Buying and Selling January 17, 2023

Sometimes It Feels Like Moving a Boulder

It’s common for us to make resolutions at the start of each year. I know I do. For like a decade now, my resolutions have been similar.  It is likely a deep character flaw that has prevented me from keeping these promises of self-improvement!  Why is that?  Most likely because we set a higher goal and need to break the monumental task into smaller and smaller tasks that are manageable.  That is a new resolution for me this year – baby steps toward accomplishing resolutions.
Is one of your resolutions to make a move in 2023?   I’d like to help you keep your resolutions!  Here are some suggestions to get you started, whether you are thinking of buying or selling.
IF 2023 IS YOUR YEAR TO SELL YOUR PROPERTY
    1. Get your documents in order.  Are you buying also?  Then see my suggestions below.  For your sale you should locate your deed, your survey, and mortgage payoff paperwork.
    2. Organize your space. You are going to have to remove all your belongings when you move out, so start tackling each room in your house in preparation for your move.                                                                  Break this into micro steps:
              • Take everything out
              • Make 3 piles – discard, donate, keep
              • Set up the room beautifully to sell.  Clean and deodorize.  Packing your personal items, like collectibles and family photos will allow buyers to see themselves living in your home.
               3. Decide what to Repair, Repaint, Rejuvenate. Choose some projects – inside and outside.  Certain improvement will have a maximum impact on the sale of the property by  improving buyers’ perception of your home and by raising its value.
IF 2023 IS YOUR YEAR TO BUY A HOME
    1. Set your finances in order.  Very important to your ability to buy a home is having an outstanding credit score.  Check out your score and take steps to improve it.
    2. Save money.  There are lots of great ways to implement passive savings.  Most banking apps have a way to automatically save a set amount.  A careful examination of your spending habits will likely reveal a little guilty habit that could net a chunk of savings.  For example – my husband loves to get a cappuccino daily.  Quick math $4 a day x 20 days a month x 12 months = $960 over a year.  That could be a significant part of a mortgage payment. And that is just one small change!
    3. Get a Pre-Approval on a Mortgage. We need that pre-approval to make any offer on a house – it shows the seller that you can afford to buy the house.
Like my son said to me, “You know how you feel when you avoid doing something, then you finally do it and it wasn’t that bad?”  Just like moving that boulder, taking small steps toward the goal, builds momentum.  Once you are moving forward and accomplishing incremental progress, it feels great.  Lastly, an important part of keeping your resolutions is having a partner to help.  Buying or selling, one of the first things you should do is select an experienced real estate agent, like myself. It would be an honor to facilitate your move and further develop a smart strategy  and connect you to other professionals to help you realize your real estate goals.  Together we can make it a Happy New Year!