Andrew Chong

© Copyright 2005

This is the fourth part of the multi-part series on garage sales. As a reminder, this is for home owners getting ready to sell their home. In any market how well your property looks and feels is essential in finding a buyer. Take the time to de-clutter and stage the home. As your Houston real estate expert I'm providing this information because it may help home owners have a more successful real estate event.

Please enjoy and share these with your friends and neighbors.

1. Price items to sell. Remember, your goal is to get rid of stuff, to lighten the load, to make space. It does you no good to let a buyer walk away because you wouldn't accept less for a 10-year-old toaster. Get rid of it.
2. Don't use price tags. It's too much work. Just have 3 prices in your head: $1, $3-$5 and $5 and higher.
3. Use the 2-for-1 strategy. If you've got lots of paperbacks, for example, sell 2 at a time, or even better, 5 at a time.
4. Be friendly and helpful. Engage browsers. Point at things and say, "Everyone needs one of those!" Have fun.
5. Let people browse. While you're sipping coffee in the lawn chair, greet the browsers with a smile, stay in your chair and let them browse. If they have a question they'll ask.

When staging and showcasing house, it should end up looking like a model home, or as close to one as realistically possible. Stay tuned for Part 5.

© Copyright 2005

This is the third part of the multi-part series on garage sales. As a reminder, this is for home owners getting ready to sell their home. In any market how well your property looks and feels is essential in finding a buyer. Take the time to de-clutter and stage the home. As your Houston homes for sale and real estate expert I'm providing this information because it may help home owners have a more successful real estate event.

Please enjoy and share these with your friends and neighbors.

1. Think like a retailer. Organize like items. Make a clothes rack with a broom stick between two ladders. Or, tie a rope between 2 trees. Get a couple folding tables - everybody has one - and display your wares. Display items on the driveway in rows like a retail store so people can walk up and down aisles.
2. You'd really be surprised what people will buy. Go through all your closets and shelves for old clothes, paperbacks, old computer and stereo stuff, trinkets, office items, cooking and dining items, old appliances, old telephones and anything else that is not nailed down. Go through the garage and do the same.
3. Gather even non-working items. Of course, be truthful, and tag the item appropriately. Some guys will buy stuff just to tinker with.
4. Set Limits. If you leave the garage door open, rope it off so that browsers know it's off-limits.
5. Provide electricity. Run a long extension cord from one of the garage outlets. If someone wants to see if the old toaster works it can conveniently be plugged in.

When staging and showcasing house, it should end up looking like a model home, or as close to one as realistically possible. Stay tuned for Part 4.

Model for sale in Eagle Springs, Humble. Humble is a suburb but only 20 miles northeast of downtown Houston. It's proximate to Lake Houston, the airport, and The Woodlands. The area is generally wooded with tall pine trees. The builder is Taylor Morrison.

This gorgeous 1.5 story estate-style residence comes with loads of upgrades. Beautiful covered front porch, stone and brick elevation. Four sides brick with covered back patio also - great for entertaining. Large tile throughout entire home on the diagonal, designer paint schemes in all rooms and tons of designer touches throughout. Study has gorgeous stained grade cabinets with a built-in granite desk. Three bedrooms, two baths down with game room and half bath up. Secondary bedrooms are very large with walk-in closets. Upgraded kitchen with island. All stainless steel appliances included, also washer and dryer. All window treatments will stay also. Don't miss out, it won't last long. Everybody dreams of living in a model home. Buyers could be in their dream home for the holidays.

Call me today for more information at 281-496-7400 Ext. 109.

© Copyright 2005

In getting a house ready to sell in Houston, it's best to put some upfront time into making it show as best as possible. There are many competing properties in Houston real estate. Successful sellers de-clutter and one way to get rid of stuff is to have a garage sale. Here's part 2.

1. End at noon. By noon it's warmed up and the shoppers have dwindled to a trickle. Most of the good stuff is gone. Lock up shop and retire to the a/c.
2. Start early because buyers come early. If you put your signs out the night before, you're likely to have people knocking on your door before 8 AM. Be ready. If you plan to put out signs in the morning, give yourself enough time to be ready by 8 AM.
3. Join forces - a bigger spread attracts more people. Get with one or more of your neighbors. Combine resources and items to create a flea-market-style spread. When people see more stuff, they're more likely to stop and check it out. Plus, there would be more than one of you to keep an eye on things.
4. Divide the labor. Hopefully you're not doing this alone. Assign a team to put the signs out. While one person drives, the other jumps out and plant the signs. Have others set up. At the end of the sale, the team goes out and picks them up, while everyone else packs up.
5. Put out signs like bread crumbs. Don't be stingy with signs - use lots of them. Place them at the entrance(s) of the neighborhood, at every turn, and every couple blocks. Make it easy for people to find you.

Remember the big picture: it should end up looking better than the other competing properties. Houston real estate is tough these days. So although it might be hard work and emotionally taxing, make the effort because it does pay off. Stay tuned for Part 3.

What do you think? Your comments, please.

© Copyright 2005

I have half-dozen garage sales under my belt. That doesn't exactly make me an expert, but as a keen observer and fast learner I've compiled this list to help homeowners conduct a more successful garage sale. Specifically, this article is intended for the home owner who is thinking about or getting ready to put their home on the market and would like to de-clutter. As your west side Realtor® and expert on Houston real estate, I'm providing this information because it may help home owners have a more successful real estate event.

Please enjoy and share these with your friends and neighbors.

1. Understand the goal. The goal is to get rid of crap, er, stuff. Stuff you no longer want, or no longer want to store, or stuff you don't even remember owning. You're not trying to make a profit. You're not trying to recover the cost of that 10-year-old computer monitor. It's really worthless - but for $5 someone will be glad to relieve you of it.
2. The best day is Saturday. The best time of year is during the cooler months, such as in the spring or in the fall. I've never done a Saturday-Sunday but people do it.
3. Do not buy an ad in the newspaper. It's not necessary and a waste of money. Garage sale customers are prowling the neighborhoods or simply driving down the road. At one garage sale, we had 30 people come through just from signs placed on the esplanade.
4. Be prepared to make change. Transactions are in cash. Have at least $30 in ones, and assorted other denominations. If there are items for less than a dollar, have a role of quarters handy. Just imagine someone handing you a 20-dollar-bill for a $2 item.
5. Start at 8 AM. Garage sale customers are early birds. If you start any later, you'll miss a large portion of shoppers and you'll miss the cool part of the day.

Garage sales are a great way for homeowners preparing to sell their home to dispose of unwanted possessions. Just think about it. Instead of adding to the county landfill, new owners find good use for them for a bargain, or who just love to collect crap, er, stuff.

The big picture is to de-clutter. When staging and showcasing house, it should end up looking like a model home, or as close to one as realistically possible. One big way to do this is to make the impression that it has ample closets and storage space. If closets and kitchen cabinets are stuffed full, it gives the impression that there is not enough space. Buyers don't like this.

So although it might be hard work and emotionally taxing, make the effort because it does pay off. It took my clients Rick and Rhonda six months to de-clutter their home. Both are "collectors" and it was tough for each of them to let go of their possessions.

Stay tuned for Part 2. And if you have questions about Houston, Katy or Memorial real estate, whether on buying or selling a home, give me a call.

Also, what do you think about these tips?