How to Live in a Home That's on the Market

Staging a home is one thing, but living in a home while it's on the market is another. We have some tips for keeping your home show-ready while still living there.

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There are a few key things to keep in mind to survive living in your home while it's on the market. Staging is important, but keeping your home in show-ready condition while you're living in it can be difficult and stressful.

When we have clients getting ready to list their house, we encourage them to start moving right away. It's best to go around your house and think about what you could live without over the next several months. Up to 40% or more of your contents could be packaged up and stored away, given away, or thrown away.

When you're packing away these boxes, the goal is to eliminate stress. If you have less stuff in your home, you have fewer things to worry about when getting ready for showings and trying to manage your everyday life with people coming in and out of your home. You certainly need more space and want to showcase all your home's storage space. We like it when buyers are able to walk into a home and not see boxes. This gives the feeling of having plenty of space, whether it's in closets or the garage. Boxes belong in storage, so get a storage unit.

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Less stuff in your home means less stress while it's on the market.

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Keeping the house show-ready with kids can be difficult, too. Something called a "showtime game" can be fun: each kid gets a big basket or a laundry basket, and whenever you yell "Showtime!" they have to rush to pick up all their belongings and neatly put them in their bedroom. Whoever wins gets the day's prize, which you can choose. This makes keeping the house neat a fun time and lets everyone know what their job is.

If you have pets, have a plan set for them before showings. We encourage sellers not to leave pets at their house during showings because it's hard for buyers to concentrate on your home if pets are barking from the basement or garage.

If you have more questions about preparing your home for sale, or you have any other questions about Sanibel Island real estate, give us a call or send an email. We'd be happy to help!

Tips for Holiday Decorating on a Dime

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 Buying a Sanibel or Captiva home? Click here for full MLS access.

The holidays are approaching. Today, we thought we'd do something a little different and share this festive video on holiday decorating tips from HGTV. Designer Angelo Surmelis shares several great ideas to spread holiday cheer throughout the home. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Pay attention to the mantle. If you don't have some already, buy some kind of garland to drape over the mantle. Next, use leftover ornaments and candles to add light and texture. When choosing ornaments and candles, ensure they are in the same color-palette. This helps make your mantle a great focal point!
2. Use smaller Christmas trees. Every house has their main Christmas tree. In addition, you can also purchase smaller, inexpensive, eco-friendly trees to place throughout the home. Decorate these trees with strips of fabric from a T-shirt in holiday colors to save money for the main tree.
3. Use what you have. Be resourceful. Adding a plate charge and place mat to your everyday dining set adds some jazz to your table. Fresh-cut flowers and candles will help finish the look. You don't need grand, expensive candles -- a little candlelight goes a long way!

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make your home feel more festive. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

Why Aren’t Millennials Buying Homes More Frequently?

Selling your Sanibel or Captiva home? Get a free home value report

 Buying a Sanibel or Captiva home? Click here for full MLS access.

One thing we know for certain about the real estate market is that it is never going to stay the same for long. Today we want to talk about an interesting trend we’ve noticed in real estate: millennials are waiting longer to purchase their first homes than their parents did.

The typical first-time buyer now rents for an average of 6 years before buying a home, which is up from 2.6 years in the early 1970’s, according to Zillow.

We came across this great video from CNBC. I will give you my three biggest takeaways from the article.

1. Down payments are a huge factor

Renters in today’s market are struggling to save for down payments and qualify for mortgages. Most first-time buyers still depend on personal savings for at least some of their down payments, but rising rental prices have complicated the task of socking away money for a down payment.

2. Rising rental rates are complicating things as well

Rental rates are causing 46% of renters aged 25-34, to spend more than 40% of their incomes on rent, up from 30% a decade earlier.

3. Job security is important to millennial buyers

The Money Source, a mortgage lender, examined applications from 5,404 millennial buyers and found that these buyers averaged nearly 4.5 years in their field of work and had held their current job for slightly more than three years. Those figures point to how critical career stability is to a younger generation.