Checklists and Tips

Feel free to browse these checklists and tips. My goal is to make your real estate experience as smooth and profitable as possible. If you ever have a question about any aspect of your real estate experience, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

Checklist for Moving
Comprehensive Checklist for Moving
What to Expect Once Your House Is Listed
The 3 C's of Home Selling
Buying and Selling Tips
Special Reports on Selected Subjects
Twelve Keys To Successful
Checklist for Moving

BEFORE YOU LEAVE: Give Address Change To:
* Post Office
* Charge Accounts, Credit Cards
* Subscriptions: (Notice requires several weeks)
* Friends and Relatives
Bank
* Transfer funds, arrange check-cashing in new city
* Arrange credit references
Insurance
* Notify company of new location for coverages, Life, Health, Fire and Auto
Utility Companies
* Gas, light, water, telephone, fuel
* Obtain refunds on any deposits made
Medical, Dental, Prescriptions Histories
* Ask Doctor and Dentist for referrals
* Transfer needed prescriptions, eyeglasses, X-rays
* Obtain birth records, medical records, etc
And Don't Forget To
* Empty Freezer
* Defrost freezer and clean refrigerator
* Clean rugs or clothing before moving
* Arrange to have items wrapped for moving
* Check with your Moving Counselor: Insurance coverage, packing & unpacking labor,  
      arrival day, various shipping papers, method and time of expected payments
* Plan for special car needs of infants
On Moving Day
* Carry enough cash or travelers checks to cover cost of moving services and expenses 
      until you make banking connections in the new city
* Carry jewelry and documents yourself, or use registered mail
At Your New Address
* Plan for transporting pets; they are poor traveling companions if unhappy
* Double-check closets, drawers and shelves to be sure they are empty
* Leave old keys needed by new tenant or owner with Realtor or neighbor
* Check on service of telephone, gas, electricity and water
* Check pilot light on stove, water heater, incinerator & furnace
* Have new address recorded on driver's license
* Register car within 5 days after arrival in state or a penalty may have to be paid   
      when getting new license plates
* Apply for state driver's license
* Register children in school
* Arrange for medical services: Doctor, Dentist, etc.


Comprehensive Moving Checklist

WHAT TO DO BEFORE MOVING OUT AND BEFORE MOVING IN

Whether you're moving next door or across the country, there are a lot of fine details involved in making a move run smoothly. That's where your Moving Checklist can help make your move a success.

Simply put your checklist in a convenient spot and mark off each item as it is completed. You'll find the list comes in handy before you move, on moving day and when you move in.


Arrange for cancellation of utilities and advise date to shut off service and where final bills are going to be sent.
* Electric
* Water
* Gas
* Telephone
* Garbage pickup
Cancel deliveries on:
* Milk
* Diapers
* Newspapers
* Magazines

Give forwarding address to Post Office.
* Send "New Address" cards to:
* Magazines
* Insurance company
* Credit companies
* Stores
* Friends
* Relatives

Check on insurance coverage of life, car and household goods en route to new home.

Check on packing and unpacking labor, arrival day, various shipping papers, method and time of expected arrival.

Leave any necessary legal papers with your attorney or Realtor.

Have bank recommend affiliate in new town and transfer checking and saving accounts.

Empty safe deposit box,
 
Ask doctor and dentist for referrals and transfer medical, dental and optometry records of all family members.

* Have drug prescriptions refilled.
* Get transcripts of children's school records.
* Have birth and baptismal records made for all family members.
* Drain gasoline from lawn mower.
* Dispose of all flammables.
* Drain hoses.
* Return and reclaim all borrowed items from neighbors, friends and relatives.
* Throw away useless items.
* Mark all cartons and barrels with room in which they are to be placed by mover.
* Mark box "DO NOT MOVE" for those items you will take in the car.
* Make arrangements to have house "winterized," if house will be vacant during cold
      weather.
* Plan use of foods.
* Defrost freezer and refrigerator. Use charcoal to dispel odors.
* Have appliances checked for moving.
* Pick up laundry and dry cleaning. Leave rugs and clothing wrapped for moving.
* Make arrangements for a place to stay temporarily, if new home is not ready for 
      occupany when you arrive.
* Have car tuned up and thoroughly checked for trip.
* Purchase maps, books, games and snacks for trip.
* Plan for special care of infants.
* Be sure to involve your children in the move (put them to work).
* Plan for transporting pets, they are poor traveling companions if unhappy

ON MOVING DAY
* Be present when movers arrive and preferably while they pack.
* Walk through on the day of loading to make sure all items have been packed.
* Double check closets, drawers, shelves to be sure they are all empty.
* Leave old keys needed by new tenant or owner with Realtor.
* Let close friend or relative know route and schedule you will travel including  
      overnight spots; use them as a message headquarters.
* Carry currency, jewelry, and documents yourself, or use registered mail.
* Carry traveller's checks for quick, available funds.
* Check all doors and windows to be sure they are locked. Turn off all lights.


WHAT TO EXPECT ONCE YOUR HOUSE IS LISTED

1.The pertinent information about your home: Room sizes, heating, special features, taxes, mortgage information, date of possession, etc is put onto a listing sheet which is distributed by the Multiple Listing Services, as well as being put into the MLS computers. These sheets are then available for buyers and other brokers with buyers.

