Ten Tips on Reducing the stress of selling your house, by Rachel Green

Selling your home and moving house have long been regarded as two of the activities which sharply increase stress levels. Here are ten tips to help you reduce the stress associated with trying to sell your home and having to keep it spotless for potential buyers.

1. Sort your clutter early
   A neat home is easier to sell than a cluttered home. If you know in advance that you may be putting your home on the market – start sorting out your clutter well in advance. Then when you put it on the market all the preparation is done and all you have to do is to keep it clean. The less clutter there is, the less cleaning there is to do – a double bonus. It also makes it easier for when you move.
   

2. Get help with your garden
   If your garden is full of weeds and needs a good sort out – get it done – so that it looks beautiful for prospective buyers. And get help to do it if you’re short of time or stamina. I’ve employed my teenage Godchildren before now to help with the weeding – what a relief that was.
   

3. Find a good real estate agent.
   A really good real estate agent should have the skills and the passion to go through your home, before it goes on the market, to tell you everything that could be altered to create the best impression. It may be to make more space in the kitchen, to stop a door from jamming, to alter the position of the furniture or to put flowers in strategic spots. Get their professional advice instead of trying to work it out yourself.
   

4. Reduce home entertaining
   Entertaining at home produces mess. When real estate agents can just pop round at any time, avoid producing too much mess. Instead, encourage your friends to invite you to their places so their homes take the mess. Remember you owe them when you’ve sold your house though. We've offered to bring "take-away" to their places.
   

5. Employ a cleaning lady
   Every morning you have to leave the house looking perfect – a hard task just for one day for most of us. Get some help. Have someone come in to help you keep the place tidy. Your sanity must be preserved to enjoy your new home, after all! And relative to real estate agents fees, stamp duty and settlement agency fees – the cost of home help is little.
   

6. Sort out your furniture
   Have you got too many chairs? Too many tables? An over supply of beds? All this furniture can leave your house looking small and cluttered to a prospective buyer. The more space there appears to be, the more attractive it can appear. So get rid of surplus furniture now, don’t wait until you move. There are charities in Britain and Australia, and probably in other countries too, that will come and pick up second hand furniture for free. Of course, the less furniture, the less you have to clean.
   

7. Organise outside activities
   Weekends can be particularly busy times for people to want to come and inspect your home. Organise yourself to go out on the weekends and stay in during the week.
   

8. Wash during the week
   If you’re working full time and used to leaving the washing until the weekend – change your routine. A washing line full of undies isn’t too enticing for would-be buyers. As they’re most likely to visit on weekends – do the washing during the week and keep your weekends free.
   

9. Let your friends know
   The quicker you get a good buyer the better, so do everything you can to help. Get hold of the Real Estate agent's flyers and send them to all your friends – they may not want a new house but they may know someone who does. Tell everyone. Help to spread the word.
   

10. Don’t overload yourself with other things
    Selling your house is a big deal. While you are doing this put other responsibilities on hold. You might resign from a committee, get someone else to help coach the T-ball team, stop your music or dancing or French lessons. Whatever you do – make space in your life because there’s a lot to do when you’re selling your home. Make the time to do it instead of fitting it in to an already squashed life.
    

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May your house sell quickly for a great price!
Best wishes,
Rachel Green
PO Box 344, Kelmscott, Western Australia 6991.
Phone: +61 8 9390 1188. Fax +61 8 9390 1199
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