Securing is top of mind today. This is especially true for homeowners or it should be. With this in mind we have taken the time to share with you our top 6 things you can do to keep you home safe when putting it on the market for sale in 2024. This is part of our 2024 best in class series of real estate articles by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers who service Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specialize in real estate, home content downsizing, property management and estate sales. These tips and insights are especially important and true in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Additionally, during this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.
1. Stow away valuables. This includes everything from mail left on your kitchen counter (which may contain personal information and bank statements) to such items as jewelry, artwork, cellphones, and gaming systems. Real estate agents can’t protect valuables and likely won’t be following prospective buyers all around the house, especially during a busy open house. You should walk through your house before a showing or open house to make sure everything of value is out of sight.
2. Remove or lock up prescription medications prior to showings. Similar to removing valuables prior to a showing or open house, prescription drugs are another key item to protect.
3. Remove family photos for your safety. Many real estate agents advise sellers to remove family photos as part of the staging process, but removing photos can also help protect your family’s privacy.
4. Make your house safe for buyers and agents. Turn on the lights prior to showings — whether it’s daytime or evening — so that agents and buyers can move safely through the home. It’s important to remove obvious weapons (like guns) before showings, but also not-so-obvious weapons. For example, many homeowners may have a block of knives on their kitchen counter which should be removed for everyone’s safety.
5. Keep the house locked and consider extra monitoring. Doors need to be kept locked at all times. Consider adding deadbolt locks, securing sliding glass doors with bars and extra locks, installing motion-sensor lights for outdoor areas, and check that all windows are locked securely. Look into installing a wireless security system, maybe one that alerts you if motion is detected.
6. Beware of unexpected visitors. When your house is for sale, should you get unexpected visitors at your front door and you weren’t expecting any showings, don’t let them in. This is not the proper procedure for showings. Only real estate professionals who have made an appointment and use the lockbox should gain access to your home.
As a follow-up to this last tip, if something doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. You and your realtor have the right to decline any showing request.
When returning home after a showing or an open house, don’t assume that everyone has left and that the house has been secured. Walk through the entire house, checking each room, as well as all door locks and windows – even on upper levels. If you notice anything that’s missing or possibly damaged, call your realtor immediately.
Nick Santoro, co-founder of Personal Property Managers and a decorated Marine points out that this information is certainly not meant to create fear and mistrust, or to scare homeowners away from selling, but rather to help them and their realtors think practically about the ways to secure homes and valuables, and to maintain everyone’s personal safety.
Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.
For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
As home cleanout and content liquidation specialists, we are contacted multiple times each day from people who are either moving, downsizing, settling an estate or handling the affairs of an elderly loved and want to clean out their house and sell their home contents in 2024. Most of the people who call, begin by telling us they have a variety of items ranging from kitchen sets, living room sets, bedroom sets, china cabinets filled with all kinds of things and believe that buyers will want to flock to their home for a chance to buy their contents.
Let’s face it, we all think our home is worth a million bucks and the things that we have accumulated over the years are beautiful and everyone will them…right? Wrong.
This is part of our 2024 best in class series of articles by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers, who service Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specialize in real estate, property management, home content downsizing and estate sale services. These tips and insights are especially important in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus. Additionally, during this challenging time we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.
These four 90 second videos will give you further insight into trying to sell you home contents or considering an estate sale.
In addition to the challenges of trying to sell your home contents as noted in this article and in our videos, we are now dealing with the Corona Virus and extreme social distancing. So ask yourself, in this day and age, would you want to go to a strangers home and buy pre-owned furniture? Probably not. Then on top of that, what most sellers never think of is the logistics and cost of simply moving an item from a sellers home to a buyers home? Who pays for that? This has to be factored into the selling price, if there is even a demand or interest in todays environment.
So does this mean you can not sell your pre-owned home contents? No. Absolutely not. You may be able to sell your older unwanted items, but understand that todays buyers tend to want more updated and contemporary items reflective of todays styles. Additionally, todays home owners tend to want a more simplified look and feel and not want many items that were popular years ago. So be realistic. When we conduct an on-site estate sale and content liquidation sale, we need to have a sufficient amount of quality and quantity of items to sell to justify the time and effort that goes into promoting a successful estate sale. This will give you an example of how we design special web marketing specificially to promote your estate sale (click here). This will give you a good feel for the effort and expertise that we put into every estate sale we do. In addition, we also provide signage, security, staffing and so much more. Additional info is found on our estate sale and content liquidation page (click here). So, please consider these facts and insights when you are contemplating your deisire to sell your contents.
