Selling Your Home can be the most stressful part of a relationship. If you think about it, this has been “your home” for however long you’ve lived in it. You’ve cared for it, nurtured it, had good times and bad in it, possibly brought up children in it, and created lots of memories in it. It’s understandable that you have mixed emotions when the time comes to part with it.

Now is the time to buy into the excitement of finding a new home (see “Buying Information”), and begin to think of your old home as a commodity. Easy to say; not always easy to do. Don’t worry, it will come gradually.

Choosing a competent Realtor is really your first major hurdle, and not always a pleasant job, either. You’ll ask friends for referrals, check websites to see who looks good, find someone who seems easy to work with, or look on the nearest street corner to see who’s available. Any one of these solutions might be the right one.

Remember you’re selling what has been up to now, the biggest single investment of your life, and trading it in for the new “biggest single investment of your life.” No big deal, right? Yikes! Do I have to do personal interviews? Yes. Should I check out references? Yes. Do I care about their background and expertise? Yes, I certainly hope so. Remember, we agreed that this was the biggest single investment of your life?

I like to think I’m the best Realtor around. Probably not; but certainly one of the best. That’s all any of us can ask for…someone that’s honest, ethical, knows the area, experienced at marketing (we are selling, correct?), creative and hard working. In reality, I AM the best one around for some folks, and not the best for others. This is why we have websites and all the other goodies. So you, the consumer can get some idea of who we are; our experience, expertise and priorities. I sincerely hope my site is helping you with that decision.

Some quick cautions: Don’t get bamboozled by an agent that gives you some unbelievable dollar amount that he/she can get for your home. The buyer will pay what the market bears; nothing more, nothing less. Don’t get snowed by an agent that will “sell it in 30 days.” The market depends on too many variables to make this kind of promise. Don’t get conned by an agent who offers a drastically reduced commission (in the end, you always get what you pay for, good or bad). Don’t get dazzled by snazzy, meaningless graphics…remember the term: “smoke & mirrors.” Three factors to remember when buying or selling: Price, Quality, and Service. You rarely get all three.

On the Preparing your Home page, I’ve listed a few things to think about when preparing your home for marketing to the buying public. These aren’t the only things….I don’t want to give away everything, but this will begin to get you in the proper mode. Read it with an open mind, enjoy it, absorb it, and then give me a call (or email) so we can discuss the next steps.