Survival Guide to Selling a Home While Living in It

Selling your home is a stressful task, and here is an additional challenge – you are still living there. Your lifestyle will undoubtedly go through some significant changes in this transition period. You want to keep your house “yours” while making it staged and attractive to potential buyers. Every piece of advice and tip is welcome in this situation. So, here is a survival guide to what you should keep in mind when selling a home while living in it in order to do it in the most successful and least stressful way possible.
Start packing right away
Although it may sound challenging to handle it all simultaneously, you should start with multitasking right away. Good organization will save you time and mental health in the long run. Therefore, start you packing first of all. Begin with the things you won’t need in the showing process. Take a good look and get out of the house and everything you can live without while your home is on the market. Leave these at your family member’s or friend’s house, or get a storage unit. The point is to pack as much as possible and get everything else out later.
Depersonalize the space
Moving is always an excellent opportunity to do detailed decluttering and cleaning. After packing up all of the things you don’t use regularly, free some additional space by getting rid of everything you no longer want or need. It will simplify your relocation once the house is sold. Start with outworn clothes and remove the pieces you no longer like or don’t fit. Unused furniture, outdated electronics or kitchen items, expired food, medication or supplies, and unneeded papers and files should also go out without thinking twice. See what you could donate and what you should throw away.
Don’t forget to temporarily remove all personal things, family photos, artwork, and souvenirs. Also, make sure to prepare your garden – it will make a significant impact on the first impression. The lawn should be flawless, and the seating area should be inviting and cozy. The space should remain as open and neutral as possible since every buyer wants to visualize themselves living there – make this easy for them.

Make sure to depersonalize your space.
Be ready – keep it clean and staged
Keeping your home clean is crucial while it is on the market. Make sure to tidy up frequently, vacuum or sweep floors, wipe down counters and surfaces, and keep bathrooms, kitchens, mirrors, and windows spotless. You never know when a potential buyer might want to drop by for a showing, so staying on top of the cleaning is essential. By constantly keeping your house neat and ready, you will be prepared when the call comes and be able to make it perfect with minimum effort. In fact, staging your home for sale while living in it can significantly affect how interested buyers perceive it. Consider consulting a professional to assist you with this, or simply try rearranging furniture or adding decorative items to make the space look more inviting. You want to create a welcoming atmosphere that emphasizes your home’s best features.

Stay organized when selling a home while living in it.
Stay organized
Creating a checklist that will help you stay well-organized in this potentially chaotic period of selling a home while living in it may be helpful. Make sure not to forget anything important during the selling process. Prepare the schedule for cleaning, decluttering, and staging. Include all family members – divide the tasks to make everything easier. Keep track and set reminders for important deadlines and appointments. Consider asking for calls and notices from interested viewers in advance – this will help you stay in control and remain the house ready for showing. And by always being prepared, you will ensure that more potential buyers get to see your property. Therefore, you increase your chances for a quick and successful sale! A good organization helps you make your move less stressful and keep you on track.
Leave the house during showings
It is advisable not to be around the house during showings. As mentioned above, it’s crucial to depersonalize your property when selling a home while living in it. You have already removed all of the items that could remind potential buyers of you – now let them sense the space as theirs. Let the experienced real estate agent do their job and conduct the showings professionally.
Meanwhile, stay prepared by keeping a bag with necessary things and knowing what you need to pack, and get ready to leave in no time when the call comes. Consider where you can spend time while the showing is in progress, for example, your favorite coffee shop or a friend’s house. It should be comfortable, so you can do something else that is important at the moment. This way, you will also ensure the showing time is productive for you.

Take care of your private and valuable belongings.
Take care of your privacy and safety
Potential buyers may want to look around and take a peek into every corner of the house. And that is understandable since they want to get completely familiar with the space they intend to live in. Your job here is to think about your privacy, security, and peace of mind. Make sure the agent accompanies the viewer during showings. Find a safe space for personal belongings you don’t want anyone else to see, and consider how to protect your valuables best. Furthermore, you can also consider reaching out for a reliable storage service in California – you might find this useful since storage units are an excellent solution for keeping your things safe during relocation while opening up additional space in the house.
In conclusion
Selling a home while living in it is a challenge, but following this guide and setting the right approach can be done with minimal stress and maximal success. While handling all the stuff discussed here, don’t forget yourself! Set aside time to relax, recharge, and take good care of yourself. It will help you remain focused, keep a positive mindset, and move smoothly from your current home to the new one.
7 Signs You’ve Found the Right Real Estate Agent in California

There’s probably no need to emphasize that California is, and always was, a thriving real estate market. Therefore, one can’t play games when looking to buy or sell a property. Most folks avoid many issues that might arise by hiring a real estate agent. However, many wonder whether they’ve hired the right person for the task since results vary. One might feel tricked. To skip this stage, you’ll need to watch for some clues or signs that tell you: yup, you’ve hired the right real estate agent in California. Wondering what those might be? If so, read the article you’ll find below!
Sign #1: They are a great company, and you feel good around them
Now, we’re not saying that you must be in love with your realtor or something. We’re just saying they need to be a person that’s good to be around. If you’re sensing a strange vibe or notice the sudden appearance of thoughts telling you something isn’t right, you probably didn’t pick out a realtor that suits your needs. Here’s the main thing: since you’ll spend a lot of the time talking or communicating in this or that manner with your agent, you’ll want that experience to be as pleasant as possible. You’ll probably agree with us when we say there’s almost nothing worse than dealing with someone you don’t like being around. Therefore, trust your instincts and choose someone you have no trouble working with.

