Jay Bird

We've done it! Got a lovely For Sale board on the front lawn, and if nothing else it'll have the neighbours gossiping. We decided to go the fsbo route, using one of the websites now available, after consulting with the two realtors in town and being unable to negotiate a lower commission. having notified them of our decision to sell this way, one of them has been very helpful, saying she will help us through any sticky patches we might come across (at not cost to her!). The other came back yesterday with a higher valuation to try, we think, to persuade us to list with them. No deal.
They have both asked if will allow them to bring potential buyers in....well, of course, I'd be silly not to....and we can then negotiate a much reduced commission.
Anyway, now we have to keep the house in a permanent state of "Don't leave your boots there", "Will you put that jacket away?", and "Don't leave your desk cluttered" and * did I clean up the bathroom floor, flush the toilet, wash the dishes etc, etc*, hopefully it won't be too long before we get an offer.
S'pose I should start collecting boxes........

ann m

Very good luck with it all

Ruby Murray

Wow Oldbag, only just found this little thread.....!!

Sending all our luck and best hopes for you & OH. I really hope it sells quick and you get a nice tidy profit to take back with you

I'm now on sick leave for however long the Dr prescribes me.....so I'll look out for you on MSN for a chat and you can tell me who you're selling through.

Lotsaluv,
Ruby x

brits1

Well done and good luck.....we are putting ours up next week....having to negotiate with our real estate agent for their fee's......

Mrs Miggins

Mine goes on Saturday, I have the Merry Maids in on Friday afternoon to do a full right out "deep clean" and then hand over the keys on saturday while we jet off to Mexico!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully it will sell ok - but who knows, bit frightening really!

Good luck to you guys in Ontario too

Mrs Miggins xxxx

Ruby Murray

Nice one Brits.....you heading home so soon now? So happy for you! I can't wait to hear your experiences in the coming weeks.

Best of Luck,
Ruby

Ruby Murray

Same to you Mrs M.....hope you're not waiting too long with the house sale. How is the market down in the windy city? Has hubby heard from his interview yet?

brits1

Yes, when I think about not having the choice and staying here in Aus forever...that's what does it for me...my husband and boys are wanting to be home yesterday if they could so the house goes on the Market and we just have to hope it sells asap....really know that it is the right decision and we will just face what comes when we get home.....ie where to live...schools etc....just need to be there asap.....
Thanks for you thread...hope all is okay with you..take it easy...and look after yourself...(if you anything like me...everyone comes first then I'm last.....but try!!!)
Jackie

Sunshine Girl

Happy for you I hope you get some traffic through your doors, and an eager buyer before long. One thing I did forget to mention was in relation to valuations. Boy what a difference, from $300....to $399,900. We listed at $399,900 and had an offer of $360 within a week or so. As we were indifferent and our heads were like sheds as they say we declined. It does go to show however the 'difference' in realtor 'experience' to value properties, or is it merely realtor 'turnover', ie more inclined to sell it quickly I don't believe I just implied what I did Anyhows best of british to ya and I hope it goes well

Elaine B.

Good luck with the sale OB will keep my fingers crossed for you

chicagojlo

Just wanted to say that from my experience finding the boxes now and putting as much as you possibly can in storage will really help with selling. The less cluttered a home looks the more appealing it is. The thought of living with half your clothes for a bit is much less stressful than the thought of having your house on the market for months in my opinion!

Jay Bird

Thanks for that.....that's what we did when we moved from the UK. I started packing as soon as the For Sale sign went up; I did a couple of boxes a week, starting with my books, CD's and "bits I just had to take"....you know the stuff I mean.....stuff your kids make that have no use at all but you just can't part with. I've already got 3 boxes of stuff for the Sally Army thrift store.....just where does it all come from! The leather gear I'm wearing.....to the left, though, has to be kept til last!

chicagojlo

Is that why you need to leave?!

We had to totally de-clutter our house before the agent would even put it on the market. Since we only had 6 weeks notice before leaving the country anyway we needed to pack, it just meant we did it in a couple of days instead of a couple of months. By the time we got it out of storage for shipping we were wondering if we even needed any of it anymore!

Jerseygirl

Also remove all personal items ie photos etc. You want a perspective buyer to think of it as their home not yours. Clean all around the front of the house...especially the front door...a hanging basket can be a nice touch. Remove all evidence of pets.

chicagojlo

We had to add plants inside too! Luckily they are very cheap at IKEA...