#MarketReadyHome
Over the last several months, our family has prayerfully considered moving. Honestly, I have been ready so many times, but God has persistently told us to wait.
Now, we are finally getting our home ready to place on the market in the Spring, and as I paint and scrub, my heart has been renewed as well.
For a long time, I just wanted to get out. The walls were closing in on me and the noise of four kids (ages 11 and under) day in and day out was driving me batty. I was very focused on our list of WANTS:
- I want an office so I don’t have to sit on the couch to work.
- Each of the children want a space to call their own.
- And my hubby… he wants a place where he can set up his production equipment and leave it.
My focus was clearly on me.
One day, as I was scrubbing a door, I began thinking about the next owners of our home and decided to pray for them. I have no idea who they will be, but I want them to find our home… their new home… to be a blessing.
I also thought of our neighbors. Truly, we have the best neighbors and their children come and go through my front door. I need to be praying even more for the new owners because I want to very best for my dear friends who live around me.
Suddenly, my desire was less of “how soon can we list the house on the market?” and was more “what else do we need to do to ensure that our home will be perfect for its new owners?” I not only want to leave our home is great condition for the people who buy it, but I want to only attract those who will be great friends to my neighbors.
So often, I have heard people say that you should just do some cosmetic work so the house will sell, and leave your problems behind. Seems so immoral. Instead, I made a list of all the things that made me hesitate ten years ago when we purchased this 3 bedroom, 2 and a half bathroom house. Then, I turned a critical eye to each corner and added more repairs to my list.
Slowly, we have been able to work on projects as the cash has come available and if everything works as planned, our home will be market ready in March or April.
Regardless of when our home is finally listed “for sale,” I will be confident that the home is ready. I am sure that in God’s timing, He will bless the intentions of our hearts by bringing the right person to our home and by guiding us to a perfect, new home for us.
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Oh how this hit me hard! Like you, we’ve prayed about moving before but God point blank told us no. This time we prayed and we both feel at peace about it. We are also trying to get our home ready to sell. This will be our first time doing this sort of thing and I always resort back to “But we’ve made memories in this house.” I’ve never once thought about praying for our neighbors or for the people who will move in. Thank you for reminding me of who is in control and who ultimately has this final decision! Hope everything goes well for all of you!
I am so glad I could encourage you, Samantha.
Make sure you get a Home Inspector! Sold two homes in the past, and was thankful each time for the Home Inspector doing a pre-inspection before any potential buyers got their own.
I never thought about getting a home inspection prior to listing our home. Great idea!
We are currently in the process of fixing up our new house to move into and fixing up our current house to sell. I know that many people do cosmetic changes to help sell and don’t do some of the other repairs that need to be done. There is a limit on how much money you should put into a house when leaving but I understand not hiding things that have to still be fixed. We made a page long list of the things that we were going to do to the house to get it ready to sell. There are still a few more things that can be done but isn’t that owning a house. Hope that you find the perfect new house and great new owners for your old house!!
Yes, home ownership seems to bring a never-ending list, doesn’t it? 🙂
Thanks for posting such helpful info! To get as much money as possible from the sale of your home, consider improving a few things in it. I have heard and read many times that it’s not advised to buy houses with old plumbing. Plumbing repairs are not cheap. And old faulty plumbing can cause flooding and damage to property. Therefore, check all this before showing the house to a potential buyer.
That’s a good point! I would say the same about wiring.
Thanks for sharing! Many people often install swimming pools to boost the value of their homes. In fact, swimming pool installation doesn’t pay off when selling a house. BUT. If you already have a swimming pool, you can improve it. For example, install a solar-powered heating system. Or convert your chlorine pool into a salt pool, which is easier to maintain. Usually, people appreciate it.