You're the Probate Personal Representative, Now What?

The Challenge

Typically probate executors and administrators find themselves in the position of being an average person in the unusual situation of having to manage and liquidate the majority of assets of a deceased family member. Usually such circumstances involve cleaning up and selling real property...in the midst of grieving the loss of a loved one.

Often once the Personal Representative is given the authority to settle the real property of their loved one’s estate, the first question that comes to their mind is...Now What?

I Can Help

My knowledge of estate administration circumstances, skill level in real estate marketing, and willingness to take on various additional related tasks (particularly for out of state executors/administrators) have been a tremendous asset to my clients.

Experience shows that most Personal Representatives have many questions about how to handle the real estate and other personal property now that they are responsible.

My Recommendation to You

1. Ask yourself the questions listed below.
2. Read this book to see if your questions are answered.
3. Contact me regarding any additional questions that come up for you.

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What are my real estate goals?
• How do I work with family dynamics?
• What should I do about personal property?
• Is an investor a good option for me?
• What should my agent’s inspection include?
• What repairs or improvements should I make?
• What does it mean to stage the property?
• How do I set the right sales price?
• What do I need to know about taxes? [J] How do I select the right real estate agent?

My purpose is for you to be extremely happy with the help I provide to you through the entire process.

Putting a sign in the front yard and putting the home on the market is just one part. Choosing the right real estate advisor to personally commit to getting you prepared for and through the process is the unpredictable hard part.

It is often the intangibles that you'll come to value most. Things like communication, patience, responsiveness, accountability, resourcefulness, problem solving, listening and strong people skills that can be hard to quantify. This is what I offer to you.

So, as you read this book, you may come to better understand the value of hiring an experienced Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor (CPREA) like me. In today’s real estate market, it’s not just getting an acceptable offer that means success because experience shows, one in five homes that go under contract never sell! We can avoid being that one in five.

Easy Button

This book gives you a better, deeper understanding of what it takes to sell the home for the most money, with the best terms, and the least stress in today’s challenging real estate market. You'll discover there are two paths:

• You can decide to take the risky one with little support.
• Or you can choose the “easy button” working with someone who has the skills and ability to lead, guide, and protect you through the days, weeks and months ahead, someone like me.

NOTE: PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE is the generic title applied to the person who is authorized to act on behalf of the decedent’s estate. Usually this is either an administrator or executor appointed by the courts.

In this book I sometimes refer to the Personal Representative as the PR.

You may think this a strange question that I want you to ask yourself. But experience shows that going through the probate experience can be smoother and less stressful for personal representatives who have a clear idea of what they want to accomplish with the sale of the real property.

When they have identified what is most important to them and to the beneficiaries about settling the estate, their experience can be straightforward and rewarding.

When your values are clear, your decisions become easy. And we both want your selling journey to be an easy, low stress and successful one!

Identify Your Goals

Start by asking yourself “What is important about selling this house, to me?” You may find it helpful to write down your answers. If you have a clear understanding of why you are selling, it will help give you focus throughout the preparation, the marketing, and successful sale of the house.

Here are some goals that PRs have shared with me:

• Most money from the home and property
• Help with the personal property
• Stress free process
• Sell as quickly as possible
• Find the right buyer
• Honor my loved one

You may have one or more of these goals, or an entirely different goal. Whatever you want to accomplish from the sale of the real property, it’s important that you and your real estate professional both understand your goals.

Determine Your Timeframe

When you decide to sell the home, the first thing you must consider is your timeframe, the timing that works best for you. Timing will drive everything else; from there I can help you build a strategic, specific action plan to make it happen. Timing means different things to different people. I see the range from, “I want to sell immediately, how quickly can we get mom’s house on the market and sold?” to “I’m sort of in the three to six month’s timeframes.”

Regardless of whether it’s something that you’ve been thinking about for the last few weeks or have thought about, talked about, mulled over for a few months, you'll appreciate sitting down for an hour with an experienced “guide by your side” to help prepare.

For example, if someone passes away and you're responsible for their estate, you still have your life and your family to take care of. It could be that the property is in another city or state from where you live, and there are many details that must be addressed. Often there is a need for immediate relief to have this all handled. Other PRs, like you, have shared that knowing they have the help needed to make all the decisions and orchestrate those decisions, is priceless. To get it all done while going on with your life and keeping you informed of the process, allows you to feel comfortable and meet the timeframes that are required for the probate.

