Apex Note: This blog is part of a series we're doing with some of our real estate partners showcasing their homebuying and selling expertise! Thanks to Pia Taylor with Long & Foster for this piece on prepping your home for the market.
Part 1: Prep It!
The time has come, as difficult as the decision has been: it's time to sell your beloved house in Westgrove, VA. The thought of moving may be overwhelming, but the thought of what to do with your belongings is even more overwhelming. After all these years, and with all this stuff, where do you start? The answer may seem obvious, but truthfully getting started is the hardest part. When you are ready to prep your home for sale, here are some of the best ways to streamline your move, and a few of the top local resources to contact.
Have an Estate Sale
If you are interested in selling some of the contents of your home, consider having an estate sale. Enlisting local estate sale companies is a great way to let go of belongings, and many companies will come into your house to help you organize and prepare the contents. They will evaluate, research, organize, tag and sell your items of value. Don't throw anything away until after you have spoken with an estate sale company because one person’s trash can really be another person’s treasure! Each of the companies below will charge a fee, but the amount of items they can move in a short period of time can be really astounding:
- Sales by Gale
- Items of Value
- Four Sales
- Everything but The House
Donations & Recycling
If you prefer to donate items to a worthy cause, here are a few organizations to consider donating too. You can also donate the remaining items after your estate sale is completed. A few of these organizations will even pick up the donations from your house!
- Greendrop (Purple Heart and Federation for the Blind): Schedule a pick up online or by calling. Items must be left on the curb.
- Salvation Army: Schedule a pick up online. They will even come into the house to move larger items.
- Goodwill: Drop off items at the new store on Route 1.
- Animal Welfare League of Alexandria: Drop off bedding, towels, animal crates, and toys.
- 123 Junk: Call for a pick up. Prices vary depending on how much you have to remove, and they will move it all. Once back at their warehouse, the company sorts the items to recycle, donate or landfill. You will get a receipt for your taxes if items are donated.
Chemicals & Household Hazardous Waste Disposal
If you have a garage or shed containing chemicals and paint, Fairfax County will allow residents to drop off the items for free at the transfer station off of 66, or at the landfill on Furnace Rd in Lorton. For more information on what household hazardous waste is, check out this Fairfax County website
Bulk Pick-Up
One of the best things about living in Fairfax county is the Bulk Pick-Up! Schedule online and haul the junk to the curb, the county will send a big truck with a claw to pick it up and haul it off—FOR FREE! In the event that the amount of trash you have exceeds their standards, there is a nominal fee to remove it, but it is still well worth it. Here is more information on Bulk Pick-Ups - each household is allowed 5 pick-ups per year!
For more ideas on preparing your hole for sale, contact me at pia@LNF.com.
Topics: Home Selling, Home Selling Tips, Homeownership, Selling home, prepping home for selling