How about trying to sell your household items on your own?
Are we saying that you cannot sell items in your home? No. Absolutely not. We are just trying to share with you insights into what is most desirable to buyers today and the dynamics of the market today. Naturally, you can trying to sell your household contents yourself, but be aware of the challenges you will face. Do you want strangers in your house? Be prepared for people who express interest to just not show up even when you feel you have a confirmed appointment. Be prepared for people who may show up, for them not to have the money to pay for the item that you agreed to over the phone or online. Be prepared for people to cancel appointments multiple times while you are on your way to meet them. So, it is not easy, but it is not impossible. Just be prepared.
OK, so if you cannot sell your stuff most people will say they will just contact a local charity and they will come over and pick it up; right? Wrong. Sorry. With the COVID environment we are in, charities are hesitant to come into your home. Then you have put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. Would you want to buy someone else items in this COVID era? Lastly, keep in mind that charities have a limited amount of physical space, so it is highly unlikely that they will come over and remove items that your own family did not want or that you could not sell. We know this may sound harsh, but it is true. On a worse case scenario, we can remove all your unwanted contents and help you cleanout and downsize your home and or get it market ready for sale.
Further information and perspective, especially in these changing times is noted below.
Things have really changed over the last few years. Items that people thought were valuable years ago, such as collectable figurines or china cabinets filled with plates and glassware are no longer in style. Furniture that is still functional but is 20 years old is just not in style or in demand today. We have found that 50 is the magic age. People over the age of 50 already have many of the things that people want to sell and do not want any more of it. People under age 50 simply do not have interest in many of the things that people want to sell. It all boils down to style, age, condition and desirability. We always tell people that it does not matter what you paid for it…something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. The simple test we ask people to do is invite friends and family over to let them take what they want. You’ll be surprised by the reaction you get. The majority of folks will say thanks but no thanks and will take nothing. Yes, it’s sad but true.
This is part of a continuing series of helpful articles from Joe Santoro and Nick Santoro of Personal Property Managers to assist you in home downsizing, content liquidation and full service discount real estate services. Personal Property Managers services clients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These tips and insights are especially important and true in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Additionally, during this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.
Our clients are often shocked to find out that no one in their family wants their china or old dining room set, but they still believe that someone else will certainly want it. Doesn’t it tell you something when your own family or friends don’t want your stuff?
Millennials and Gen Xers are resistant to the influx of furniture, kitchenware, and general stuff that comes with their parents’ downsizing.
Parents are often frustrated that they cannot even donate it. Then there is the challenge of content disposal and the transportation of it. When folks tell us their stuff is 20 or 30 years old, we have to tell them that there is little to no value to it. They often then get frustrated and don’t want to pay for the transportation costs associated with loading, driving and unloading their stuff just to get rid of it.
What about antiques? Unfortunately, the antique market has dropped off dramatically for all the same reasons. The younger generation just does not have the interest that there was some 15 to 20 years ago with antiques. So what is hot? Its furniture and items that are more contemporary in style and age. Items that are 3 – 7 years old and in great condition still have a market. This is typically called transitional furniture. We always ask people, how much would you pay for a 20 year old couch? If the answer is, I would not…or maybe $20…well then you really have your answer…don’t you?
It’s not all that surprising when you think about it. For one thing, younger generations might not have the space to store table service for 12. The average age of homeownership has been pushed back, and the number of millennials who own homes is at a record low.
Experts say it’s partly economic — 20- and 30-somethings buckling under student-loan debt and having trouble securing work right out of school don’t have the disposable income for many of the traditional life markers, like buying a home or getting married — but these grown kids may also have different value systems. On top of this 40 and 50-year-old parents are struggling with trying to figure out how to pay for their kids’ college and are nervous with today’s ever changing job market.
Consider some of the movements of the past few years:
Tiny houses. Tiny houses are less costly and have extremely limited storage. But that’s not deterring the people flocking to more-limited living space. Scaled down capsule wardrobes. One of the hottest trends in the fashion blogosphere in the past few years is the capsule wardrobe, in which you wear only a fraction of the clothes you own, ultimately aiming to isolate those you no longer need.
Early retirement. The way people retire is changing, and some people are doing it earlier than ever through a combination of aggressive frugality and extreme saving.
