In the Process of Moving? Some Helpful Tips To Reduce Stress

Making the last days before the closing as stress-free as possible for all parties will work to ensure a smooth closing.

Moving Checklist

The trauma of moving can be an added stress for buyers and sellers. The following is advice to make things calmer before closing.

1. Weed out items you won’t be moving; hold a garage sale or donate them to charity.
2. Get estimates from moving companies.
3. Make a list of people and organizations—credit cards, magazines, college alumni associations—that will need to be notified of the move.
4. Look at schools and day care facilities in new area. Forward school records.
5. Complete change-of-address forms.
6. Contact doctors and ask for referrals if you’re moving to a new city. Forward medical records.
7. Check homeowners’ policy to see if possessions are covered during the move.
8. Decide how you’ll move valuables.
9. Get information on driver's license, insurance policy, license plates, and auto stickers if you’re moving to a new city.
10. Contact utility companies—gas and electric—in both cities.
11. Register with an Internet service provider.
12. Contact phone service—see if your long distance, cellular, and pager carriers operate in the area.
13. Contact satellite and cable TV providers.
14. Empty and defrost refrigerator.
15. Map out driving route to new city.TIP: Pack one or two boxes of must-haves—children’s toys, toilet articles and towels, can opener, flashlight, light bulbs, paper plates and cups—and carry it with you so you can find it fast after the move.

Tips of Handling Moving Trauma

1. Recognize that regardless of the reason for a move—an exciting job transfer or a great new house—moving can elicit feelings of bereavement.
2. There are practical suggestions about reducing stress—eating and sleeping properly and using stress management techniques, such as yoga or breathing exercises.
3. Don’t use panaceas like, “There, there, everything will be fine.”

The above suggestions were obtained from Old Colony Realtors website. For more helpful tips, email me or stay tuned for another future entry in my real estate blog.

How To Improve Your Chances Of Selling Your Home In A Buyer's Market

As market conditions change, homes may become more challenging to sell in a buyer's market. What is a buyer's market? This type of market exists when there are a lot more seller's trying to sell their home than buyers looking to buy a home. A seller must be pro-active to make necessary changes to help bring about a sell. A seller can do some of the following steps to help in bringing about a sell:



1. Hire a real estate professional to market their home. You typically do not represent yourself as a lawyer or act as your own doctor. Why represent yourself in selling a home? It is a great idea to have a real estate professional represent you, especially in a buyer's market. They should be able to give you needed advice on what can be done to help sell your home. This could translate into more money in your pocket.


2. Clean and de-clutter your home. If you are a collector, please try to go ahead and remove unneeded items from your home and place into moving boxes. You will need to pack when you move anyway so why not go ahead and have some of the packing done. Place the packed boxes in the garage, an outbuilding, or rent a storage unit. If you have a lot of things, after you remove some of them, the rooms should seem larger. Also, clean well so that the home will shine for prospective buyers.


3. You might hire a home stager. There are some staging services offered by actual staging professionals in our area. Some realtors also can offer advice on what needs to be done to help stage yotodd@toddnelson.com.
ur home. I can offer a no cost staging consultation if you have not already listed your home with another realtor. Contact me if you are interested at


4. Improve the curb appeal. Make sure the flower beds are mulched and weeded. Clean off your porch and put some fresh flowers in a decorative flower pot on the front porch. Clean the windows and remove any trash from the front of the home.


5. Stay informed with current market conditions of comparable homes. Keep up to date on what comparable homes are selling for why you are trying to sell your own home. Drive by the homes that are on the market competing with your home to get an idea about your competition. You want to stand out, so see what you have to do to make your home shine.


6. Price your home competitively. The number one reason a home sells is its price. If you are overpriced, it will be harder to sell your home.


These items above are some steps that you can implement to help bring about a sale of your home. Please feel free to contact me at todd@toddnelson.com or visit my website at http://www.toddnelson.com/ for more information.