When considering timing, what we can help you understand is realistically what can get accomplished in what time frame. Sometimes this means while you might be perfectly capable of doing things yourself, to help shorten the time frame and the burden, you may choose to outsource tasks to someone else and enable us to get to market quicker.

Many improvements go a long way to defending equity, and it’s important to consider cost-effective repairs for the home. The proposed time frame, as well as available funds, will determine what gets done and how things get done. I can help with prioritizing. I can also help by introducing trusted vendors to you because sometimes it’s less stressful to have someone else do some repairs and preparation.

I take care of my executors and administrators throughout the transaction process because selling a home can be one of the most stressful things one does in life, especially with the addition of mourning the loss of a loved one.

As you can imagine, family and beneficiaries are a very big piece of managing the whole probate process. So, you need to be mindful of the many potentially sensitive obstacles.

Acknowledge Emotional Attachments

Family members and friends often have an emotional attachment to the person who is gone. I’ve witnessed the good and the not-so-good with emotional attachments. I’ve seen family members get along wonderfully with each other, working together to take care of all the tasks that need to be addressed to settle the estate. I’ve also witnessed the flipside, when the PR is doing their best to manage an unhappy or uncooperative family member or beneficiary.

Respecting the PR

The difficulty is usually the result of a family dynamic or because a family member has some issue and will not respect your position of authority, even though you have been put into the position of representing the estate. In this way some family member or members can make life more difficult. This makes moving through the probate process challenging. And, not surprisingly, problems frequently involve the decedent’s personal property. Sometimes a beneficiary believes that the decedent told them that they could have certain possessions, but nothing was written down.

To protect themselves and the estate, the PR is put in a position of having to do whatever the probate attorney is recommending. Having a will is helpful because the PR simply follows the decedent's wishes as written in the will. When no will is available, the assets, including the real estate proceeds, are distributed as directed by the probate court.

Regardless of whatever conversations may have occurred between the decedent and family members or friends, the probate court will determine the division of the assets; that is the legal process.

Explaining the Process

But explaining the process to the beneficiaries can be a challenge for the PR. The good news is that most of the time, when beneficiaries understand the process because it has been adequately explained to them, they are cooperative.

I want to touch on the importance of reducing stress and staying as calm as possible by keeping the beneficiaries informed. If the beneficiaries don’t know the steps that are being taken, they might get anxious. They may start talking amongst themselves and because they don’t have a clear picture, may begin to imagine things that aren’t really happening.

A Skilled Probate Attorney

The PR is tasked with being an overseer of the probate process. While the PR is executing these responsibilities, it really helps to be connected to a skilled probate attorney.

Because you are probably experiencing your own mourning and emotions, even while dealing with the other beneficiaries (who may be mostly family), keeping the two roles separated can be challenging.

Having a probate attorney as part of your team gives you someone to field questions to and perhaps step in and help with the sometimes more extreme issues, also known as the “messy stuff.” “.

What a relief it can be to have the attorney come along and represent what is to be done according to the law, protecting both the PR and the estate. Your attorney assists you by referring to the probate law while handling the disposition of the estate correctly. Additionally, when it comes to situations where family members are doing things outside of what needs to be done, according to the law, your attorney can take action to get things back on track. In some cases, the attorney can relieve you by having those conversations with the family, including the family member that is not cooperating.

The unattached person, the attorney, can be what one of my clients referred to as “the bad guy.” The

Attorney is someone to stand behind you and say, “Well, nevertheless, this is how it has to be.” And the PR can then simply continue with the things that need to be addressed with less tension and uncomfortable feelings.

Conversations Work

In most cases keeping the beneficiaries informed does not have to be in the form of any official paperwork, it can just be conversations with them. Communication always alleviates stress for people no matter what process they’re going through. When the attorney and the probate real estate professional are keeping the PR informed, then the PR can pass on the accurate information to the beneficiaries. When people know what to expect and they know what is happening, experience shows that the process goes much smoother.

