You made the decision to sell your house; you may be thinking . . . where do I start? Here are some tips for getting your house ready to sell.
Before Selling Your House
1. Hire a listing agent.
It is not only beneficial to your bottom line but also your mental health to use a listing agent who knows the ins and outs of the Lowcountry market. Your agent will instruct you on how to get your particular property ready to sell. You may not have to do as much as you think!
Here are listing agents that Charleston Mom writers have used and recommend:
Kylie Hampton, Hampton Homes
Rita Lamar, Earthway Real Estate
Paul Quigley, Century 21
Matthew Poole, Carolina One
2. Declutter.
No matter your specific situation, doing a deep declutter of your home will prepare your house to sell and make your move easier! Most buyers have a hard time looking past personal items. By decluttering, it gives you space to store personal items out of sight. To help this process, I would ask yourself:
Will this item serve us at our next house?
– If yes, will I need this item before the move? (If not, pack it away!)
– If no, sell or donate
Our garage acted as a storage unit for our boxed items and extra furniture. I put these items in the center of the garage so we could easily access the kids’ bikes and outdoor toys. (I did, however, hide the sidewalk chalk and craft supplies!)
3. Major changes can be tough on children. We involved our kids in the process of deciding what to pack away for later and what to keep out. It went as well as you could imagine. They did not want to pack away a single thing. We did negotiate to set aside and store half of the “stuffy” mountain. The rest of the toys went into a closet that was cleared out. This was our happy middle ground. Toy collection could be out of sight, but still within reach for play.
4. Give yourself grace.
Selling your house is a huge undertaking! Overwhelm is common during this process. Breathe and remind yourself that it will be okay! Frozen dinners or takeout amongst piles of to-be-sorted items will become the norm. It is only temporary!
