Tips To Preparing to Sell Your Charlotte, NC. Home in 2013

Well today is December 21, 2012 and thankfully for most of us the Mayan calendar did end but did not bring the end of the world with it...So, as we go into 2013 and decide to sell your house; what do you need to do to ensure it will sell quickly and for top dollar? There is always a few standard answers to that question. One is price it low and it will sell. Price does play a factor in whether a house will sell or not; but it is not necessarily the deciding factor unless you are prepared to give the house away. So, what is a seller to do as they prepare to get their home in order for the selling season in 2013. First, i would depersonalize the house. When you get done packing up all your holiday decorations; take a look around and make sure that your home has a feeling of comfort but not showcasing you and your family. The first thing you always want is the buyer to be able to envision their furniture and items in the house. When you have a lot of personalized items in the house you are taking away from them using their mind and imagination to envision their items. I have seen it where the buyers become fascinated with the photos of the sellers or notice a lot of personal pictures hanging around and do not remember what the house was like. This they think it was not the right one for them and move on to the next house. Second, declutter. This is the next biggest thing you can do. If the furniture is not necessary take it out and put it in the garage or get a storage unit and store it. But keep the furniture and items to a minimum in the house. You want to showcase the space the house has and not hinder it. Open and spacious rooms are huge selling points in a home. Third, keep it clean. Nothing turns a buyer off more than a dirty house. If the house is not clean you are passing on an impression that you do not take care of the house and can hinder your sale opportunities with it. Fourth, keep it neutral. if you have vibrant paint on the walls; tone them down by painting the rooms a neutral color....People like to see a blank canvas to work with...... Fifth, change the light bulbs. Yes, i said change the light bulbs. Right now the days are short (but getting longer every day). Put in the maximum wattage you can in the light fixtures. This will allow the house to show bright and cheery for the buyer. Would you want a house that looked dark and gloomy? or one that looked bright and cheery? Sixth, clear the kitchen countertops off. The kitchen helps sell a house. Keep the countertops clutter free so that a buyer can see what type of space they are working with. if a buyer cannot envision the counter space and cooking is a large part of their life; you could lose that sale. Keeping a few items on the countertops is okay; but do not have them stocked with items. Seventh, fix the little things. If you have small little cracks or holes in the walls from pictures or items patch them up and paint over them. It will give the house a fresh look to it.... These seven items are cost effective and can help you sell your home in 2013 a little more quickly. I always recommend these to sellers and it has helped with the sale of their homes... Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United www.davedicecco.com

Buying A Home---Post Closing Expenses

Whether it is our first home we are buying or relocating to a new area, or downsizing because our children have left or upsizing because our family is growing there are additional costs related to buying a house indirectly that you should plan for. I always here buyers ask me "how much money will I need to close?" Then they make sure they either have it all set aside already or they work on saving it prior to closing. But what do you do once you have closed on the house....It is likely you are going to incur some additional expenses that you may not have budgeted for. First, if you are moving you have to get your furniture and personal items over to the new house. Some people rent a truck and get a few friends or family to help them with the move. Others may rent a truck and need bodies to be hired to pack and move them and then you still have the option of going with a full service moving company...That is an expense that adds up relatively quickly if you are not careful. Second, you will be putting the utilities on in your name. I know when i relocated to the Charlotte area I had to pay a security deposit with the electric company because I had never had service with them before....I was a little shocked and taken back by it since I was never late with any bills. They explained it is there policy if I never had service with them before...There went a few hundred dollars I did not budget for. Third, was the house cleaned to your satisfaction or are you going to clean it or hire someone to do it for you? What about painting or having the carpets professionally cleaned? These are all expenses that start to add up when you close. Fourth, does the house have window treatments? Are there blinds or curtains left over from the seller? If not you will have to go purchase those as well.... Window treatments can get into the hundreds of dollars depending on the windows and type of treatments you are looking for. Fifth, what about alarm systems or pest treatments or maintenance items to the house that you may need to do once you move in... Sixth, changing the locks on the house. I always recommend to every buyer that they change the locks on the house once the closing is done. You just never know who may have a key that the seller forgot to ask for it back from. When you close on a house whether it is your first or tenth house; there are expenses related to the closing after the transaction is done that affect you and you need to make sure you have budgeted money aside for those expenses as well.. Dave diCecco Realtor/Broker Coldwell Banker United www.davedicecco.com