Beneficiaries Feel Comfortable

Beneficiaries begin to feel comfortable because they see that steps are being taken and appreciate the progress. As your Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor, at a minimum you will receive a weekly update that can then be shared with the beneficiaries. This can be accomplished by including important information about the decedent’s home with current facts that can be forwarded easily. Again, I work to help you so that the beneficiaries feel calm and trust that everything is going well.

A Story: Vincent and the promised house

Vincent’s uncle Randy passed away, leaving Vincent responsible as the executor for his estate. They read that the personal property and the home were to be sold and the proceeds shared with Vincent and his three siblings.

Vincent’s brother, Ralph, lived a few miles from their uncle’s home. When the family met to talk about the disposition of the estate, Ralph shared that Uncle Randy had promised that he could have the house and pay the remaining beneficiaries $1,000 per month.

Because Uncle Randy had left a will with specific instructions, Ralph quickly realized that, although he believed he was entitled to the home, his uncle’s wishes as written in the will must be adhered to.

The biggest asset of most estates is the decedent’s home. There is also more property to consider. The belongings of the decedent are part of the personal Property, including furniture, cars, appliances, clothing, jewelry, etc.

The PR should first secure and maintain the property, then make plans for disbursement and liquidation of the personal property.

Securing and Maintaining the Property

The first thing is securing and maintaining the property. That can include getting all the utilities transferred into the PR’s name, rekeying the property, and possibly having a temporary alarm system installed. A Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor can help with these details and more; achieving the ultimate outcome of protecting the property.

An important step to maintaining the home is to make sure that the property insurance is kept up to date. Sometimes the insurance company becomes aware that the home is vacant and will cancel the property insurance. When that happens, simply ask me or your attorney for a referral to a company that will provide vacant house insurance.

Personal Property Disbursement and Liquidation

Once the property is secure, you need to decide what you do with the personal property. I always recommend that you should partner with your attorney to determine if the beneficiaries will be allowed to remove mementos from the property. Beneficiaries often want items of value inventoried to be included with the total estate value.

However, sometimes there are valuable items that the family members wish to keep, and without a will, it is up to the PR to determine what may be removed from the estate.

A Story: Carol, 1,500 miles from home

Carol traveled 1,500 miles because she was appointed as the executor of her mother’s estate. When she arrived, her first task was to secure the home and all of her mother’s personal property. The next day her brother and sister met with her at their childhood home. They began the process of going through all the memories and choosing things that were important to them. They soon became overwhelmed with the thought of what was to happen to all the things that they couldn’t take to their own homes.

After talking about the three options - estate sale, buyout, and donation - the family decided to schedule with the buyout company to give them a bid for removing all the things that they left in the home. Because Carol anticipated it would be a lot of physical work, as well as an emotional toll, Carol was relieved that she did not have to pack up all the things that were left...

Carol agreed to the buyout bid and an appointment was scheduled for removal of the remaining items. Because Carol needed to return home, she gave permission to the buyout team to access the probate mother’s home. Once the remaining personal property was removed Carol was happy that the next step would be to prepare the home for sale; the home was officially on the market a week later.

Having a Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor coordinate how to take care of the personal property can help keep you, as the PR, from feeling overwhelmed, especially if you live out of state.

During this step, the PR should try their best to be considerate as there are often items the beneficiaries wish to keep for sentimental reasons. Once the family members have removed all desired mementos, the remaining property will need to be liquidated.

It is important to keep in mind that the personal property may not be worth anything near the amount of its original purchase price.

The PR has three options or a combination of these options for liquidating the estate:

1. Have an estate sale
2. Sell the entire estate to a buyout company
3. Donate items

Estate Sale

An estate sale is a good option if the estate has many valuable items remaining that can be sold individually by an estate liquidator. Estate sales usually require a six to eight-week period for marketing and planning; so, if there is enough time available, this may be a good choice for the estate. Once the estate sale is finished, all the remaining items will need to be removed, sold to a buyout company, or donated depending on their condition.

Buyout Company

The second option you may choose is to sell the personal property to a buyout company. The

Company hired to do the buyout will assess all the personal property and then give a price they will pay to remove everything. Buyouts are convenient because they will remove all the items, including the items that are not saleable. Once a price has been agreed upon, the buyout company will schedule a date, usually within a week, to clear everything out. This will give the PR an empty property to put on the market, quickly.