Renting everything. Many younger adults see the appeal of renting everything, including homes phones and cars; and companies are happy to help them do it. Experiences over things. Psychological research has repeatedly found that spending money on experiences rather than tangible things makes people happier, a concept embraced by 20- and 30-somethings, some of whom even cast aside traditional jobs and lifestyles to travel the world.
Large expenses – College bills and Credit card debt. Both parents and younger adults do not have the disposable income that was available years ago due to large college loans and ever-growing credit card debt
Low cost new furniture. The market place is flooded with new and lower priced furniture that is more in line with today’s style and preferences. It may not last as long as the well-made furniture of the past, but today’s buyers get bored with their furniture after 7 to 10 years and would rather buy new furniture and change the look of their home more frequently.
The younger adult generations simply want something different from their parents.
The good news is that we can help clean-out your house, help downsize family’s homes and liquidate your contents for items that are saleable and in demand. We offer on-site estate sale services and can remove contents and sell them via our array of proprietary resources.
We offer 6 primary services to help families or executors. They are:
Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.
For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
News flash…although you may love your pet and feel that it’s a part of the family, not everyone may feel the same way, especially prospective home buyers who may be turned off by pet odors, worn yards and scratches on floors and walls. So, what is a home seller with pets to do?
We are sharing insights to pet owners who are trying to sell your home. In fact, we advise animal-owning sellers to rid their home of any evidence of pet damage or animal scents before opening their doors to potential buyers.
Appealing to buyers who may not love pets as much as you do can boost your chances of getting top dollar for your house.
This is part of our 2024 best in class continuing series of articles by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers, who service Pennsylvania and New Jersey and specialize in real estate, property management, home content downsizing and estate sale services.
Addressing Outside Pet Needs While a spacious backyard is a plus in the eyes of most buyers, pet-related landmines and holes typically aren’t on a buyer’s list of wants. To get your yard visitor-ready, we recommend filling in any doggy-dug holes and scooping the poop.
Additionally, be sure to check your fencing, deck, and porch for any marks from scratching or chewing. Most pet-related scratches and damage can be easily repaired with a little sandpaper and stain.
Addressing Inside Pet Needs First impressions are everything, but dog toys and pet odors don’t exactly enhance a home’s initial appeal. Get your home ready by ousting any evidence of pets, including: • Pet belongings. Collect toys, bowls, beds, crates, cat trees, and litter boxes and keep them out of sight. We even recommend hiding pet photos. • Scents. Get rid of potentially off-putting animal scents by lighting candles, opening windows, or hiring a professional carpet cleaning crew to deodorize your domicile. • Scratches. If your hardwood floors have a few battle scars to show for their years of being trodden upon by pets, consider having them resurfaced. • Remove Your Pet(s). Leaving your pet in the house during showings isn’t the best idea. They could dart out an open door or pose a liability issue if they behave in a less-than-friendly manner toward strangers. If you can’t take your pets with you, let a friend or relative care for them or board them at a kennel.
Please remember that you only have one time to make a good first impression, be that a buyer or with other realtors, so please keep this in mind if you are a home seller with pets. You do not want to sabotage your chances of success by not being mindful of other people’s opinions of pets.
Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
The vast majority of the clients who contact us are simply overwhelmed trying to tackle downsizing their home or the home of a loved one. It is physically and mentally draining. Often it entails going through possessions that have been in the house for 40 plus years. Where do you begin?
This is part of our 2024 best in class continuing series of articles and helpful tips and insights into helping you move forward and sell your home and clean out your contents by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers. Personal Property Managers specializes in real estate sales and marketing, home downsizing, content clean out and removal and estate sales, and services Pennsylvania and New Jersey. These tips and insights are especially important and true in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease.
Moving from your home of 20, 30 or 40 years is a daunting task. Often our client tell us it’s an “oh my gosh moment” – where do I begin? This is where we can help you.
Did you know that downsizing and moving ranks as one of lifes most difficult events, along with loss of a spouse, divorce and job change. People feel overwhelmed, and wonder; where do they even start?
At Personal Property Managers, we understand the emotional toll downsizing and moving can take on our clients and their families. If you are moving from your home of many years into a senior care community or just relocating, our goal is to help you transition seamlessly to this exciting new chapter in life.