2. A sign will be placed on your property.

3. A photographer from the Multiple Listing Service will take an outside photograph of your home. This will be included on the listing sheet. For the best picture it is recommended that the garage door is down, the yard is neat and that there are no cars in the driveway.

4. Movers start calling at about this time. We do not give them your name, but one way or another they obtain the information. I include this so that you will be prepared. We are doing our best to see that this practice does not continue.

5. Salespeople from our office and other offices will be calling you to set up appointments to show your home to prospective buyers.. They must call before they come. If the people ask you questions, answer them to the best of your ability. Do not volunteer further information unless asked for it.

6. We will solicit locally to find buyers for your home.

7. Ads will be run in several different publications.

8. A tour for local Realtors may be arranged.

9. Information will be sent to other appropriate sources.

10. When a buyer is found who is willing to make an offer, an appointment will be set up with you to present the offer. The listing salesperson will go over the offer with you.

11. You will have to make a decision as to what to do about the offer. There are 3 options available.
A) You can accept the offer.
B) Reject the offer.
C) You may counter the offer (change parts of the offer so that it is more acceptable to you)

12. If you accept the original offer or counter and your counter is accepted, you have a contract. The contract is usually subject to attorney's approval and a building inspection. If the building inspection and attorney's approval are acceptable, the contract moves ahead.

13. The buyer must arrange financing. In most cases, with the assistance of a Realtor he will apply for a mortgage. He will have a set number of days to procure the loan. In that time his credit, work record and ability to pay will be determined. Also, the house will be appraised by people from the lending institution for purposes of loan value. When all the information is gathered, an underwriter either approves or rejects the loan.

14. If the loan is approved, all that remains is for the title to be brought down to date, making sure that the property can be transferred without others having a claim on the property. A title insurance policy should also be obtained.

15. If you do not have a current survey, one will be ordered. It may take up to three weeks, so it is best to have one before the transaction proceeds too long.

16. The time, date and place of closing is determined.

17. At closing, documents finalizing the transaction will be signed and funds will be transferred.

18. All that remains is for the keys to be transferred.


The Three C's of Home Selling
It still amazes me that when a person attempts to sell their car, they clean it, wax it, take out all their personal items, and basically make it look "like new." Yet when that same person goes to sell their home, they leave it in disarray with chipped paint and a dirty oven! Therefore, I often tell my Sellers to keep in mind the three C's when preparing their home for marketing. Think about builders' model homes and how they have mastered Color, Clean and Clutter.

Color...If a home is decorated in more neutral tones, buyers will have an easier time projecting themselves living in that home. The most popular neutral colors are white and beige. Gray has become less popular in recent years. A fresh coat of linen white paint will pay off as well as newer medium-grade light carpeting. Sellers may protest and say, "What if I pick a color the buyer doesn't like? Haven't I wasted my money?" There is a saying I often use: "Buyers see what they see, not the way it's going to be." If you give them a blank palette to work with versus red wallpaper and green carpeting, they will make a buying decision much quicker!

Clean...This sounds like common sense but you'd be surprised what I see in my daily travels. Vacuumed carpet, gleaming tile, and unmarked walls are worth their weight in gold. The most common trouble areas are kitchens and baths. A cloudy shower door and dark marks in the grout are big turn-offs. A house can have a "clean" smell or a "dirty" smell. This can be a result of pets, cooking, and overall cleanliness. Try to put yourself in the buyers' shoes when tallying your score on the "Clean Scale."

Clutter...This can pertain to anything from magnets and paper all over the refrigerator to a vanity covered with toiletries. Not only do these items distract buyers but they make a home "feel smaller." A common rule of thumb for kitchen counters is to put away everything you don't use every day. (i.e. blenders, knife blocks, toaster ovens, etc.) The more open space you present, the bigger a home appears. It also looks cleaner, more organized, lighter and brighter. It can be hard to pack up that teddy bear collection but the sooner you do, the sooner the bears can move to their new house!

The way you live in a house and the way you sell a house are two different things! Buyers want to feel like they are "moving up," "turning over a new leaf," and "getting organized." If they see at your house what they just left behind at home, they won' t have any reason to make the move. Don't just sell your home, make it a showplace like a true marketeer!
Twelve keys to successful negotiations.

There are very concise in this format but each one could launch a lively discussion.
If you would like to discuss any of them, please call me. Thanks  Lori Rowe

Key 1  Build a negotiating strategy before your start.

Key 2  Don't take any of the negotiations personally.

Key 3  Be creative.

Key 4  Be flexible--address each counter-offer as a new offer.

Key 5  Make sure the other party gets what they need.

Key 6  Use your sales associate as your advisor.

Key 7  Be realistic about current market conditions.

Key 8  Stay focused on your goal.

Key 9  Remember the effect of the risk/reward continuum.

Key 10 Avoid giving into the emotional factor (use a proven process).

Key 11 Remember that sellers compete with sellers, and buyers compete with buyers.

Key 12 Not every negotiating event results in a signed agreement.