Donate

The third option is to donate personal property. When choosing to donate items, anything that is small needs to be boxed up prior to having it picked up by the donation company. You, family members, or someone from the outside who is hired to do so must box up all the items. The donation company is then scheduled to come in and remove everything. Like a buyout, this option provides you with a completely empty property fast, which means getting the house on the market sooner.

Whichever option you choose to pursue, it is important to keep records of what items are removed. You should try your best to meet the

Requirement of record keeping that is established by the probate attorney or court.

You can rest easy if you have someone who can help you handle the personal property of the estate. Many times, the PR does not live where the house is located, and they need a trusted Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor to organize the distribution of the personal property.

When an Investor is Not the Right Choice

When I speak with a PR, they often share that they have been inundated with phone calls and letters from investors, looking to offer a quick fix for the sale of the estate property.

These investors are trying to convince the PR that they are the best option for an easy sale of the estate, with promises of short escrows and no extra fees. For the PR, easy equals done! However, these investors have not seen the interior of the house and, most of the time, have not even driven by the property. Therefore, they do not know the condition of the property and are usually just looking to buy at the lowest price possible.

Experience shows that once the investor has viewed the property, they will often make claims about the property such as, “Oh. I didn’t know that it needed a new kitchen and bathrooms.” This is the point where they will negotiate tens of thousands of dollars less than their initial offer. The

Investors are representing themselves; they are not representing the estate. This means that any way they can find to decrease their initial price is a win for them and a huge loss for the estate.

They will also offer no extra fees, a misleading deal to say the least; with all the price-cutting, they can easily afford to absorb any additional costs, such as paying the estate closing costs. The investor’s goal is to entice the PR to take their offer before they wise up and find a Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor to represent them.

To prevent investors from taking advantage, the PR should hire someone who will give the honest facts about the property’s value. As a probate real estate professional, I am not trying to buy the property; my purpose is to represent you and the estate, and to negotiate the highest price possible, with the best terms. There is a saying: “Negotiating for yourself is like performing surgery on yourself, and you would never do that now, would you?”

The PR may have concerns that the cost of a commission will cut into the extra funds that they negotiate for the estate. However, this is not the case because the negotiated price greatly exceeds

The price offered by an investor and more than covers any commissions. The PR’s job is to maximize the amount of money for the estate. Experience shows selling to an investor without representation will surely decrease that value.

The plan would be to have the repairs bring the property up to a point where traditional buyers, rather than an investor, want to submit an offer. Traditional buyers ultimately pay much more than an investor, which is why these repairs may be the best idea. For example, having the property professionally cleaned will incur a minimal cost and ultimately make a great impression for traditional homebuyers.

Sometimes An Investor May Be the Right Choice

Sometimes with probate real estate, the property is in such poor condition that the work required to bring it up to minimum standards to sell is cost prohibitive to the estate. In this case an offer from an investor may be the best option for the estate. It

Might be the wisest choice to unload the property quickly with minimum stress to the PR and the beneficiaries. As your Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor, I can guide you through these types of decisions.

When I’m inspecting a property, I categorize it into one of two groups. Either the house is in good shape and can be put on the market with a minimal amount of work, or the house needs of a lot of updating, deferred maintenance, and should be listed “as is”.

Inspecting the property

When I inspect the property for my clients, I make a list of recommendations. I call this the “Honey Do List”. The Honey Do List is my recommendations of cost-effective improvements. This list is made up of simple fixes, it is not part of the formal, required documents used in the property transaction. The purpose of my recommendations is to help the property show better and to create more buyer interest.

Looking at the outside

I first stand in front of property and look at the roof. The condition of the roof will give a good idea of the condition of the rest of the property. If it has a tile roof, I look for cracked, slipped, or missing tiles. If it has a shingle roof I look for missing, curled, old and damaged shingles. If I see a roof in bad condition, I know this is going to be an issue and this property may fall into the “as is” category.

I walk around the property looking for fascia board damage, peeling paint, and termite damage. I look for cracks in the stucco. If there are cracks in the foundation, this property may again fall into the category of major deferred maintenance and may be considered a fixer. I typically do not recommend to my clients that they fix hugely expensive items since these are not cost effective.

The types of things I do put on my Honey Do List are repairs that can easily be done to a house which is already in pretty good shape prior to putting the property on the market. I look for broken windows or screens that are in poor shape. I look for a little bit of peeling paint. If the estate

Has available funds, my recommendation would be to scrape the peeling paint, prime and paint it - make it gone, that’s for a house that’s in decent condition.