Nick Santoro says that of the many challenges of moving, downsizing is the most difficult. Nick says the reason for this is that you have to make decisions about every personal possession in your home. Personal Property Managers is at your side helping you every step of the way.
Santoro suggests viewing downsizing as a process. We suggest that you start with small goals, and plan on sorting for just a few hours at a time.
Sorting through the easiest and obvious first. Choose a room where what needs to go or stay is the most obvious – like your bedroom or a room that’s rarely used.
Using colored stickers, labels or Post-It notes to identify where items will go. More efficient than writing out a list, movers and family members can use the stickers as guidance on moving day.
Assessing practicality and sentimentality. Items that are both practical and sentimental should move with you. Items that are neither should be left for family, sale or charity.
Eliminating duplicate items or items that are the wrong size. Chances are, you only need three sets of towels, not six. If clothing does not fit, do not bring it with you.
Before the move, Santoro recommends creating a floor plan and determining the practicality of existing furniture. Nick says, do not go out and buy new furniture. Instead, be open to using furniture in new ways.”
Taking measurements of available space is also important. Virginia, a recent client said, “We had large paintings that we really loved, but did not think we could bring with us. Nick had our floor plan and measurements and said, “Oh, yes we can. I know just where those paintings can go!’”
“It’s the sentimental items that make a house a home,” Nick reminds our clients. “Those are just as important as packing up your sensible shoes and kitchenware.”
What about selling some of your home contents?
As you approach the downsizing process, many of our clients contact us about wanting to sell their household items.
Most of the people who call, begin by telling us they have a variety of items ranging from kitchen sets, living room sets, bedroom sets, china cabinets filled with all kinds of things and believe that buyers will want to flock to their home for a chance to buy their contents. Let’s face it, we all think the things that we have accumulated over the years are beautiful and everyone will them; right? Wrong.
So in this day and age of the Corona Virus, you have to ask yourself would you want to go to a strangers home and buy pre-owned furniture? Probably not. Then on top of that, what most sellers never think of is the logistics and cost of simply moving an item from a seller’s home to a buyer’s home? Who pays for that? This has to be factored into the selling price, if there is even a demand or interest in today’s environment. So, does this mean you cannot sell your pre-owned home contents? No. Absolutely not. You may be able to sell your older unwanted items, but understand that today’s buyers tend to want more updated and contemporary items reflective of today’s styles. Additionally, todays home owners tend to want a more simplified look and feel and not want many items that were popular years ago. So be realistic.
For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.
We offer 6 primary services to help families or executors. They are:
Additional info can be found on this brief 90 second video or a full array of great tips and insights and video by clicking on our resource page.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
Moving? Downsizing? Why can’t I sell my home contents? Who wants my stuff?
Insights and Tips on the home content re-sale market
As home cleanout and content liquidation specialists, we are contacted multiple times each day from people who are either moving, downsizing, settling an estate or handling the affairs of an elderly loved and want to clean out their house and sell their home contents. Most of the people who call, begin by telling us they have a variety of items ranging from kitchen sets, living room sets, bedroom sets, china cabinets filled with all kinds of things and believe that buyers will want to flock to their home for a chance to buy their contents.
Let’s face it, we all think our home is worth a million bucks and the things that we have accumulated over the years are beautiful and everyone will them…right? Wrong.
These four 90 second videos will give you further insight into trying to sell you home contents or considering an estate sale.
In addition to the challenges of trying to sell your home contents as noted in this article and in our videos, we are now dealing with the Corona Virus and extreme social distancing. So ask yourself, in this day and age, would you want to go to a strangers home and buy pre-owned furniture? Probably not. Then on top of that, what most sellers never think of is the logistics and cost of simply moving an item from a sellers home to a buyers home? Who pays for that? This has to be factored into the selling price, if there is even a demand or interest in todays environment.
Things have really changed over the last few years. Items that people thought were valuable years ago, such as collectable figurines or china cabinets filled with plates and glassware are no longer in style. Furniture that is still functional but is 20 years old is just not in style or in demand today. We have found that 50 is the magic age. People over the age of 50 already have many of the things that people want to sell and do not want any more of it. People under age 50 simply do not have interest in many of the things that people want to sell. It all boils down to style, age, condition and desirability. We always tell people that it does not matter what you paid for it…something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.
