9 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Placing Your Home for Sale - Part Six
Not Planning Your Move Well In Advance.
OK, so you have put your house up for sale, got it looking terrific for potential buyers and are now sitting back waiting for that special buyer to fall in love with your home, arrange a contract and then you can start getting ready to move?
Don’t Wait
When preparing the presentation of your home, especially de-cluttering to show more space than people might perceive when the house is overfull of furniture etc., that is a perfect opportunity to begin the packing process.
You have already determined which items of furniture, personal belongings etc. that you are going to remove, so why not pack them ready for your move. Even if it is a while off, you will have a lot less to do on moving day.
Early Buyer
If you get a buyer earlier than perhaps you had anticipated, and they need to move in quickly because their house has sold and they need somewhere to live, leaving your preparation to the last minute will not only cause unnecessary stress, but could make it impossible for you to accept the early buyer due to time constraints.
Prepare a Checklist.
There are a lot of things to consider when planning your move, furniture and personal effects are only part of changing homes. A written checklist prepared well in advance will ensure that nothing is missed or left until the last minute.
Here is a simple list of some of the things that you will need to be aware of and plan for to make moving day as easy as possible.
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Removal quotes, or availability of hire vans to do it yourself (you may need a Heavy Vehicle License)
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People who can help with the move – as soon as your solicitor advises that the contract on your home is unconditional, start phoning people and getting confirmation they will help. Don’t leave it until a day or two before you are moving.
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Telephone and internet connections will need to be cancelled or changed and it’s a good idea to book those in as soon as you have confirmation that you sale is unconditional.
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Power and gas companies as above.
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Change your home insurance.
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Start notifying you friends and acquaintances of your new address. Social media such as Facebook is a good place to start, maybe even send out some ‘we’re moving’ postcards.
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Pets will need to catered for and be aware that they can stress as much you on moving day.
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Insurance for your personal effects and household furniture etc. If you’re using a moving company they can usually supply a quote for this, but it would pay to take photos of anything valuable or breakable to support any potential claim.
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When packing items, make a note on the top of each box of what is inside and which room it came from, this will make life at lot easier when you get to your new home.
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On moving day, make sure that you have a ‘survival pack’ with you, when you arrive it’s much easier if you have water, tea or coffee, toilet rolls, some food and other essential items with you instead of trying to find the box that has all the items in it.
Timeline.
Prepare yourself a calendar to help plan your move, you don’t need dates until you have a sale, but you can start by writing down “This has to be done 6 weeks before we move” and write that list, then move on as your move gets closer.
This is part six of a nine part series for home sellers.
Author, Graham Lester
Maggie Dixon Real Estate
Graham Lester
Graham is known for his passion and his drive to succeed in all aspects of his professional life. A man with a big vision.
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Full biography
Graham is known for his passion and his drive to succeed in all aspects of his professional life. A man with a big vision, Graham has immense pride in the company he directs; and is particularly proud of having been awarded the BDH Cup in 2010, and becoming one of the top 10% of performers in Australasia while maintaining a 79% repeat and referral client ratio.
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