Move Dilema

[lighthouse33]

Mom and I are moving to our new apartment next week.  We cannot wait!

I was discussing an issue with one of our accountants.  We are going to have an estate sale.  I think they are thinking it will be done after the house is sold, so that the house will be more presentable with furniture and other items on display.  It had been decided that one of the accountants would be there with our Realtor at all times to prevent people from stealing things.

This morning, the accountant said that their would be a locked lock box at the front door, and other Realtors in the area would have a key to it, and would be able to get the key to the house and be able to show it and we would never know that they did.

I am not really comfortable leaving stuff in the house unguarded, and I know that my mom and brother are concerned about stealing as well.

I am thinking we need to have the estate sale first to empty out the house.  What do you all think?  What would you do?  The accountant is going to talk to our Realtor about it.  I know Realtors say that homes sell better, if they are shown furnished.   

[irish]

I know that they say to keep furniture in a house, but I would agree that having the sale prior to selling it would be the way to go. This way it is still your property and the liability issues would not be such a problem.

Also, leaving keys in a locked box would make me very nervous also. That would make no one responsible and leave it open to possibility of theft, possibility of liability, etc. In my area the estate sales are done prior to placing the house up for sale. There is also the fact that the carpets can get dirty, and other things can occur that can be cleaned up before putting the house up for sale. To have this mess after the sale of the house sounds like it could set you up for problems.

If I had bought a house from someone I would not allow them to have an estate sale in the property I just purchased from them. This is my take on this issue. Good luck in all this hard work. Irish

[Joe S.]

Realtors today prefer to ha a house "staged" for sale. Have your estate sale, then the designer will select furniture so the house will sell better. A fresh coat of paint in prevalent colors (selected by design) will also help speed the sale. Some minor repairs may also be needed. Investors should not care but families do. Rentals pay higher whe house has been staged.

[Carebear]

lighthouse, I have been looking at property with an agent for the last several months, and this is my observation from the peanut gallery.

Joe is correct about staging the house.  Most people can't visualise their own furniture in the house if it is empty.  As well, here they post photographs of homes for sale on the internet for everyone to see.  If the photos show that the house is empty, well, let's just say that some people look for homes that are vacant to do damage to.  Hard to fathem but it is true.  If you won't be borrowing furniture to stage it, then I recommend you have photos taken while the house still has furniture in it.

I think you would likely have more energy if you deal with the estate sale first.  That will be a lot of work and who knows how long it will take.  Not only that, as I said earlier, some people do "case out" these real estate photographs.  So maybe better safe than sorry.

I hope I haven't frightened you or anyone else reading this.

[Carolina]

We've always 1. shown our houses with furniture, but much stored away of course, and 2. not ever been present at the showing.

No problems.

Hugs,  Elaine

[lighthouse33]

I talked with the accountant on Friday. 

She reminded me, that we do live in a gated community.  And, that due to the price of the home, everyone will be vetted first, to see if they can afford it.  She did say that we could have it written into our contract that we want our Realtor to be present for every showing. 

She also reminded me, that we are going to try to sell the leftover furnishings to whoever buys the house.  I knew this, but, I must be brain dead from all of the packing.

Moving day is Friday!  Will be glad to have that part of it behind us.

[Carebear]

The move sounds so exciting, lighthouse.  Best wishes to you and your mom on your new home.

Good pointer about your realtor being present for each showing of your house. I will keep that in mind for my own sale.

[Sooki]

Your move sounds great.  When we sold our last house, many years ago, we moved out or sold 2/3 of our belongings. This included all small stuff from jewelry to computers to most of the kitchen ware.   What we left were things like made up beds, dressers, lamps, one set of dishes in the cupboards.  The house looked roomy and carefree; much better than when we lived in it and the dangers of theft were minimal. 

I second the opinion of staging though.  I've seen houses for sale that I wanted to buy even though there was nothing about the house I wanted other than that lifestyle!  The big cushy covers on the bed were turned down  There was a croissant in a silver dish on the bed table.  The sound system in the living was wonderful.  Wine on a tray.  Blown glass sculptures on the tables. (The Stuff of Living was not there!)  If I had lived in that house, my life would be pretty much the same.  Just a dream!

Take care of yourself and your mother during this process. It's always a lot of work and often very stressful.

[Carolina]

Our possessions bring us joy and they are also 'baggage' in a very real sense.   You will be so free by letting go of things.  Real memories will stay and new memories will have room.

Hugs,  Elaine

[quietdynamics]

The lockbox on homes: realtors key in code and then listing realtor has record of who has been in home and when. My realtor emailed this information to me. Buyers realtors should leave business card ( I had a dish placed on kitchen foyer for this, listing realtor had printed listing and color flyers about home in same area.)  Realtors are supposed to be insured .. I asked when a step was loose off deck, which I was having repaired. Concerned about injury liability, etc. I roped it off with colored string anyway and left some tools next to it.. so perspective buyer would see issue was being addressed.

Buyers realtors have clients pre- qualified.. they do not want to waste time. Lookers come during Open House.

Valuables are going with you to apartment.

Extraneous clutter.. are best gone.. so rooms look big, bright and clear.
EVERYTHING gone from bathroom and toilet seat DOWN (yes, in professional photos too!!)
If you have alot of art on walls get it down to 3 better items. Your realtor should be helping you stage.. this is now their 'product' to sell.

If your state/area .. price is keen on home inspection reports; and comes back with issues, have your Realtor give you names of contractors for issues and get THREE estimates to remedy any issue.  At that point you with a solid buyer you can a) offer to remedy issue with your own contractor choice or b) offer a reasonable credit toward remedy.
Not even many NEW homes pass a home inspection without issues.

Lesson learned: Is your attorney who is handling real estate closing charging by hour or by closing.  If by hour, then if deal fall through you pay. By deal, you do not. That is in my state. So I pulled real estate from original attorney who charged EVERYTHING (even that little phone call) by the hour. Less expensive to save up your questions, bundle them and send in a concise email.
Another lesson learned.  $$$

If you empty home. Print out photos with furnishing to give perspective buyers visual of what room can handle. And perhaps mount and put in rooms or in foyer?

Listing Realtor present at every showing?
That Realtor may not be available and you may miss the opportunity to have your home shown.
Out of area buyer? and they will simply move on to the next home.
There are cash buyers out there.
Exposure and availability are key.

Congratulations to you and your mother on your move.