Do you want top dollar for your property? Then LOSE the crapola!
I am not a crapola snob. Really. Everyone has their crapola. Everyone has their little treasures that they not only feel very proud of, but have a high personal worth to them, such as:
1. Your first tooth you lost encased in a glass frame, nerve endings and all
2. The genuine, simulated gold-plated and plastic trophy of your underwater basket weaving league championships
3. Little Molly's first rocking chair, with the tooth marks from where the dog attempted to eat it.
4. Great grandma's serving platter, with remnants of the last earthquake and stubborn curry stains.
5. The outstanding job the taxidermist did on Stinky, the rescued 3-legged cat, staring everyone in the face from every angle of the room..........for eternity.
Hey, I have my crapola too, so I'm not about to judge (although I do try to become more of a minimalist as I get older, and become more selective about sentimental chachkies).
But when it comes to selling your home, one of the worst things you can do is have all of your crapola out.........everywhere..........for everyone..........to become constantly reminded of..........at every possible angle.........so that they can't possibly miss it..........even if they tried.........desperately
It's probably one of the top, if not the top, pitfalls a seller can become victim of that will de-value the property for the most superficial reasons, and miss the mark when it comes to hitting your goal of getting top dollar for the property.
I see it all the time. And it's a very sensitive subject due to many times there being emotional ties to the crapola.
As a seller, the most important thing to realize is that, yes, your crapola means a lot to you. But it means nothing to anyone else. In fact, not only does it mean nothing, it becomes somewhat of a hindrance whenever a potential buyer steps into the home and tries to view it as their own home in the immediate future.
Don't fool yourself into thinking "Oh, they'll be able to see beyond that". They won't. Because, trust me on this one, in all of my years of showing thousands of properties to thousands of people - most cannot see past the crapola!
So then the vibe of the home becomes negative, uncomfortable, or impossible in some cases. When in fact, the floorplan, location of your home may very well be perfect for them. But because of the dominance of the crapola, they just can't see it (or smell it in some cases).
Your personal crapola, even though it's not something that can be "seen", has spiritual energy surrounding it that ties it to being YOUR home. You need to remove that energy to create space for the energy that develops a "blank canvas" for the new homeowner to see and feel.
And for yourself as a seller, it is extremely important that right from your decision to sell, even before it hits the market, you must EMOTIONALLY DETACH YOURSELF FROM THE HOME. I cannot tell you how important this is. If you do not, it will likely prevent you from selling the home. And that subject is an entire blog in itself: http://goo.gl/BKF7i3
I believe the best and most sincere advice I can give my sellers is that of a straight shooter. If you want me to look you in the eye and give you the truth so that I can genuinely help you hit your goal of getting the most from the sale of your home and getting you from Point A to Point B, then I've got to give it to you straight - lose the crapola.
No one is saying you have to throw it out, or sell it, or give it away. In most cases the best thing to do is to rent a pod to store all of your crapola in temporarily before the home hits the market and through the listing period until you get to your new destination. Look at this this way: You're going to have to pack it up anyway when the home sells, so why not get a jump on it? These days the pod rental companies make it ultra-easy. They pull the pod right up to your home so that you can load it up, and then they drive it away and keep it stored for you.
I guarantee you'll be glad you did it. On many different level$$$$$$.........
Ralph Gorgoglione
Los Angeles Homes For Sale
Los Angeles Condos For Sale
Los Angeles Townhomes For Sale
Comments(15)