Cosmopolitan

As if there isnrsquo;t enough for sellers to worry about when they decide tonbsp;sell their home, some of them needlessly worry about things that theirnbsp;real estate professional is responsible for. After making the decision to sell and selecting a listing broker, thenbsp;associated worriesndash;which sellers face alonendash;are behind them.

Once the home is listed, sellers often shift to a new set of worriesnbsp;when really they should turn to the real estate professional they hirednbsp;to help them stop stressing. Then sellers can redirect their attentionnbsp;and energy toward contributing to a successful sale.

Seller Worry 1. ldquo;My Listing Is Not Receiving Enough Exposure tonbsp;Buyersrdquo;

bull; Are you insisting your listing professional advertise and postnbsp;everywhere, online and off?
bull; Do you want open houses every weekend and multiple mailings tonbsp;the neighborhood?
bull; Are you concerned that if your listing is not front and centernbsp;on every marketing and advertising site, in every brokerage campaign,nbsp;and in every real estate publication, yoursquo;re not getting enough exposurenbsp;to buyers?

Unless you are a marketing professional yourself, step back. Let yournbsp;listing real estate professional do their job. What really matters isnbsp;exposure to specific buyersndash;target buyersndash;whonbsp;qualify-financially to purchase your home and whose needs match whatnbsp;your property has to offer. Marketing to people States away from yournbsp;home or to those without sufficient financial resources or those whonbsp;would not value your home is a waste of time, effort, and money. Thenbsp;Internet is a wonderful marketing tool because it enables targeting ofnbsp;specific subsets of people, not because the entire world could view yournbsp;listing.

YOU WIN: If you were smart in your choice of listing broker, yoursquo;venbsp;selected a real estate professional and brokerage well acquainted withnbsp;the target buyer niches markets that will appreciate your listing. Theirnbsp;experience and success of matching buyers with properties is why you hirednbsp;this professional listing team. Real estate knowledge about where targetnbsp;buyers search for listings, online and off, and what benefits attractnbsp;them is what you need and what you are paying for. On-pointnbsp;communication in the right media will catch the eye of target buyers. Ifnbsp;your professional hasnrsquo;t told you already, ask about target buyers andnbsp;the strategies for reaching them.

Seller Worry 2. ldquo;The Professional Is Too Busy To Work on My Listingrdquo;

If you are concerned that your real estate professionalshy;ndash;thenbsp;listing salespersonndash;is not putting the time into your listing thatnbsp;they said they would during their listing presentation, call them onnbsp;this. You need to be sure your listing receives the attention you signednbsp;on for, but more may be going on than you realize, so approach thenbsp;subject with respect:

bull; The multiple listing system or MLS is doing a lot of thenbsp;professionalrsquo;s work, as are online public versions and the internet innbsp;general. Allowing simultaneous access to your listing by multiple buyersnbsp;and real estate brokerages maximizes exposure and speeds up the sellingnbsp;process.
bull; The other salespeople at the listing brokerage are also workingnbsp;to sell your listing, as are professionals on the local real estatenbsp;board. The listing salesperson will be searching out target buyers;nbsp;however, the professionalrsquo;s key value lies in promoting the propertynbsp;across the real estate board to salespeople who also work with the samenbsp;target buyer niche markets.

Seller Worry 3. ldquo;My Home Is Not Being Described Properlyrdquo;

Do you feel the advertising and online copy promoting your listing doesnbsp;not rave enough about your property or extol the virtues of yournbsp;favorite features?

bull; Understanding what will catch the eye of target buyers is whatnbsp;really matters, not how you feel when you read the marketingnbsp;copy. Yoursquo;re not the target buyer. In fact, you may have little innbsp;common with them, except, hopefully, your house. They do not have thenbsp;knowledge associated with living in your home the way you do.
bull; Buyers are buying a house or condominium unit based on hopesnbsp;and dreams that it will be their ldquo;dream home.rdquo; Before they live in it,nbsp;they need to love it and value itndash;perhaps for very differentnbsp;reasons than youmdash;so they will make a great offer.
bull; The real estate professional understands how to stimulate thenbsp;interest of prospective target buyers by helping them make thenbsp;transition from thinking about ldquo;the propertyrdquo; to wanting it to be ldquo;mynbsp;home.rdquo; Creating this emotional attachment in home buyers who have spentnbsp;only a short time viewing a property requires communication skill andnbsp;real estate expertise.
bull; Wording matters. Terms like ldquo;as is,rdquo; ldquo;total remodel,rdquo; or ldquo;fixernbsp;upperrdquo; leave different impressionsndash;good or badndash;withnbsp;different types of buyers who are looking for different types ofnbsp;properties. For instance, the word ldquo;modernrdquo; is very popular withnbsp;Millennial buyers and with buyers intent on a certain >

Donrsquo;t stress in silence. Inquiring is not complaining. Express yournbsp;concerns to your listing professional, so they can reduce your stressnbsp;and help you understand real estate from your new ldquo;insiderrdquo; perspective.

As you begin to fully grasp the significance of your transition fromnbsp;thinking about ldquo;my homerdquo; to celebrating the buyersrsquo; ldquo;new homerdquo; andnbsp;potential real estate purchase, yoursquo;ll feel more confident regardingnbsp;your decision to move and about the selling process.

Yoursquo;ll also understand the value in helping your real estatenbsp;professional do their job for you.

But have you ever thought about turning your backyard into a beach instead? You might now.