Still looking around the outside of the property. If the house is in good condition and is going to be put on the market for a traditional buyer, I will recommend getting a landscaper. A very costeffective touch I recommend is putting bark in the flower beds. It costs very little and looks fabulous.

I do not recommend trimming trees or removing plants and bushes. I don’t usually recommend that kind of work to improve the appearance of a property, because if the house has been cared for, then the yard has been cared for. If it’s a house that has deferred maintenance, then the yard may need attention. Overgrown bushes and shrubbery, dead, dying plants, rubbish in the yard or along the side of the property; much of the time, this type of property is sold “as is” and the deferred maintenance is obvious.

Looking at the inside

In some cases when the house in general is in pretty good condition, but the carpeting is old and stained, then I will make a recommendation to the PR to consider replacing the carpet. I know that replacing the carpet will add more value to the house than the cost of the carpet. I recommend choosing neutral colored carpet, something in the taupe tones. But, of course, taking into consideration what the house looks like, I will recommend a color that complements the house.

Certified Probate Real Estate Advisors, like me, who do this every day can also be invaluable in letting you know what repairs and improvements to make. And, just as important, what improvements to not make because they won’t provide a good return when selling. Most sellers are surprised to know that many of the most impactful things cost very little money. Let’s take a closer look at the various steps in the marketing process.

With the fixer houses I do not recommend painting or updating. Buyers and investors who are looking for fixer houses know what they are getting into and what they must do to turn the property over quickly and for a profit. That’s a risky business and not for the faint of heart. Unless someone is very experienced in this, I do not recommend to my clients that they try to remodel the house themselves.

Always Clean

I always recommend having the property professionally cleaned, including the windows. Even homes that are dated and have the pink bathroom from 1950, but the house is in good shape, I recommend that the house be cleaned, because that’s what shows better. Nobody wants to look at someone else’s dirt. If you are selling the appliances with the property, clean the refrigerator, clean the stove. This is important, unless it’s an “as is” investor property.

Minor Fixes and Repairs

Looking for what needs to be fixed or repaired throughout the house. All these things are really an important part of our ability to defend the equity and ultimately get the best price. Why? Because every little repair, every little flaw in a buyer’s mind triggers their natural inclination to exaggerate the repair costs. Some research has found that buyers assume the cost to fix something is much more than it actually turns out to be and they will want compensation for it.

Even the most conscientious homeowner will have things that need to be fixed. It’s so much better to find out now and take care of cost-effective repairs. We may not discover everything because we won't be crawling into the attic or under the house, but we will look at the interior and exterior of the home together.

It's always better to fix what can be fixed cost-effectively, up front. Every detail addressed before opening the front door for homebuyers is going to make for a much smoother process throughout the transaction, and it really helps increase buyer interest.

A Story: A $120 door that saved $1,500

Here’s an example of a cost-effective fix. I had a new listing that I was inspecting and was having a terrible time trying to get into the back yard. The house had a sliding glass door that just wasn’t sliding. There are two problems here. For one, that stuck door is going to keep a buyer from being able to get into the backyard and see how nice it is. And secondly, the buyer is going to want $1,500 for a new door. Instead, I noted it on my Honey Do inspection sheet. What it needed was new wheels on the bottom of the door. I called my handyman and $120 later the door is good as new. So, the seller spent $120 and avoided the buyer asking for a $1,500 credit.

I will help you determine what items you want to fix and what you want fixed by a handyman. Another benefit is that taking care of these things up front can be done more cost effectively because

You are choosing the plumbing fixtures, lighting, flooring, etc.

Having a skilled, experienced, and focused Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor who can lay out the different options around timing is critical. I will help you determine the time it would take for you to do it yourself, including material cost, and then weighing that out against the estimate of someone else doing the work. That way you can determine how much of your valuable time you want to take versus paying someone else, and whether you want to do that trade off, or not. You’ll have comparisons so you can make that best choice. It’s all about what’s most important to you while you are selling the property.

It’s my job to give you good options that you can choose from, and then you can decide what would be best for you and your specific situation. The good news is that you can rely on me as your go-to person, your Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor.

