5 Tips for Living in Your For-Sale Home

How can you continue to live in your house once you put it on the market? Your home has always been your sanctuary, your one true personal space, but now it’s listed for sale and will soon get a ton of foot traffic. This can get very stressful and make it difficult to continue living your normal life in your house, especially if you have young children. So here are five tips to help you continue living your life in your for-sale home and keep things a bit less hectic:

1. Start packing now. Packing and storing boxes in the basement or garage is completely acceptable. We want to open up as much space as possible; we’re emphasizing floor space and square footage, so the larger it feels, the more money you’ll get.

2. Sell, donate, or throw it away. While you’re packing, try to get rid of things you don’t need. My recommendation is if you haven’t touched an item in a year and it’s not an heirloom or memory, it’s time to part with it. Try to at least donate items that are still in decent condition.

3. Get squeaky clean. A clean, cared-for house can net you $5,000 to $10,000 more for your sale. Shoot for five-star hotel perfection when cleaning, and focus particularly on bathrooms, the kitchen, windows, and floors. Make it sparkle!

“Packing and storing boxes in the basement or garage is completely acceptable.”

4. Maintain privacy and safety. Buyers are going to be looking through closets and other areas people wouldn’t typically see. Ensure there’s nothing valuable or personal anywhere that they could find. If you’re unsure about an item, be on the safe side and lock it away somewhere secure (this includes medications).

5. Involve your kids. Nothing is better than having your kids be part of the selling process. The easiest way to get them involved is through games or a reward system so they’ll help you clean the house and prepare it for showings. You won’t believe how motivated kids can get when there’s something fun tied to a chore!

If you’d like to dig deeper into the tips above or have any questions about real estate in general, please shoot me an email or give me a call. I would love to help in any way I can.

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Chip Free is a seasoned real estate advisor with Lake Realty, a locally established firm in Lake Norman that his father founded over 30 years ago. Licensed since 1999, Chip combines his deep roots in the community with his extensive experience and background in construction, having built homes in the early 2000s. Living on the lake himself, Chip is passionate about the Lake Norman lifestyle and excels at solving complex real estate challenges for his clients. Known for his educational approach, he has hosted events and created a series of videos and articles covering essential topics such as lake levels, bridge heights, dock regulations, and more, ensuring his clients are well-informed throughout the buying and selling process. With over 259 ‘5 Star’ Google reviews, Chip and his team at Lake Realty are trusted by clients for their expertise, honesty, and commitment to making every transaction smooth and rewarding.

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“Chip is by far the best agent I have ever worked with. I have bought 7 homes over my lifetime and Chip provided me and my wife with the best level of service. He was genuinely concerned more about our interests and satisfaction than he was with simply closing the deal. He provided advice when I wanted it, but also knew when to just give us time to consider our options. He went out of his way to ensure we were comfortable with our decisions before moving forward. Chip also continued to follow up long after the deal was done. I highly recommend him”

- Nathan M.

Chip doesn’t deserve 5 Stars, he deserves 10 Stars!!! He has helped us buy 2 homes and sell 3. All homes were sold in a matter of weeks and the process is painless from start to finish. His professionalism is definitely refreshing in this day and time! He does all the work if any issues arise… specifically when we were selling our home on Lake Norman, the original Septic Permit on file was only for (3) Bedrooms. Chip reached out to the Environmental Supervisor for Mecklenburg County Environmental Health and got us an approval letter for (5) bedrooms which was crucial for the sale of this property. I can’t say enough about Chip and the team at Lake Realty… stellar job and great family owned company!!! Thank You

- Thomas G.

We want to thank Chip Free for his help and guidance in selling our lake home. It was an excellent experience. We had difficulty with our dock permit and Chip went above and beyond to resolve the issues which meant countless hours, phone calls, emails, and visits on his end.He was professional and involved from the beginning of the process till the end. We could not have asked for a better experience.We have recommended him to friends which we believe is the best testimonial that we can give.

- Scott & Rhonda M.

Chip at Lake Realty helped us sell our house in 2021 and then again this year when we were looking to buy again. He knows what he’s doing, offers invaluable insight into the market, and works within your parameters to help you reach your goals! His responses to my endless questions are always quick and informative, and he goes above and beyond meeting up any time we saw something we wanted to tour. An added perk of working with Lake Realty is a moving truck they allow clients to use to pack up and go! We’ve used that a number of times and it has saved us a lot of money and headache. My husband and I have been more than pleased each time we’ve worked with Chip and will absolutely use him as our agent the next time we sell, not to mention pointing friends and family his way. if you’re looking to buy or sell a property, look no further, Chip’s your guy!

- Alyssa & Lee L.

“When looking for someone who knows Lake Norman and the surrounding area, look no further! Chip and his team helped me locate the right area to live on Lake Norman and guidance in selecting the homes that fit my needs. Negotiations on a $3.5m home could seem daunting, but Chip made it look easy. Very happy I chose Chip and his team as my realtors and highly recommend others to do the same if you want a smooth buying process!”

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