We had a meeting with our real estate agent the other day. The goal was to make note of things we need to do before trying to sell our house. We had five years in mind as our time frame when we bought and even though the housing market has undergone some changes, we are pursuing our original plan. Prices are still down, but not as much in Madison as other parts of the country. As our agent said, it’s still a buyer’s market, but we’re certainly in a better market for selling than was the case a year ago.
Our biggest advantage is location– we are about 10 minutes from everything in Madison except the far east side (more like 20-30 minutes there, depending on traffic). We also just replaced our roof about a month ago, so that is going to be a plus.
We have several large-ish projects that need to be done, but since we have decided that we will most likely put the house on the market for Spring 2011 (probably around February), we have plenty of time to complete these projects. The deck needs to be powerwashed and re-stained, interior walls need a fresh coat of paint, and we should probably replace the carpet in the house (original carpet from when it was built 20+ years ago). The carpet will be the most expensive project (and probably the last one to handle, from a practical standpoint).
Also, as our agent said, we need to declutter. At some point I think Michael and I will have to set aside a weekend day or days to clean out and donate or recycle some of our ever-accumulating stuff. It’s amazing how it starts to pile up when you stay in one place for several years.
Life changes a lot in five years. We’re married and need a place of our own. I think this point is pretty critical before bringing kids into the picture. Our roommate is single, has started a career and wants to buy a condo. Despite life-altering events that have happened in five years, this time line is actually working out well!