Before You Clean Out the House
When a parent's home, an inherited home, or a longtime family home needs to be sold, most families start in the wrong place. This is the order I walk my own sellers through: what to do first, what to leave alone, and the reasonable-looking moves that quietly cost families thousands.
Rather talk first? Call or text Jennifer at (860) 794-6099
- 7steps, in the order they belong
- 12questions to ask any listing agent
- 1printable family meeting agenda
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Start with the one-page summary on page 3. If you only do one thing this week, make it the family meeting on page 11.
Open the guide (PDF) Rather talk it through? Call or text JenniferSave it to your phone or print it. It's meant to be written on.
If the house is full and the family is scattered, start here
You're helping a parent move
Downsizing, a retirement community, or moving closer to family. The house holds decades, and someone has to decide where to begin.
You inherited a home
Maybe from another state. You're managing a house, a family, and paperwork you never asked to understand.
You're selling your own longtime home
You know it's time. You'd like to do it once, in the right order, without spending money that doesn't come back.
The seven steps, in the order they belong
Almost every expensive mistake I see in these sales comes from doing a reasonable thing at the wrong time. The guide fixes the order.
- Decide who is deciding.Who can legally sign, who gets a voice, and who is the point person.
- Secure the house first.The insurance call most families forget, and why the HVAC stays on.
- Find the paperwork before anything leaves.The do-not-toss list, including the receipts your CPA may need.
- Claim keepsakes, on a deadline.So sorting doesn't turn into a season of carrying costs.
- Get a pricing opinion before you spend on repairs.Cost and market value are different numbers.
- Estate sale company before the haul-away crew.The dumpster is the one step you can't undo.
- Choose the preparation level that protects the net.As is, light refresh, or full preparation, with the honest trade-offs.
Plus: how to manage the sale from out of state, 12 questions to ask any listing agent (including me), and a printable family meeting agenda.
Five-star reviews on Google
"Jennifer recently assisted me and my uncle, who was transitioning to a retirement community, sell his home. From start to finish, she was professional, knowledgeable, responsive and always available to answer our questions."Seller, Google review
"…right after we listed our house with her… we moved out of state. We completely relied on her sales knowledge and daily communication to keep us fully informed on the progress of our listing."Seller, Google review
A listing agent for families in transition
I help homeowners in Raleigh, Cary, and the Triangle sell during the moments that are about more than real estate: downsizing, retirement, an inherited home, or selling after a loss.
My sellers don't have to manage the process, but they should always know what's going on. And I'm not going to tell anyone whatever they want to hear just to get a listing.
Call or text (860) 794-6099Start in the right place
Twelve pages that can save your family a lot of money, time, and arguments. Free, and it opens the moment you ask for it.
Get the free guideOr call or text Jennifer directly: (860) 794-6099