's.
(2) If Momma ain't happy, ain't no one happy.
(3) Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

1 + 2 + 3 = Tyler cleaning the house. lol

Have fun, Bro. :)

Jason

Anonymous said...

When we sold our last house it was helpful to have it clean. She went through the whole house and told us the tings we needed to put away, ect. Ours was really clean and clutter free to begin with so it was easier for her to show us the few things instead of a whole lot.

Joseph and Kamber said...

I agree with Misti. Plus it gives a head start on preparing for showings. It;s a lot of work, but worth it.

Annie said...

Yes, have it tidy, but don't knock yourself out trying to de-clutter and organize yet. They should tell you what you need to do. And you should ask lots of questions too to get feedback. (Tell them to be really honest.)

And if it is a mess, they might not put as much effort into helping you get the most out of it.

Alex and I had the same discussion though. We wanted to get a general estimate and I told Alex that the realtor couldn't come until it wasn't a mess. And like Jason said, it is your castle, so there's some pride that comes along with having a tidy house for company, no matter who it is.

Oh, and on a side note, "boring beige" walls sell better than colored walls. We know this from experience. People just don't want to paint and can't picture themselves in the house as well with anything other than neutral colored walls. Watch some shows like "Designed to Sell" on HGTV if you can. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Hello Jill!
I hope you sell quickly! Cause keeping your house show worthy is such an headache!!! My 3 rules for showing your house are
1. De-clutter
2. De-personalize
3. Don't (read: try not to) stress out!
I had a few people come over to see the house and to make suggestions after I got the house to the point that I thought it was ready to show. (There are several women in the ward who are good at design, detail, and staging--ask around, they may be happy to come over and give their helpful opinions.) I got some really helpful feedback and while we weren't seeling, we were able to get a renter without any problems.
Also, one thing I found really helpful was to give each of the kids job(s) to prepare for when people came to look at the house. We tried to give incentives,make it a positive experience, and involve them so they weren't just shoved to the side while I did all the work and stressed about messes. It is a ton of work to get the house ready and try to keep it nice, but it really does make a difference in how quickly your house will sell. Good luck!

Introspective Steph said...

i agree with everyone else...you'll want it clean and de-cluttered. But, remember to keep some items in the rooms to make it look nice and so it doesn't look vacant. When we walked through homes I could never visualize where our stuff would go when a house was too cluttered with stuff or if nothing was in the rooms.

nicole said...

Hmm, I have a different opinion on this one. I think all these suggestions are absolutely important for when you show the house to a potential buyer of course... but when the realtor comes for the first time, I don't think it matters. Afterall, it's not the realtor who is going to buy the house! When we had ours over, we were still in the middle of projects around the house, and it was no problem at all. My perspective is that keeping a house tidy is important, but not as important as spending time with the kids. When they're so little and demanding, it's tough to balance it all, but if something has to give... let it be the mopping! So my suggestion would be (after just living through it) to try not to stress so much, do your best with the house, and enjoy your little ones. xoxo

Diana said...

My house was a complete construction zone wreck when we were interviewing realtors. It doesn't really matter if it's clean or not for that. It does (big time) when you're showing it, but it doesn't if you're just interviewing realtors...which I hope you are doing a LOT of. There are all sorts of realtors out there. It costs just as much to hire a lame or a mediocre one as it does to hire a good one. Interview enough of them to be confident you are choosing a good one. Do a search online for realtor interview questions as well. They are easy to find and will provide valuable information for you. You really do want to find someone who knows how to sell houses, even in this economy.

Lucie said...

I sold 4 houses - we are now in our fifth- and the house sells much faster if it is very clean and decluttered- put away as many personalized items as you can- clean the fridge door off completely and put away as many pictures of the family as you can. It should look as close to a model home as possible with 3 kiddos running around!!! And leave the house during showings-- Once it is sold you can go back to living a regular life!
Good luck.

Melisa said...

I like Jason's comment. LOL! It doesn't matter so much with the realtor, but it is nice. :o)