More and more of my showings in St. Paul involve vacant houses. Some of these St. Paul houses have been lost to foreclosure, but a good share of them involve sellers who have just moved on. Job transfers or job losses, family emergencies, and/or financial issues are some of the reasons houses become vacant while listed. If you are a St. Paul home seller with a house left behind, take into consideration some of these suggestions:
- Houses show better with some furnishings. They feel more homey. Either leave some of your own behind or hire a stager to place furniture in the house until it sells.
- Even though you are gone from the home, the spiders, ants, mice, and dust still are looking for a home of their own. Ask a trusted friend, a cleaning company, a neighbor or your agent to make sure cobwebs and dust are regularly cleaned away, and that pests do not move in!
- The toilets should be flushed and the faucets used occasionally during the vacancy. Toilets develop a mold ring when not flushed, and need to be cleaned occasionally even though they are unused.
- Leave the heat and electricity on. Heat is necessary to prevent winter damage in colder climes. Electricity is necessary for real estate agents to show the house after dark! Keep lamps in rooms that have no overhead lights.
- Secure windows and doors and take efforts to make the house appear occupied. Lights on timers can be rotated by the same person that checks your house occasionally.
- A closed house becomes stuffy and smells with time. The person checking your house may periodically open windows throughout the house to air it out or place fans about to move the air.
- An untended yard is a definite turn-off to potential buyers. Hire a service to maintain the grass, bushes, weeds, pick up debris and unwanted deliveries, and shovel the walks.
- Let the police department know that your house is vacant so they can more carefully observe possible unwanted activity.
- Make sure all deliveries are stopped: mail, newspaper, phone books, etc.
Comments