This is part of a continuing series of helpful articles from Joe Santoro and Nick Santoro of Personal Property Managers to assist you in home downsizing, content liquidation and full service discount real estate services. Personal Property Managers services clients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. These tips and insights are especially important and true in the environment we are in today, with the global economy turned upside down, massive job losses, and the need for extreme social distancing due to the Corona Virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease. Additionally, during this challenging time in the Corona Virus and COVID-19 era, we help families that are unable travel or tend to their property needs by providing a true one-stop resource. We are focused on making life just a little easier for families during often difficult times. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all.
Our clients are often shocked to find out that no one in their family wants their china or old dining room set, but they still believe that someone else will certainly want it. Doesn’t it tell you something when your own family or friends don’t want your stuff?
Millennials and Gen Xers are resistant to the influx of furniture, kitchenware, and general stuff that comes with their parents’ downsizing.
Parents are often frustrated that they cannot even donate it. Then there is the challenge of content disposal and the transportation of it. When folks tell us their stuff is 20 or 30 years old, we have to tell them that there is little to no value to it. They often then get frustrated and don’t want to pay for the transportation costs associated with loading, driving and unloading their stuff just to get rid of it.
What about antiques? Unfortunately, the antique market has dropped off dramatically for all the same reasons. The younger generation just does not have the interest that there was some 15 to 20 years ago with antiques. So what is hot? Its furniture and items that are more contemporary in style and age. Items that are 3 – 7 years old and in great condition still have a market. This is typically called transitional furniture. We always ask people, how much would you pay for a 20 year old couch? If the answer is, I would not…or maybe $20…well then you really have your answer…don’t you?
It’s not all that surprising when you think about it. For one thing, younger generations might not have the space to store table service for 12. The average age of homeownership has been pushed back, and the number of millennials who own homes is at a record low.
Experts say it’s partly economic — 20- and 30-somethings buckling under student-loan debt and having trouble securing work right out of school don’t have the disposable income for many of the traditional life markers, like buying a home or getting married — but these grown kids may also have different value systems. On top of this 40 and 50-year-old parents are struggling with trying to figure out how to pay for their kids’ college and are nervous with today’s ever changing job market.
Consider some of the movements of the past few years:
Tiny houses. Tiny houses are less costly and have extremely limited storage. But that’s not deterring the people flocking to more-limited living space.
Scaled down capsule wardrobes. One of the hottest trends in the fashion blogosphere in the past few years is the capsule wardrobe, in which you wear only a fraction of the clothes you own, ultimately aiming to isolate those you no longer need.
Early retirement. The way people retire is changing, and some people are doing it earlier than ever through a combination of aggressive frugality and extreme saving.
Renting everything. Many younger adults see the appeal of renting everything, including homes phones and cars; and companies are happy to help them do it.
Experiences over things. Psychological research has repeatedly found that spending money on experiences rather than tangible things makes people happier, a concept embraced by 20- and 30-somethings, some of whom even cast aside traditional jobs and lifestyles to travel the world.
Large expenses – College bills and Credit card debt. Both parents and younger adults do not have the disposable income that was available years ago due to large college loans and ever-growing credit card debt
Low cost new furniture. The market place is flooded with new and lower priced furniture that is more in line with today’s style and preferences. It may not last as long as the well-made furniture of the past, but today’s buyers get bored with their furniture after 7 to 10 years and would rather buy new furniture and change the look of their home more frequently.
The younger adult generations simply want something different from their parents.
The good news is that we can help clean-out your house, help downsize family’s homes and liquidate your contents for items that are saleable and in demand. We offer on-site estate sale services and can remove contents and sell them via our array of proprietary resources.
For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
Get the best possible price in the shortest amount of time.
If you are serious about selling your home at the best possible price and in the shortest possible time on market, then you’ll want to pay close attention to our top 9 secrets to helping sell your home.
This is part of a continuing series of articles and helpful tips and insights into helping you sell and market your home by Nick Santoro and Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers. Personal Property Managers specializes in real estate sales and marketing, home downsizing, content clean out and removal and estate sales, and services Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
#1: The first impressions are lasting… and are the only that matter
No matter how good the interior of your home looks, buyers have already judged your home before they walk through the door. You never have a second chance to make a first impression. It’s important to make people feel warm, welcome and safe as they approach the house. Spruce up your home’s exterior with inexpensive shrubs and brightly colored flowers. You can typically get a 100-percent return on the money you put into your home’s curb appeal. Entryways are also important. You often use it as a utility space for your coat and keys. But, when you’re selling, make it welcoming by putting in a small bench, a vase of fresh-cut flowers or even some cookies.
