In today’s market it is not unusual for sellers who are relocating, especially for a new job, to reach a point where they NEED to move to the new location even though they have not sold their current home.
How can you best handle this situation, and protect your investment?
- Discuss the situation with your REALTOR and reach an agreement regarding him/her checking the house regularly, especially after bad weather (say, at lest once per week or more). They ought to do this without you asking but better to be sure
- Entrust a good friend or neighbor with a key to also check in, in case your REALTOR gets busy and is not available, or forgets to check in. Have them check the bathrooms in case they have been used by folks touring the home, and watch for leaky pipes and sinks. They can also check the heat and AC in case buyers or agents turn them on and forget to turn them off.
- Turn off the water to the washer if there is one in the house.
- Keep the utilities – yes, it will cost a little, but it is not impressive to show a home without any lights, especially on a cloudy day or in the evenings. And if it’s the cold season you do not want the temperature in your home to go too low – pipes could freeze, and it’s an annoyance for buyers who are touring your home.
- If you move your furniture out, I would urge you to consider some staging so your home continues to look lived in. It could help from a safety standpoint but it also makes the home show better than when empty.
- If the home remains on the market for an extended time period, consider having a cleaning service in periodically – buyers are not keen on seeing lots of dust balls floating around and cobwebs hanging in their faces.
- Hook up at least 1 lamp to a timer so lights come on in the evening – again this can help from a safety standpoint by making the home look lived in
- Hire a neighbor’s kid, or a service to come in regularly and trim the grass and keep the yard looking neat. Curb appeal is so important for showings, and this will also create the impression the home is occupied. In the winter you will need someone to shovel snow (or your REALTOR had better do it). Nothing worse than trying to schlep through piles of snow to get to a cold, dark house.
- Maintain your homeowner’s insurance for added protection. But check with your provider on the appropriate coverage – some insurance policies change dramatically when a home is vacated and your coverage may be very different, or even lapse. Don’t assume you are covered if the home is vacant just because you are paying premiums.
- Make sure all mail is forwarded and newspapers are stopped – piles of papers in the drive are a tell-tale sign no one is around.
- Consider letting the police know the home will be vacant as well – they may step up their patrol.
As a side note…if your home is not selling, price is likely the problem (with location and condition possible factors as well). Have a frank discussion with your agent about a price reduction, and make sure they keep you well informed of what is going on in the market.
AGENTS - these may be good ideas for your to share with YOUR relocating clients. And consider what services YOU can provide to ease their transition.
Having to vacate an unsold home may be unavoidable, but a few precautions will help ensure your home looks its best so it will sell, AND remain safe in your absence.
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If I can provide more information about this community or the housing market in general, or otherwise assist you in your homes search, please contact me by phone or text at (760) 840-1360
or email me at JDowler@remax.net.
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ALL ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA RELOCATION DUDE
If I can provide more information about Carlsbad homes and real estate for sale and surrounding areas, the housing market in general (or locally), or otherwise assist you, friends or family in a home search or sale, please contact my mobile office or text me at (760) 840-1360 or email me at JeffDowlerSolutions@gmail.com
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That's an excellent list. Here we winterize the pipes so we don't have to worry about the pipes freezing if the electric goes out and kills the furnace.
Just an extra word of caution on the neighbors that are given keys. The parents may be OK, but if there are teens in the home, they may see an opportunity for a PAR-TAY! The kids had their party a day after the seller left and 2 days before closing. We didn't learn about it until 2hrs before closing when the buyer did the walk-thru. The damage they did nearly cost the deal. It could also have burnt down the home because they used plastic cups for ash trays & these cups were in almost every room's floor. Seller had to replace some of the carpet. Kids went to juvy court. The kid's parents eventually went bankrupt. Bad scene all around.
So I always caution sellers on being very careful who they give their keys to.
Missy - yep, no need here for that. BUt I sure dealt with it back in Boston multiple times. And we also need to be concerned about pool service (so they don;t look like stagnant ponds). Thanks for your thoughts.
Jeff
Thanks, Lloyd. I am going to use this as a postcard and as a marketing piece. Appreciate the compliment.
Jeff
Elaine - that is really an excellent point. I heard a story about some teens that got hold on Mom's lock box info (not quite the same, but you get the idea) and had a grand time at an empty home in the Hamptons. Caused more than $150K in damage - yikes. Now THATS liability. The key word is TRUST here.
Jeff
Kay - I think staging a home that is vacant is important - it makes such a difference.
Jeff
Jeff... you make some great points and recommendations. I think one of the more important ones is keeping the utilities on for when showing the home. Also, the light timers is a good one. nice job...
Hi Jeff,
Great info.
BTW, I loved Missy's comment about shoveling the snow. Here we have to pick up tree branches after the Santa Ana winds.
Jeff,
Here is FL it's hard to turn off those utilities even if it's a foreclosure or REO....I had one where the bank insisted on keeping the homes utilities on ...for one thing it was to show it and the other for the inspections. I did keep everything at a minimum to keep their costs down. Also in this heat we need to keep the iar circulating so we don't have a mold problem. Water is no problem other than in the bathrooms.
Thanks, Jeff. Having been through this issue myself on several occasions, I have learned the hard way. Appreciate the compliment.
Jeff
Margaret - well, we are certainly seeing lots of vacant homes as people bought new homes and moved but could not sell their old ones. And the same applies to those vacant investment properties. Some are like orphans.
Jeff
Lynda - ha ha. How true. I don't miss caring for other people's snow in their driveways. But those darn palm tree fronds when it's windy...
Jeff
Randy - that's a good point. I know that ADT often has specials running when you buy a system so they are very cost effective. It's really worth the peace of mind.
Jeff
Good points, Neal. Is seems that many of the REOs and foreclosures here have everything turned off, including the pool systems. Not a pleasant scene, and there is then the mosquito and potential West Nile virus problem.
Jeff
Sandra - You raise a good point about liability. Wonder if anyone has had a problem. Does this fall under E and O?
Jeff
Kelly - those are really good points to keep in mind. Thanks!
Jeff
Hey thanks, Lisa. I am going to turn this into a marketing piece for my pre-listing package.
Jeff
Connie - you know I thought about it a little but then did nothing with it. A great suggestion adn something that should definitely be considered. Thanks for bringing this up.
Jeff