There are a number of companies that will design and build backyard ponds for homeowners all over the country, but Zydeco Constructionrsquo;s ponds go a step beyond the norm. The company, based out of southeast Louisiana, approximates the look and feel of a tropical getaway with sand all around the pond, which creates a beach->

ldquo;Why travelnbsp;to a beach when you can have one in your own backyard? Thatrsquo;s the idea behind one Louisiana companys latest projects,rdquo; said USA Today.nbsp;ldquo;Zydeco Constructionnbsp;builds lsquo;swimming pondsrsquo; that are crystal blue and have 360 degrees of sand surrounding them, resembling a beach. Each swimming pond is completely customizable, with accessories such as outdoor kitchens, gazebos, umb>

If you need another reason to work with the company in creating the backyard of your dreams, consider this: Owner Eric White fought his way out of teen homelessness to found the thriving company.

ldquo;I have a story to share that is pretty inspirational,rdquo; White said to USA Today. ldquo;Growing up, things werenrsquo;t easy for me. I was homeless at 15nbsp;for about eight months of my life mdash;nbsp;I had dropped out of school in the ninth grade and only had a second-grade reading skill. I could hardly even spell my name.rdquo;

While pricing for these backyard ponds will vary depending on the size and the number of personalizations included, White has said that itnbsp;costs around 20,000 and up to constructmdash;ldquo;which is not far off from thenbsp;national average cost to build a standard-size in-ground pool, which clocks in at 22,000,rdquo; said simplemost.

nbsp;

Image source: Zydeco Construction

Here are ten moving mistakes you may be makingmdash;and how to avoid them.nbsp;

Begin with a planmdash;and start packing weeks in advance, especially if you have a lot of stuff. But before you just start piling things into boxes, spend the time up front to make an inventory of everything that needs to be either packed or tossed and break it down room by room. It will save you time down the line and spare you a few grey hairs too.nbsp;

2. You wing the whole labeling thingnbsp;

Think yoursquo;ll be able to remember which boxes go with each room based on memory? Think again.nbsp;

Label boxes by contents and room location to make delivering them to the right spots easiermdash;and so you donrsquo;t have to rack your brain trying to remember Donrsquo;t >

3. You go cheap on moving supplies and boxes

Between friends, donation centers, and neighborhood-sidewalk giveaways, there are lots of ways to get free moving boxesmdash;but donrsquo;t get skimpy about purchasing new ones. Itrsquo;s worth the extra 40ndash;50, especially if it spares you from breaking something worth much more.

When it comes to buying boxes, make sure you have the right sizes for the different items youre packing. Heavier items like books, canned goods, and candles may need to be packed in smaller, more compact boxes, where lighter objects can go in bigger ones.nbsp;

Bear in mind that youll need to pack all these boxes into a moving vehicle, so be strategic about getting boxes that can stack together and not just a few of each size.nbsp;

Knownbsp; which packing materials should be used, and if yoursquo;re on the fence about how much you should buy, buy liberally. Itrsquo;s way better to have extra than to make a frantic last-minute trip to the store come moving day.nbsp;

Also, know that moving with plastic totes is a no-no. Plastic totes seem cost efficient, but they have a tendency to crack when placed under a ton of weight.

Lastly, steer clear of being that person who tosses a mishmash of random things into a trash bag. That person is likely to open those bags to a few broken items I may or may not be speaking from experience.

4. You pack boxes thinking you have superhuman strength

Your Stephen King collection isnrsquo;t going to move itself, so unless you want a good workout, donrsquo;t fill your boxes to the brim with books. The heavier and denser you pack a box, the greater the chance it could break through again, may or may not be guilty of this.

As a rule of thumb, try to avoid making boxes heavier than 50 pounds. Not sure how to gauge whatrsquo;s 50 pounds? Slide that sucker onto a scale. And if you have a hard time lifting it onto a scale, well, itrsquo;s probably too heavy anyway.nbsp;

5. You leave empty space in your boxesnbsp;

Empty space equals shifting, which can equal your favorite mug breaking or your ceramic spoon rest cracking. Leave enough room for bubble wrap and packing paper, and fill any empty space in boxes with packing material e.g., packing paper, newspaper, good olersquo; peanuts.

Maximize your space by wrapping things in towels and tee shirts to fill empty space. Plus, then yoursquo;re not filling one box with towels and tee shirts and another with only candles or booksmdash;this will make it easier to transport.nbsp;

6. You donrsquo;t get rid of stuff before the move

Take a cue from Marie Kondo and go through your belongings before you move so you can get rid of the stuff that doesnrsquo;t bring you joy. Yoursquo;ll have less to pack and load and unload and itrsquo;ll make the whole thing a lot easier.nbsp;

As you pack, sift through your things room by room and categorize your joyless items into piles to toss, donate, or sell.nbsp;nbsp;

7. You donrsquo;t pack an overnight bagnbsp;

The last thing yoursquo;ll want to do once you arrive at your new home is fish for a towel so you can take a shower or shuffle through boxes to find some PJs.nbsp;

Plan ahead by assembling an overnight bag with toiletries, clothing, and any other essentials yoursquo;ll need at your new pad until you start unpacking and settling in. Yoursquo;ll thank yourself later.nbsp;nbsp;

Authorrsquo;s bio: A Washington, DC, native turned West Coast transplant, Julia is a full-time writer and amateur hiker. Experienced in >
> Full Story