#2: Always be ready to show… you just never know…
Your house needs to be “show-ready” at all times – you never know when your buyer is going to walk through the door. You have to be available whenever they want to come see the place and it has to be in tip-top shape. Don’t leave dishes in the sink, keep the dishwasher cleaned out, the bathrooms sparkling and make sure there are no dust bunnies in the corners. It’s a little inconvenient, but it will get your house sold.
#3: The kitchen comes first… it’s often the first place people look
You’re not actually selling your house, you’re selling your kitchen – that’s how important it is. The benefits of remodeling your kitchen are endless, and the best part of it is that you’ll probably get 85% of your money back. It may be a few thousand dollars to replace countertops where a buyer may knock $10,000 off the asking price if your kitchen looks dated. The fastest, most inexpensive kitchen updates include painting and new cabinet hardware. Use a neutral-color paint so you can present buyers with a blank canvas where they can start envisioning their own style. If you have a little money to spend, buy one fancy stainless steel appliance. Why one? Because when people see one high-end appliance they think all the rest are expensive too and it updates the kitchen.
#4: Take the home out of your house… de-personalize your home
One of the most important things to do when selling your house is to de-personalize it. The more personal stuff in your house, the less potential buyers can imagine themselves living there. Get rid of a third of your stuff – put it in storage. This includes family photos, memorabilia collections and personal keepsakes. Staging simply means arranging your furniture to best showcase the floor plan and maximize the use of space.
#5: Don’t over-upgrade… but keep it clean
Quick fixes before selling always pay off, however expensive makeovers, not so much. You probably won’t get your money back if you do a huge improvement project before you put your house on the market. Instead, do updates that will pay off and get you top dollar. Get a new fresh coat of paint on the walls. Clean the curtains or go buy some inexpensive new ones. Replace door handles, cabinet hardware, make sure closet doors are on track, fix leaky faucets and clean the grout.
#6: Conceal your pets… not everyone likes pets
You might think a cuddly dog would warm the hearts of potential buyers, but you’d be wrong. Not everybody is a dog- or cat-lover. Buyers don’t want to walk in your home and see a bowl full of dog food, smell the kitty litter box or have tufts of pet hair stuck to their clothes. It will give buyers the impression that your house is not clean. If you’re planning an open house, send the critters to a pet hotel for the day.
#7: Light it up… the more light the better
Maximize the light in your home. After location, good light is the one thing that every buyer cites that they want in a home. Take down the drapes, clean the windows, change the lampshades, increase the wattage of your light bulbs and cut the bushes outside to let in sunshine. Do what you have to do make your house bright and cheery – it will make it more sellable.
#8: Half-empty closets… clean them out
Storage is something every buyer is looking for and can never have enough of. Take half the stuff out of your closets then neatly organize what’s left in there. Buyers will snoop, so be sure to keep all your closets and cabinets clean and tidy.
#9: Pricing it right… be grounded in reality
Find out what your home is worth, then shave 5 to 10 percent off the price. You’ll be stampeded by buyers with multiple bids – even in the worst markets – and they’ll bid up the price over what it’s worth. It takes real courage and most sellers just don’t want to risk it, but it’s the single best strategy to sell a home in today’s market.
For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.
For more information on real estate or home downsizing please contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro of Personal Property Managers at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909. Personal Property Managers specializes in helping home owners transition from their home of many years into a new community. Personal Property Managers services Pennsylvania and New Jersey and offers downsizing services, estate sales services, home staging, discount full service real estate services via its association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
Estate Executor – Home Downsizing, Content Liquidation and Real Estate Services
Are you the executor of an estate? If you are in charge of helping to liquidate and sell the contents of a loved ones home, or need to downsize and declutter the property to get it market ready for sale, then you know how physically, mentally and emotionally draining this can be. Do you need to conduct an estate content assessment to evaluate the value of an estates contents and have it photographed and documented? Do you feel overwhelmed and do not know where to begin? Are you looking for a one-stop resource to provide assistance? No problem. We can help. We specialize in providing a one stop, single source solution to help executors take care of all the work with home downsizing, decluttering, getting a home market ready for sale, providing full service discount real estate services, and in helping to liquidate the contents of a loved ones home. We service Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We provide estate executors with total peace of mind. We know the process of downsizing, moving, selling a loved ones home can be physically and mentally exhausting. With Personal Property Managers, one call does it all. We handle all your loved ones home and property content downsizing, de-cluttering, content liquidation and real estate sale needs. Our goal is to help executors with our downsizing and decluttering to obtain the highest value for their loved ones home. We provide special 2019 best-in-class portfolio of services to assist families.
