Jennifer Juliano Keller Williams Realty
508-294-0778
www.JenniferSoldMyHouse.net
I’ll Make It Happen. You’ll Make It Home. Serving Greater Metrowest since 2000
Your Real Estate Questions Answered “Our Last Kid Left For College…Time to Sell?
Q:
Our youngest just left for college, so now we’d like to downsize. Where to begin?
A:
You’re not alone. Every high school graduation year, many families have a last child off to college. The house they bought in the town with “great schools, perfect for entertaining, and lots of space for everyone from the kids having friends over, to the dogs in the big backyard, and so forth”, is often now too big regardless of actual house size. It can be an equally bittersweet and exciting time for all. There was a time when you may have looked at the house early days and said “how will I fill all of these rooms?”, and now you’re thinking “what will I do with all this stuff?”. Getting your house ready for sale and trimming down can be daunting at first, but once you start, some have shared with me that it is pleasantly cathartic. This not being a full list of “what to do”, though a good starting point for many is to create a list and
also by working in reverse to go forward: if you lost everything for any number of reasons or were just starting out, what in every room would you replace first? List the rooms, and work from there as a starting point. This can be easier to do by literally being outside of the house, in a setting where you can think objectively. Think about what you “must have”, “nice to keep”, and “time to go” when you bring your list home. Pace yourself: many have found working on each room from 30-60 minutes a day will move you forward more easily than trying to whip it all out in a weekend and miss the goal. While you’re resting from all of that, contact a local real estate professional who can help you estimate your market value, give staging suggestions and identify any areas you may need to make improvements on. They can also help connect you to a mortgage lender to start thinking about best loan programs for you.
Have a real estate question you’ve always wondered about? Email me at JennaJulia@gmail.com to get your answer!