Nothing makes a New Jersey home for sale look better than a new coat of paint.  Many people are intimidated by the thought of painting the exterior of their home, and hire someone else to do it.  But, you can do it yourself, with these easy steps:

Getting Your House Ready to Paint

The first thing that you’ll need to do is inspect the house.  Look at all the walls, under the eaves and around the doorframe and windows.  Check for peeling paint, mildew and rough surfaces.

You’ll need to gather a few tools before getting to the repairs and putting your New Jersey home up for sale:

• Power-washer
• 2-3” inch putty knife
• 2-3” inch pull scraper
• Wire brush
• Sander
• Chlorine bleach

Preparing the Surface

Power-wash the walls so you'll have a clean surface.  You don’t need to use detergents; plain ol’ water works the best.

The putty knife and the wire brush remove problems where paint has peeled, blistered or wrinkled.  Avoid gouging the surface by holding the putty knife perpendicular to the wall and using moderate force. 

The pull scraper is for areas that won’t easily come clean.  It’s used the same way as the putty knife, but it has a sharp blade attached that quickly gets through old paint.  The walls will need to be sanded smooth after you finish this step.

For small spots, a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a sanding block works just fine.  An electric sander is best for large areas; it'll save you time and energy.

Removing Mildew

Mildew is a dark patch of fungus, like a dirty spot, often found on a damp, shady spot in your house.  If you aren’t sure it's mildew, put a few drops of chlorine bleach on it.  If the spot fades away, you know you have a mildew problem.

Mildew shows through new paint, so you’ll need to get rid of it before you start painting.  A simple mix of chlorine bleach will kill it quickly.

All you have to do now is pick out a paint color and wait for the right weather to paint.  Soon you’ll be ready to put up your New Jersey home for sale. 

If you're thinking of selling your home, I can help.  Call me today at 609-865-0484 or email me at freddie@freddiemoorer.com for more information.

Links:

Painting the exterior of their home: 

http://www.house-painting-info.com/exterior-painting.html

Mildew

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infxtra/infroo.html

Power-wash:

http://www.hometips.com/diy-how-to/house-siding-power-pressure-wash.html

The national real estate market, state markets and city markets all seemed to be wrapped up in a nifty bundle that effect whether your New Jersey home for sale will have a buyer. With the news reports over the last two years about the pop of the housing bubble, homeowners everywhere essentially lost their minds.

Here are a few examples:

• Some homeowners panicked and immediately put their houses up for sale
• Some homeowners chose to walk away from it all, leaving their homes vacant and mortgages in default
• Some homeowners went into a flurry of home renovations, with the idea of selling
• National and New Jersey home for sale listings shot through the roof

The amazing thing isn’t that the real estate market seems to be stabilizing – that’s not the miracle. The miracle is that we still even have a real estate market at all.

Obsessing Over the Sale

This year opened up with a lot of homes on the market, but it also opened with a lot of sellers digging into real estate news. They’ve started obsessing; they’ve started pouring over online real estate digests, articles and blogs. In fact, the traffic for this site alone has jumped tremendously.

While it’s understandable that you, as the seller, want to know what your chances are for selling your home, obsessing is bad for business. Especially if you’re dealing with potential buyers in person, your eagerness to sell can show in very bad ways. You might end up selling the home for way less than you could have - or you might not sell your home at all if they sense desperation.

If you’re obsessing over whether your home will sell or not, stop. Take a deep breath. Relax. Even if you’re in a hurry, taking a short break from worry can help clear your mind and leave it open for better ideas.

It may be hard to remember sometimes, and giving trust is always difficult, but that’s what we’re here for. You hired your real estate agent to take care of your New Jersey home for sale and get it off the market. We do the research on the market and we have the experience.  In other words, we do the worrying for you!

If you’d like to sell your home, I can help. Call me at 732-247-7800 ext 182 or email me at freddie@freddiemoorer.com for more information.

Homeowners chose to walk away

http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-03-16/news/17166894_1_foreclosure-process-subprime-home-values-tumble

A lot of homes on the market

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-foreclose_21bus.ART0.State.Edition1.3cfbcf0.html

Taking a short break from worry

http://www.caringtoday.com/reduce-stress/break-free-from-worry

Selling your New Jersey home is more than just setting a sale price and placing a sign in your front yard. It is an emotional process that can be stressful and frustrating. Here’s what you can expect to face:

• Putting your New Jersey home on the market. You may have a difficult time deciding to put your house on the market even if you are being forced to move because of work or family situations. Your home holds memories that can be difficult to leave behind. You may even second guess your decision. This is a normal reaction.
• Showing your home to potential buyers. As buyers walk through your home, you may begin experiencing a new set of emotions. Your home will usually be cleared of excessive family mementos and seem lifeless to you. Keeping your home clean for a showing can also take away precious time and increase your stress load.
• Negotiating an offer. You obviously want to make as much profit as possible. As you review buyers’ offers, you may wonder if you are asking too much or too little. You may feel insulted by a too low offer. Even after signing a contract, there is still fear that the deal may fall through.
• Closing on your home. Walking away from the closing table, even with a check in hand, can be stressful. At this point you have probably already moved out of your home and now must face the process of settling in a new place and learning a new area. Once again, this is a normal part of selling a home.

Let me guide you through the process of selling your New Jersey home with minimal stress.  Call me today at 732-247-7800 ext 182 or email me at freddie@freddiemoorer.com.

Links:

Showing Your Home

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-estate/REguide/effective-show1.asp

Keeping your home clean

http://www.wikihow.com/Clean-a-House

Closing on your home

http://money.howstuffworks.com/house-selling5.htm