We service Pennsylvania, and the counties of Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester and the Main Line. In New Jersey, we service the counties of Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, Burlington, Middlesex, Union, Ocean, Essex and Somerset.
We offer 7 primary services to help families or executors. They are:
Full Service discount Real Estate sales
Home Downsizing, de-cluttering, and cleanout services
Estate content assessment and evaluation
Estate sale and content liquidation services
Property repairs and maintenance services
Absentee home watch services
Home rental services.
We also offer discount real estate services via our association with EveryHome Realty. Learn more about Personal Property Managers from our recent News Stories.
How Our Process Works
We begin by meeting with you and your loved ones families personally. This allows us to understand your estates personal needs and for us to develop a tailored solution to meet your individual goals. We offer extreme cleaning and extreme home cleanout services, removing contents from hoarder homes to multi-million dollar homes.
As certified Senior Real Estate Specialist, we then conduct a comprehensive market analysis, which will help give you and the estate a better feel for the value of the home, its contents and their value. We then will evaluate the contents of the property with you and the estate to ascertain what you and the estate wish to keep, give to friends and family, donate, shed, discard or move to a new home. A full inventory is done at this time and is sorted based on your direction to us.
For items of value, we can facilitate an Estate Sale or help remove contents and liquidate them.
For items you or the estate wish to part with, we will arrange for the disposal of them or donate them to charitable organizations. For items you or the estate wish to keep, we can arrange for them to be packed and moved. We then work with you or the estate to determine a moving schedule.
Lastly, we can assist in a final cleaning of you loved ones estate as part of our home downsizing and de-cluttering process, which is all geared to help you and the estate sell the property at the maximum value.
Estate Sale and Content Liquidation Services
In addition to home downsizing and clean outs, we can help sell and liquidate all your estates household contents We work with you and the estate to identify which items you wish to sell, donate or dispose of. Together we develop realistic fair market value price points for all household contents. We even develop special website pages to market your estates contents.
As your estate asset liquidator, we have found that prospective buyers feel that there is a greater perceived value when a professional estate liquidation firm conducts your estates household estate sale.
Please note that the market for pre-owned items is entirely based upon the style, age and condition of your clients contents. As a result, not all things are saleable. Additionally, there will always be two different sets of values to any items. There is the seller’s perceived value, which may have a high emotional and sentimental value, and then there is the potential buyer’s view of the contents value, which is generally very different. Please remember that something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it. To learn more, please click here to view a short article we wrote on this subject or click on our Resource link page for a host of other insights into selling pre-owned items, home downsizing, home sales information and elder care.
We are an award winning organization dedicated to providing personalized services and offering your clients solutions that are tailored to their specific needs. For more insights, tips and videos please visit our Resource Page in the About us tab.
We tend to your estates property and its contents like it was our own. We know that often times a move, a home downsizing or sale can be overwhelming and physically demanding. We can handle everything for you and your estate. When you call us, you get us. We are on site at every job. You can rely on us and trust us. With Personal Property Managers…one call does it all. We are Estate Specialists, are licensed Realtors in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and are certified Senior Real Estate Specialist via EveryHome Realty, RS308044 and 1326862. Please call us for a free consultation at 215-485-9272 or 908-368-1909.
On behalf of our team at Personal Property Managers (www.personalpropertymanagers.com) we wish you and your family a happy Holiday Season and a Merry Christmas. As you enter the new year and need help with moving, home downsizing, home cleanout, home content sale and liquidation, full-service discount real estate services, home watch services or property management give us a call. With Personal Property Managers…one call does it all. Contact Nick Santoro or Joe Santoro.
We help increase assisted living and senior living census numbers via our one-stop senior transition services for moving, home downsizing, home content liquidation and full service discount real estate services. For more info contact Joe Santoro at Personal Property Managers (www.personalpropertymanagers.com ) where one call does it all.
Personal Property Managers, http://www.personalpropertymanagers.com is your one stop home sale specialists to help you get your house ready for sale and to help you get the best price for your home. One call does it all.
Personal Property Managers 