Organizing Homes for Sale

One of the times folks find themselves overwhelmed is when they are getting ready to sell a home. Even when a highly trained and competent real estate agent is working with the homeowner, there are many things that homeowners have to handle on their own. Among the most problematic is how to get the house ready for showing- especially if you have to continue to live in it. This is one of those times a professional organizer can provide an unbiased assessment of the property and develop a plan that meets the individual and family needs. Getting a home ready for showing is referred to as “staging” in the Realty industry and many professional organizers, including Key Transitions, offer staging services.

Here are a few examples of people who have found these services helpful.

Tasha, a young single professional, loved the first house she purchased but had to leave it when she accepted a promotion in a city three hours away. She initially rented the house but in the ensuing six months she had difficulty with tenants who did not pay rent on time and who damaged the house. She decided to sell and had only 5 days and a budget of $800 to get the property ready for showing. The professional organizer assessed the property and made a plan for the highest priority items that would increase the homes appeal to the widest number of buyers while remaining within the client’s limited budget. Tasha recruited family and friends to implement the plan. The organizer did a final walk through with Tasha and made suggestions to further enhance the appearance of the home.

We were delighted when Tasha reported she had an interested buyer within the first week her house was listed and closed on the property in less than 30 days.

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Harry owned a small home before he married Hannah and they lived there for three years after the wedding. Now they were ready to move to a larger home. They were counting on the equity in the home they owned for part of the down payment on the house they planned to buy. They needed to ready the house for sale and show it while they prepared for the move to their new home.

The professional organizer developed a plan that allowed them to keep their home available for showing while they lived in it. The plan dealt with the repair and painting of designated areas, placement of furnishings, organization of items that remained in the home, and the packing, storage and distribution of belongings. The plan offered step by step direction for dealing with the staging process. The organizer worked side by side with the couple to get the house ready on time for the first showing.

They had several interested buyers and closed with one of them within 30 days. They are now enjoying their new home and their new baby.

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Diane and Jessie contacted a professional organizer because they needed to clean out and prepare for sale a house occupied for forty years by their now deceased parents. This was a physically and emotionally challenging task for them and they did not know where to begin.

The professional organizer developed a plan for the organization of the belongings and prepared the home interior for an estate sale prior to the home sale. The organizer carried out the implementation of the plan with guidance and decision making by the family members. Because Key Transitions has a certified mediator on staff, we were also able to successfully mediate family disagreements regarding distribution of property.

The family was able to distribute the parent’s possessions with limited disagreement and readied the house for showing in the established time frame.

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Tom and Jane, a senior couple, were preparing to move from their long-time family home to a smaller condominium with less upkeep. The living space was decreasing from a four bedroom home with over 3000 square feet to a two bedroom home with 1900 square ft.

The professional organizer implemented a plan that sorted and downsized items in the old residence to ready for the move and designed systems for placing furniture and storage in the new residence that were safe and convenient for older owners.

The clients and their family were extremely pleased with the storage and safety considerations for the new space. They were able to retain most of their favorite furnishings and find storage options in their new home for many of their treasured possessions. Tom and Jane are enjoying their independence and the convenience the new space offers.

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Staging a house for sale is a stressful occurrence. A professional organizer can provide an unbiased assessment and plan of action that can be the key to a little peace of mind and a quicker sale.

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.com