Physical and Emotional Downsizing in Alexandria
Posted by David Zadareky on Thursday, July 21st, 2011 at 11:10am.
Selling your Alexandria home in today’s market can be challenging. There’s generally a lot of cleaning and de-cluttering needed to make it appealing to buyers. If you’re retiring or moving after living in your home for several decades, there are also emotional aspects to selling a place with so many memories of friends and family. From Boston.com, here are some tips to update your older home and make downsizing a little less traumatic.
After 20 or 30 years in a home, it’s likely that the kitchen is out of date, closets are cluttered, and walls need repainting. Check into everything that might keep you from making the sale and fix or update as needed. This could be as easy as new neutral paint on the walls or something more extensive such as adding a new roof or modern appliances.
Allow yourself lots of time to make updates—and to begin to let go of your emotional attachments to the home. Some DC area sellers have found that cleaning out and updating makes the home look so different that it’s easier to see it as belonging to someone else. While it helps you, de-cluttering and removing personal effects also allow potential buyers to picture themselves living in the home, which often helps make the sale.
If you feel you’re just not up to this task, consider using a professional stager. These folks know the demographics of current buyers and can recommend updates or fix-ups in line with what those buyers look for in a home. With all the competition out there, you want your home to look and feel fresh, even if it’s an older home. Then you can play up the charm of your Alexandria Victorian along with the modern conveniences it holds.
While it’s exciting to enter a new phase of life, it can sometimes be difficult to sell the place you’ve called home for most of your life. I can offer all the experience and support you need to downsize and move on. If you’re in the market to make a move in Northern Virginia, you owe it to yourself to work with an exceptional real estate team committed to Going Beyond Your Expectations. That team is RE/MAX Evolution & David Zadareky.
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