Preparing to Sell Your Home: What Common Staging Errors Should I Avoid?

When preparing to sell your home, you want to show the house as the buyer wants to see it, not necessarily as you want to show it. Use the checklist below to avoid the most common staging errors:

1. Don't use heavy air fresheners, candles or other fragrances. Potential buyers or their children may have asthma, allergies or other sensitivities and can leave the wrong impression. Use a light fragrance and check to make sure it’s hypo-allergenic.

2. Use chemical cleaners like bleach, disinfectants and deodorizers well in advance before showing the house so they have time to dissipate.

3. Be sure pets, diaper pails, trash bins and other common household hazards are out of the way. Potential buyers will peek into the pantry and the laundry. Make every space look its best.

4. Make sure appliances are clean and easily visible. They are often part of the sale so potential buyers will inspect them carefully.

5. Do not showcase your personal items. Properly staging a home allows buyers to envision their lives in the home. Personal items will detract from the living space and lifestyle of the buyers.

For more information about staging your home for sale, call me at 317.777.1805 or email me at Scott@LacySells.com.

Summer Moving Tips — Part 2

If you’re moving this summer, follow these tips below to ensure the transition from house to house goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Some items need to be broken down into pieces when moving. To keep track of the small screws and washers, put everything in a baggie that is clearly marked and sealed. Keep all of the separate baggies together in one box on moving day and personally take it with you to your new home.
2. Before unplugging any wires on TVs, DVRs, home theater systems and computers for the move, take a photo of the connections, print them out and label them in detail. This will create fewer headaches when setting up technology in the new home. Keep track of all loose wires using baggies or boxes that are clearly labeled, and personally carry these easy-to-lose items on moving day.
3. Products such as detergents, pesticides and paint are heavy and unwieldy to pack. Dispose of as many as possible before the move in an eco-friendly way.  For items that must be transported, pack them in a small box within a larger box for protection against leaks. Consider marking these boxes in a different color, and seal them extra tight. Keep them separate from the rest of the boxes, particularly if you have kids and pets.
4. Consider getting full value insurance protection. If using a professional mover, investing in full value protection means any lost or damaged articles will be repaired or replaced, or a cash settlement will be made at current market value, regardless of age. The required minimum coverage of 60 cents per pound would not cover the replacement cost of more expensive items such as a flat screen TV if damaged in transit.
5. If using a professional mover, research your rights as a consumer with either the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for interstate moves or contact your state agency. Enlist the help of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or local law enforcement if the moving company fails to live up to its promises or threatens to hold your belongings hostage. FMCSA requires interstate movers to offer arbitration to help settle disputed claims.

For more information or help when planning your move, call me at 317.777.1805 or email me at Scott@LacySells.com.

Preparing to Buy a Home: Should I Get a Fixed or Adjustable Rate Home Loan?

Fixed rate loans have a steady interest rate over a specific period of time, usually between 15 to 30 years. You know exactly what your principal and interest payment for the mortgage will be each month for the entire duration of the loan. Adjustable rate loans reset at different times throughout the loan and can result in fluctuations in the monthly mortgage payment.

Not sure which type of loan is the best choice for you? Use this quick checklist.

1. Do you anticipate a substantial increase in income or earnings over the next few years? If so, then an adjustable rate might be a good choice.

2. Do you anticipate a stable or even declining income in the next few years? Is your job or your spouses career subject to downsizing? Is anyone nearing retirement age? If so, a fixed rate mortgage might be a good choice.

3. Do you intend to live in the home for less than five years? If so, an adjustable rate mortgage might work for your situation.

4. Do you intend to live in the home for more than five years or are you not sure how long you will remain in the home? If so, a fixed rate mortgage might work for your situation.

For more information or help in choosing the financing that is right for you, call me at 317.777.1805 or email me at Scott@LacySells.com.

Summer Moving Tips — Part 1

If you’re moving this summer, follow these tips below to ensure the transition from house to house goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Can you move alone, or should you hire a licensed moving company for a full-service or partial-service move? The answer depends on your lifestyle, household size, budget and amount of time you have. Get written quotes from at least three licensed moving companies. If moving yourself, packing calculators make it easier to estimate the amount of boxes and packing materials needed.
2. Plan to unpack BEFORE you pack. Take photos of each room in the new home before you arrive with furniture, plants, appliances and family in tow. Write down where each item should go in your next home before packing, and carry it with you on moving day. List the major items that need to be assembled first. As you place each item in its new room, cross it off the list.
3. Be strategic about packing. If you have more than a month to move, start early. Complete a free change of address and schedule utilities ahead of time, and start packing early. Whether it’s one room, one cabinet or one drawer at a time, as you’re going through your belongings, divide everything into these categories: donate to charity, give to a friend, recycle, trash, pack now, or keep handy until moving day. 
4. If you have children, consider daycare on moving day, or get help from a friend or family member. Provide lunch or some other appropriate thank you gesture if you do call in a favor. If that’s not an option, prioritize setting up safe places for your children to play in the new home on moving day so they’re not underfoot.
5. All the packing and constant in-and-out of visitors is stressful for animals. Consider checking your pet into a daycare facility, or setting up a time for a friend to take them or check them into pet daycare. Don’t let your four-legged best friends get lost in the shuffle and remember to make day-of moving arrangements.

Watch for Part 2 coming soon!

For more information or help when planning your move, call me at 317.777.1805 or email me at Scott@LacySells.com.

Preparing to Buy a Home: Does New Home Construction Require Maintenance?

Building or buying a new home doesn’t automatically eliminate the need for home maintenance. New construction home buyers should ask the builder, real estate agent and others what they need to know about its maintenance before moving in. Use these questions to make sure your know how to maintain your new home.

1. Obtain copies of all warranty and service agreements, including the builder warranty, appliances, certain building materials, pest control and other products or services related to the home. Be sure to obtain these at or before closing.

2. Make sure you read and understand what is required to keep the warranty in place so you do not inadvertently void the warranty.

3. Understand who to contact should a problem arise. Always put any request for service in writing especially when dealing with new construction.

4. Establish a preventative maintenance schedule.

5. Keep a file for the life of the home. Similar to buying a car, having a record of maintenance and repairs performed on the home can demonstrate caring and concern that later helps your home sell.

For more information about maintaining a new home, call me at 317.777.1805 or email me at Scott@LacySells.com.