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-Average days on market to close is a month or so, so it should go under contract quickly and close BUT...a few houses by me, nice ones too, have sat for months, despite being priced ok. Most sell quick buy if I move out and list, I've lost rent from 2 tenants and am carrying 2 mortgages alone for months...4k a month mortgages and about same rental income. So figure 8k a month lost each month it sits...
Concerns about living there while selling:
-2 indoor only cats, don't want to risk someone letting them out. Plan on noting in listing and having a sign and being home during tours.
-Snoopy neighbors getting a tour or having their friends snoop since I'd recognize the neighbors...
-People stealing stuff (will lock up what we can).
-Timing of sale, giving notice to my month to month tenants suddenly at the place I'm moving back to. 20 days notice before end of month only, but depending on close date, could be problem. Set closing date to a convenient time?
Possible mitigation is to have a weekend open house and hope to get offers that weekend. I could also ask for after hours only tours so I can be there during tours. I sell my houses myself, last one sold first day. But it was a vacant rental...
So should I move out first or can I mitigate well enough? What suggestions to mitigate?
You start by preparing the home to be sold from the very basics (clean up clear out etc)
through any actual work that might be needed (roof furnace carpets paint)...
Once you're actually ready to sell (and assuming you want to sell) then you list it. Right away.
When you have a contract then you get to concern yourself with inspections and closing dates.
The rest of your concerns are just so much background chatter. Ignore it.
You start by preparing the home to be sold from the very basics (clean up clear out etc)
through any actual work that might be needed (roof furnace carpets paint)...
Once you're actually ready to sell (and assuming you want to sell) then you list it. Right away.
When you have a contract then you get to concern yourself with inspections and closing dates.
The rest of your concerns are just so much background chatter. Ignore it.
Ummm...8k a month loss if it sits is not background chatter. Neither are theft, lost pets, etc. Not only did you give no real advice, you didn't answer the question I posted at all, which is to list while living in it or not...
You might as well just have posted "just sell it".
If you can manage it, it's always ideal to be out of it, and not have pets in it, when it's selling.
But if that is cost prohibitive, then many people certainly figure out a way to do this.
Have valuables (and firearms) locked up or put in a secure storage before putting it on the market at all... But the risk of theft is NOT high if showings are done by Realtors present.
The fewer restrictions on showings or requirements that you be there, the better, of course. You will lose buyers with an overly restrictive schedule.
To secure the cats, you could get a large crate to secure the cats in when you have to leave for showings? Cover it and have a hidey box in it so they feel safe in there when strangers come in? Depends how your cats would cope with such a thing.
-Average days on market to close is a month or so, so it should go under contract quickly and close BUT...a few houses by me, nice ones too, have sat for months, despite being priced ok. Most sell quick buy if I move out and list, I've lost rent from 2 tenants and am carrying 2 mortgages alone for months...4k a month mortgages and about same rental income. So figure 8k a month lost each month it sits...
Concerns about living there while selling:
-2 indoor only cats, don't want to risk someone letting them out. Plan on noting in listing and having a sign and being home during tours.
-Snoopy neighbors getting a tour or having their friends snoop since I'd recognize the neighbors...
-People stealing stuff (will lock up what we can).
-Timing of sale, giving notice to my month to month tenants suddenly at the place I'm moving back to. 20 days notice before end of month only, but depending on close date, could be problem. Set closing date to a convenient time?
Possible mitigation is to have a weekend open house and hope to get offers that weekend. I could also ask for after hours only tours so I can be there during tours. I sell my houses myself, last one sold first day. But it was a vacant rental...
So should I move out first or can I mitigate well enough? What suggestions to mitigate?
I have sold 3 houses in the last 8 years with 2 and sometimes 3 cats. My cats all think strangers are killers so the second a key hits the lock they hit the deck, hide under the bed. So since my cats were self hiding I hid their stuff. I put their crates in cardboard boxes. I put their cat trees and cat condos in storage. I had large master closets in all of the houses so I created hidden litter boxes, see number 16 on the list. It's a huge plastic storage tub, I cut a hole on the side, put the litter in the tub, put the lid on the tub and stacked my Vera Bradley bags on top of the lid. I also use Target fragrance free litter (cats prefer) so that the house didn't have the deodorizer smell. I hid their food and water bowls where they weren't readily visible as you walked through the house.
I got offers on one house after 4 hours, the other two houses were 7 to 14 days on the market. To my knowledge no one really knew about or noticed the cats that I am aware of except for one time. Typically when I would come home from after the house was shown the cats would peep around the bedroom door like Mom, is that you? One time I came home and my most shy cat was rolling all around the floor like she had just been petted. I had watched the people drive away, obviously someone in the group was a cat lover and the little stinker could tell, came out and got her some kitty loving.
Every time I left the house I had my biggest Vera Bradley tote loaded up with my medicine, watches, jewelry, passport and I had my laptop case with my laptops, iPad and Kindle. My Realtor (I used the same one 2 out of 3 times) told me that medicine, jewelry and watches were prone to sticky fingers. Not one thing was ever stolen during the sale of all three houses.
I sold one house 15 years ago and moved out of that house before I listed it. I got lowballed on the house and sort of had to take it because I didn't want to take the risk the house would sit. I didn't get have to take lowball offers on the other houses I continued to live in. The one house that took 14 days to sell I actually turned down 3 lowball offers until I got an all cash offer at a number I liked.
I lived the last three houses, typically got storage units to "declutter and stage" the house purging it of a few things. I didn't care about nosy neighbors seeing my house, I entertained a few times and had as many over that would come while I was living there. It was a pain showing whole living there but I would do it again in a heartbeat.
We sold our home last year and needed to stay in it while it was listed for several reasons.
. We needed the money from the sale to purchase new home.
. Kids still in school.
. Relocating out of state, needed to tie up loose ends.
. Etc
We have 2 kids and 2 cats. It was a pain in the butt getting it ready for sale. We got rid of a lot of stuff. Did a deep cleaning and moved out large pieces of furniture and put in storage. We listed the home and DID NOT remove the cats during showings. We had an offer the first week.
A lot of people continue to live in their homes when it’s up for sale. It’s a choice you need to make depending on your situation! You just need to keep it tidy and clean if you stay!
Yes, indeed. That is what I always do. I cannot imagine the stress otherwise.
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