A Story: Rosalia and two properties

Rosalia was named executor in her friend’s will and became responsible for two properties

The largest property had been her friend’s home; it also had a second house with tenants that provided rental income. At the Initial consultation, Rosalia and I weighed the benefits of repairs and updates versus selling as-is. Rosalia chose to increase the net profit for the estate by improving the property. She chose cost-effective repairs, including painting most of the interior, hardwood floor repairs, power washing the front porch and a few miscellaneous items to improve street appeal.

At the neighborhood open house, many compliments were received. The neighbors that had been in the home prior to the decedent's passing couldn’t believe the transformation and even asked Rosalia for the name of the paint colors! And the best news is that the home sold for 99% of the list price, which made the beneficiaries very happy with Rosalia.

Staging is the process of preparing the home to make it as appealing as possible to a potential buyer. You want to highlight the strengths of the house that will attract buyers.

This proven process consistently helps make the home more appealing to more potential buyers. Doing these steps, up front, can not only make more money; it also reduces stress by selling the home faster and proactively removing issues rather than waiting until after a willing buyer has viewed the home.

The 70-30 Rule

Most people living in a house have 70% of their items decorating and filling space in the home. That leaves 30% actually showcasing the desirable features of the house. It is totally natural to surround yourself with all the things you love. But when selling a home much less personal property will showcase the home's features.

The focus is to transform space in the home that is filled with what the decedent loved and bring the focus back to what you are selling - the house.

To get the highest offers from potential buyers you need to reduce or remove much of the personal belongings. By reducing your personal items to 30%, space is then opened up to welcome real homebuyers in the market to imagine their belongings and their family in the home.

The Room-By-Room Review

To start the process of reducing the personal items to 30% take notice of the things that are unique and specific to the decedent, such as hobbies, and collections. I’ve worked with many people whose loved one had a vibrant personality, and the home reflected that vibrant personality. When placing a house on the market it is best to go with subtle and neutral features over vibrant ones. Choosing neutrals will attract the most buyers because it allows each person to see themselves and their belongings working in the space. That is the goal, to allow each buyer to fall in love with a house by seeing themselves living there.

Looking at each room of the house in a systematic way prevents overwhelm and analysis paralysis by

Dividing the home into sections allowing you, as seller to have a specific plan of action and to minimize your stress.

As your Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor, I will make time to go through the home with you, inside and out. We look at each room and what is currently in it. Then we look at how to make the rooms stand out from the competition. You decide as we go through - are you going to:

1. Allow family members and friends to take cherished items?
2. Donate possessions or sell through a buyout?
3. Discard unwanted personal property?

Doing this for each room opens the space, allowing us to stage, and to create the desired effect we want in each room.

Through the Eye of the Camera

To reduce the overwhelm of preparing the home for sale, we go room-by-room together. We’re considering an eye on how we can create more of a blank canvas, and definitely a neutral canvas to be able to tell the story of the property. When we’re finished, you have a working plan enabling you to

Address one space at a time. You see the impact of what you're doing to enhance the features of the home. To get the plan in place we will discover the unintended distractions the camera will pick up and then consider what we want the buyers to focus on in each room.

We know that when we get the home ready for market, it will be online through photos and the camera will not edit it. I’ve discovered that even when I am coming into a home often my mind will edit unintentionally. It’s important that we get a good sense of things that may be drawing in people’s attention. We can then determine if what draws someone's attention is the focal point that we really want.

Take A Photo

This is a simple tip you could do right now. Go to a room you think looks great and take a photo. See if the room looks as great in the photo or if you find yourself looking at something on the floor or something on a nightstand versus seeing the whole room. This is why I always take photos as I’m going through the house. I am looking at it with an eye toward what we should move to another location or remove completely.

The Emotional Magic of Soft Staging

Finally, we want to create an emotional attraction to the house. This is what all potential buyers are looking for; to feel the excitement of this is home.

To help visually attract homebuyers, I use a technique called soft staging. The best way to explain soft staging is taking what is available in the home and creating vignettes that sell the lifestyle potential buyers are wishing to lead. Buying is an emotional process. What I do as your trusted CPREA is help you bring that emotional and magnetic attraction to each room, so buyers “feel at home”.

