Tips to sell your house in the summer.

Summer is often considered a challenging time to sell your home due to family vacations, childcare constraints and summer activities. While it may be more of a challenge or inconvenience to market your property during this season, it is not impossible. Here are some ideas to attract summer buyers.

• Maintain your lawn. Focus on curb appeal and take advantage of the season. Mow your lawn often and ensure all sprinklers are working.
• Cultivate the landscape. Trim bushes, hedges and trees, spread mulch, sweep the walkway and plant flowers.
• Clear a path. It is important that the front entrance is clear of any debris. Repair loose steps and railings or cracks in sidewalks; potential buyers should be able to navigate with ease.
• Provide a welcome respite. When guests enter your home the temperature should be comfortable, perhaps a welcome relief from the outside.
• Organize everything. Your home should be clutter-free, tidy and clean.
• Serve seasonal refreshments. Lemonade, fresh fruit or warm pies are appetizing and create a summer ambiance within your home.
• Bring in the light. The windows and glass doors should shine.
• Hide your tools. Stow away all landscaping tools; potential buyers do not need to be reminded of the maintenance that accompanies a home.
• Clean the pool. If you have a pool it should be clean and clear. Towels, toys and rafts should be neatly stored away so they do not detract from the space.
• Light it up. Illuminate your outside areas with well placed lights.

To learn more about these techniques or to speak with one of our REALTORS who can help you with these and other staging ideas then call us at 626-358-1858 or at 626-963-7621.

First things to do after buying a new home.

You closed on your new property. The boxes are off of the moving truck, the furniture is in the right rooms and you are wondering what to do first. Here is a checklist of important tasks that are high priority.

• Test the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Install new alarms or change the batteries if necessary.
• Establish an escape plan and safe meeting place with your family in the event of a fire.
• Make sure you know where the main water, gas and electrical shutoff valves are, in case of an emergency such as a burst pipe or gas leak.
• Determine which outlets serve which circuits and then label the breakers.
• Change the alarm system code, garage code, and any other password-sensitive devices.
• Change all of the locks and make a few sets of spare keys.
• Update your car insurance, driver’s license and voter registration to reflect your change of address.
• Have all your mail and magazine subscriptions forwarded to your new address. Keep a close eye on your bank accounts and credit cards, because during a move you are especially susceptible to identity theft if mail is not delivered to your current address.
• Unpack any and all medication that may be needed. Also, make sure you have a first aid kit readily available and a fire extinguisher in the kitchen pantry.
• Add any child locks that are necessary, on toilets, kitchen appliances, medicine cabinets, and any doors that lead outside. Do not forget to place child safety gates and safety plugs in outlets if you have small children.

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