Resolve to Get Your House Ready to Sell

Even if You Aren't Ready to Sell

It's the time of year when celebrations give way to resolutions. Some people think about them a lot and are meticulous and make resolutions with step by step plans of how to achieve them - while others are hastily made after a night of too much celebrating!

This year, why not be deliberate and make a few house resolutions?

As a Real Estate Agent I see it so often with people who are selling a home - they do things to make improvements to their home to make it sell better such as:

© Jameswimsel | Dreamstime Stock Photos

• put on a fresh coat of paint
• deep clean to get the dust and grease out of corners
• purchase new appliances
• pressure wash the exterior
• replace light-bulbs and/or fixtures
• clean out and organize
• make cosmetic repairs

And, without fail, sellers say something along the lines of  "Why didn't we do this sooner?" They realize that they enjoy their home so much more with it being repaired, cleaned and organized.

This year, consider making a house resolution to get your house ready to sell - even if you aren't ready to sell! Make your home a better place to be - improve the Fung Shui, new flooring, a clean basement, donate the clothes that don't fit anymore that you've been hanging onto for six years, give away the baby toys, etc.

Not sure what improvements to make? Go to an open house or two - it will change your perspective. Then, go home and keep your eyes open! Instead of being in a rush to put the groceries away, get the dog out or the children to bed, look at your house - I mean, really look at it! Is there dated wallpaper that you just don't notice anymore? Is the paint chipping from the door trim? A torn screen? A wall where the door knob has pushed through? Make a list of the things you see because it won't be long before you don't notice them again (until you're ready to sell).

Take the list and use it to make your house resolutions! One fix a month, every other weekend? Trust me, it will feel good to cross them off and you'll begin to enjoy your home more because even though you may not see the "issues" you know they're there and they stay in the back of your mind as something that needs to be done.

Here's the bonus - when the day does come that you're ready to sell and you call me to come preview your home and give you a value estimate and market plan, you won't be saying, I know I need to clean out the closets, fix the leaking pipe and update the bathroom and be on a deadline to get it done.

Being ready to sell provides an amazing sense of power...you may not be in the market for a new house but if you just happen to see your dream house come up for sale, with your house fixes done or at least underway, you'll be in a position to sell and buy.

Need an open house to go to for inspiration? Join me for one:

• January 8 from 11 am to 1 pm at 7 Mary Street in Auburn
• January 8 from 2 to 4 at 903 Beverly Drive in Camillus
• January 15 from 2 to 4 pm at 2839 Jugg Street in Moravia

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about what should be done at your house to be ready to sell. Happy New Year! Make 2017 a great one!

Amber Spain-Mosher is a real estate agent with RE/MAX Masters in Skaneateles helping people buy and sell across Central New York's unique communities including Skaneateles, Marcellus, Spafford, Marietta, Sennett, Camillus, Baldwinsville, Lysander, Memphis, Fairmount, Syracuse, Geddes, Onondaga, LaFayette, Jamesville, Moravia, Owasco, Union Springs and more! 

Fresh Eggs with a Side of Zoning

Our generous neighbor gave us some beautiful chicken eggs that were all different colors - browns, tans, green/blues and a single white one - and they were all different sizes too. The variety has been delightful!

Every time I've opened the carton to use them I get to pick a color, a size - it's been fun for my 5 year old twins too who like the blue/green ones. They were surprised when I cracked them open and they looked like the eggs they're used to seeing.

I would love to have chickens (I think - they may be more work that I'm up for, if I'm honest) but the zoning where I live prohibits me from having them. My neighbor lives just over the Marcellus Town line so they're able to have them because the zoning allows for it.

In my work as a real estate agent I talk with more and more people who want pastured chickens - for the health benefits better eggs that deliver a healthy breakfast but also to help reduce the number of ticks in their yards to try to help prevent Lyme Disease. I know several people who have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease with varying degrees of impact - it's truly a scary disease. It seems to me that we could use more chickens in our communities to reduce the tick population.

But back to my original thought, if you know someone who is shopping for a home and may want to have chickens (or livestock) in the future - zoning is important. Here's an example that may surprise you - would you believe that in the Town of Onondaga, you'd have to have at least five acres to have just one chicken? It's true! I worked with a buyer who was interested in a property that had a house, a huge barn, chicken coop and a pond that sat on two beautiful acres. Unfortunately, the property was in the Town of Onondaga so their dream of using this property for some chickens and a few other animals was squashed because it didn't have enough acreage.

Anyone can find out how a property is zoned by calling the municipal office and speaking with the zoning or codes officer - or, if you're in the process of buying a house, your agent can help you.

A Batlle for Recognition

I just love this story in the Auburn Citizen/West Onondaga County Journal about Lakeview Cemetery in Skaneateles and Jorge Batlle's efforts to get it placed on the National Register of Historic Places through the National Park Service. It's such a beautiful place and so well taken care of. Those of us who live in or have lived in or will live in Skaneateles are lucky to have people like Jorge and his wife Beth Batlle working to preserve the local history and also inform and educate people about it.

This photo is from the article (taken by the reporter Jonathan Monfiletto) and it's of Burrow's Chapel which can be seen from Genesee Street in the village. My mother, Barby Bendall Spain has been involved over the years in raising money to help keep this building up.

I hope Jorge is right and that we will soon know that the cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places.