A good realtor is someone you have no trouble being around.
Sign #2: Their communication with you is swift
If your realtor communicates with you swiftly and candidly, that’s one of the signs you’ve picked out the right real estate agent in California. So, what’s the best way to test this? Here’s our suggestion: one of the first things you should do before hiring anyone is to ask a realtor for credentials and basic information. For instance, you can inquire about how many properties they’ve sold in your area or something similar. If you notice they’re somewhat reluctant to give you a straight and quick answer, that could signal that something’s wrong. However, if they answer quickly and without hesitation, that’s a clear sign that you’re dealing with skillful professionals. You must work with a realtor who has a sense of what’s going on in your local market and who doesn’t hide behind false information.
Sign #3: They adapt to your schedule and style
Let’s talk a bit more about your communication with the real estate agent. So, you’ll need an agent that can quickly adapt to your schedule and how you communicate; tell us the advisors over at triple7movers.com. For instance, you mightn’t have the time to talk while you’re at work, or maybe you prefer SMS communication. Well, whatever it is, your agent will have to adapt to that. All in all: seek an agent that’s flexible enough to cater to your needs when it comes to communication.

Also, a good real estate agent in California can adapt to your schedule.
Sign #4: They’ve asked you to get pre-approved
Are you, by any chance, a buyer? If that’s true, and you, for some reason, haven’t spoken to a mortgage professional before going property-hunting, a trustworthy realtor will ask you to do that. Trust us, even though it looks a bit like a frustrating process, or if you don’t understand the reasons behind such an action, a good realtor will ask you to do it since it represents a benefit for both sides (you and the realtor, not you and the buyer). There’s great info to learn from the pre-approval process, and a top-quality real estate agent will tell you why.
Sign #5: They’re honest (even when the truth isn’t so nice)
Another common sign of a bad realtor is unprofessional behavior. Of course, it might sound a bit on the obvious side to make such an observation. However, that doesn’t take any of its strength. When we say unprofessional behavior, we think of realtors asking you to lie about disclosures or make false claims in an advertisement. You can’t expect a good result ifthey’re unethical in their approach. Also, a good California realtor won’t lie to you even when the truth isn’t on your side.

Even when the truth isn’t so pleasant, your realtor has to be honest in their approach.
Sign #6: They use aggressive marketing to promote your home
As you can probably assume, the property won’t sell itself (in most cases). A hot real estate market is why many choose California for this, especially folks from neighboring states such as Nevada. That’s why the home you’re about to sell needs to be advertised correctly. By proper, we mean aggressive. If you’ve hired a good California realtor, you’ll have no trouble selling your place since they’ll market it until the best offer arrives. Your real estate agent must be knowledgeable and informed about the ever-changing world of home-selling tactics. They’ll have to do everything in their power to generate foot traffic to sell your home. If you’re wondering what is considered “aggressive” marketing, we have some ideas:
- Taking advantage of social media.
- Promoting your place on multiple local listing services.
- Organizing open houses.
There’s much more than this, of course. An excellent real estate agent in California will know what’s there to be done!
Sign #7: They’re great diplomats
One of the key traits of an excellent real estate agent in California or anywhere else is being a hefty negotiator. For all we know, this could be the significant attribute a good realtor has to possess. Someone needs to negotiate on your behalf, and you certainly don’t want someone who’ll do it worse than you. A good realtor has to ensure you get the best deal possible. You don’t want to sell your place for less or overprice the property you’re planning to buy, right? So, you might be wondering: how can one figure out whether a realtor is a good negotiator before hiring them? Well, check out online reviews on third-party websites. That’s your best bet.
Paul works with residential property owners as well as builders and developers and has 3 Promises for his clients:
- He will be on time.
- He will be brutally honest.
- He will do what he says he is going to do for you.
There are 3 Things he does with and for his clients:
- Consult with you…He will make sure you make a good decision at every step in the process.
- Negotiate for you…This means he will treat your money likes it’s his money.
- Handle all the Details for you…This means he will ensure the hundreds of steps in the real estate process are handled properly for you.
Bottom Line, he is going to get the job done properly for you and not let you down!
Some final thoughts
Okay, folks, that’s about it on the signs that you’ve hired a solid real estate agent in California. Search until you’ve found the right one since the whole process of buying or selling a property isn’t an easy one!
Ready to find a great realtor that meets your professional needs? Contact REALTOR Paul Burrowes of David Lyng Real Estate to get started! 831-295-5130 (mobile)