How to Get Organized When Moving to a New Home

When you’re moving to a new home, it can be a stressful experience for most people. It’s a pretty big project. But if you take the time to prepare yourself and take the proper steps beforehand, you can save yourself some major headaches. Here are some tips to organize yourself before the big move:

• Make yourself a detailed checklist of everything you need to take with you. It’s a good idea to purchase a notebook just for this purpose.
• Purchase moving supplies in advance. A great list of moving supplies to have on hand are markers, boxes, tape, pocket knife, scissors, plastic storage bins, newspapers, and blankets. A hand truck would be EXCELLENT to have in this situation (makes transporting the boxes around a lot easier). Boxes can be found at your local supermarket (ask an attendent) while wardrobe boxes are a great idea to purchase for your clothes.
• Having a garage sale to sell off unwanted items (or even donating items) is a good idea while you still have time before you pack. When it comes to deciding whether to keep or get rid of something, it’s a good idea to follow the two year rule: If you haven’t used it in two years, get rid of it!
• Keep detailed records of your moving expenses. Your expenses may be tax deductible depending on the reasons for your move.
• Create a floor plan of your new home to aid during packing and on moving day.
• If you have important files on your computer, make sure to back them up on disk. Make sure you have a plan on how you’re going to move your computers, as they are very delicate pieces of equipment.

If you would like a free consultation and more information, please contact me, Michael Emilio Rodriguez by email and by telephone at 1-800-343-2993 x182.

Six Simple Steps to a Great Home Staging

Here are some techniques we can use to improve the marketability of your home by having every buyer get that "I want it now!" feeling.

1. Know that our physical senses respond to a home's design. What we feel relates to our senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing, and even taste. What we want to do is adjust certain aspects of your home to make it more appealing to these senses. The more senses you can activate in a positive way, the more in love the buyer becomes with your home.

2. Know that psychologically, a buyer wants a home that fills their needs. People buy homes that they feel happy in. People want to feel proud of their home, to the point of showing it off to their friends and family. Choosing the right colors, patterns, furnishings, and taking care of the little details will greatly influence the prospective buyer's feelings.

3. Don't fall into the "white wall trap". The advantages of white is that is a "safe" color, it looks clean, and is generally preferable to a very extreme color. However, it doesn't create any sort of cheerful feeling and it doesn't make people feel good. In short, it doesn't give that "I want it now!" feeling we want in buyers. Studies have been done on color and mood and they have shown that:

• Homes in a high price range: Use complex muted colors.
• Homes in a low price range: Use pure primary or pastel colors.
• Selling in the fall or winter: Use warm color accents.
• Selling in the spring or summer: Use cool color accents.

4. Furnishings are very different depending on climate. For us in the South Florida area, fewer furnishings is generally more desirable due to our hot and steamy days. If in cooler weather, having many "cozy" furnishings is desirable.

5. Some important details to add are extras such as:

• Paintings – They add depth and give a feeling that the room is bigger.
• Flowers/Plants – Always use the right colors for the season.
• Mirrors – They add depth and most importantly, the buyer literally "sees themselves in the home". This is a very important tip because it makes the buyer feel like the home is part of their lives already. Buyers will become emotionally ready to live in the home.

6. Know that the cost of a few minor touch-ups is usually relatively small. A great place to find building supplies is ReStore, which is part of Habitat for Humanity. ReStore sells donated building materials, tools, and appliances to the public at discounted prices. These profits then help finance Habitat for Humanity's housing building efforts. These are the South Florida ReStore locations (open Tuesday to Saturday):

HFH ReStore of South Miami
19100 Sw 106th Ave, #18
Miami, FL 33157
(305) 259-2891

HFH ReStore of North Miami
3800 Nw 22nd Ave
Miami, FL 33142
(305) 637-4913

Fort Lauderdale – Habitat ReStore of Broward County
513 W Broward Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312-1743
(954) 763-7771

I encourage you to give these techniques a try. There's no reason why a buyer shouldn't fall head-over-heels over your home. As long as you take the time beforehand to make your home as inviting as possible your home will be in very high demand.

If you would like a free consultation and more information, please contact me, Michael Emilio Rodriguez by email and by telephone at 1-800-343-2993 x182.

Selling Your Home: Depersonalizing

When preparing to sell your home, the most important thought to keep in mind is to think of your home as a marketable commodity. The goals is for others to see your house as their potential home, not yours. This process is known as “depersonalizing” your home.

When “depersonalizing”, the key word is anonymous. The house must look like it could be anyone’s home. When a potential buyer is previewing your home, your real estate agent is selling the idea that this can be their home. Too many personal items of the seller lying around and it may hurt these chances.

Some items which should be put away are:

• Family photos
• Trophies/Plaques
• Collectible items
• Souvenirs

After following these steps you will be well on your way to preparing your home for sale!

If you have any other questions on selling your home, please contact me, Michael Emilio Rodriguez by email and by telephone at 305-235-2621 x182.