The home can subliminally become more attractive to buyers with just a few strategically placed items. This is why I suggest you team with a CPREA who is a marketing expert rather than your average real estate agent. When you hire a marketing expert, like me, before I ever place the house on the market, I begin using proven strategies to market it to sell quickly and just as important to sell for top dollar.

Clean, Repair, De-clutter, Depersonalize

Now that we have completed the Pre-Listing Inspection and the Room-By-Room Review, you will have a specifically crafted plan on what to do to prepare the house for the market. I can also help you with a list of trusted vendors who specialize in everything from cleaning to home repairs. That way if the task is too much for you, you will have the help you need versus the hard task of doing the work alone.

This is a time when I like to remind my sellers that when we do everything right and the market is good, you can expect to sell the home quickly

Usually in less than 45 days. It’s worth the preparation and it will be less hectic for you once you're under contract for the sale.

Remember, if you only choose one thing to get your home ready it should be white glove clean. Most buyers believe clean equals well-maintained, and not clean equals not maintained. If the home is not clean, experience shows that buyers will immediately start looking for the home’s weaknesses. My recommendation is to do whatever it takes to clean up thoroughly. This includes the most overlooked items when preparing a house for sale and that is the windows, so take the time or allow one of my vendors to detail them. Those windows must sparkle!

As far as repairs, I will work with you to determine what must be done based on your specific situation, what makes financial sense to take care of, and what to disclose and to let the next owner determine how it can be handled.,

Example Repair List, 123 Main Street

Preliminary Staging

• Pack all personal photos
• Living room, move white table from entry into corner of living room
• Remove rug
• Remove all stuffed animals and minimize pet toys
• Kitchen, remove magnets from refrigerator and minimize items on the counters
• TV room, move sofa under window, pack and store personal property
• Office, pack unused items, tidy up desk
• Patio, remove cover from table and chair

Repairs and To-Do, Exterior of Home

• Hose down or power wash exterior including fascia board and eaves
• Wash and spray paint security screen door
• Replace white motion light at exterior of garage
• Replace damaged ceiling fan in garage
• Paint front fencing (dark brown)
• Install dark brown mulch in planter beds
• Continue to water the front yard
• Install outlet cover at west side of garage
• Replace vertical blinds at sliding door in living room

Interior of Home

• Paint exterior of front door (blue)
• Caulk master bathroom shower
• Clean track of sliding glass door

Items to Purchase

• White exterior light for garage
• White light to replace damaged ceiling fan (garage)
• Ceiling fan (master bedroom)
• Two globe light (master bathroom)
• Mulch for planter beds
• Exterior cover for electrical outlet
• Vertical blinds for living room sliding door
• Schedule handyman to help with repairs
• Schedule professional cleaning company

It's Showtime, Lights, Lights, and More Lights

The final soft staging tip is to check all the light bulbs. We make sure that we have the highest wattage light bulbs in all the lighting. All lights should be plugged in and working.

Buyers are naturally attracted to brightness; if you've watched any home tv shows from HGTV you always hear the compliment of “the home is light and airy." We want to create the feeling of sunlight because people tend to feel happier when there is light.

If the home has any rooms that are dark because of the angle of the sun or because of trees, we will really let the wattage of the light bulbs work for the house. We are basically bringing the outdoors in and creating that really bright feeling.

Occasionally sellers will say to me, “This is so bright and it’s brighter than I’m used to,” yes, it is, and think of it just like when you go to the theater. On the stage those lights are bright because we want to see the actors; we’re creating that same effect. When we do everything right, the home will sell

Quickly. Remember this is the house’s show time and we are creating the atmosphere to let it shine!

Executors and administrators have shared that they were outrageously happy with our preparation because we are differentiating their loved one’s home so that it looks great and looks better than the competition.

One of the things that surprises my clients is they often think they’re simply hiring someone with a real estate license. Over time they come to appreciate that what makes the difference in their experience is that choosing a Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor who is a strong marketer and negotiator begins with preparation. That’s why I spend whatever time it takes to prepare the house before we take the next steps.

People usually have an idea about what they think the property is worth.

As your CPREA this is what you can expect from me.

You need to have a Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor (CPREA) who you trust will work with you to establish the best price for your real estate property. Factors to consider:

• Condition of home
• ( Size and location
• Q) Neighborhood activity
• () Current market conditions

Property Profile

I order the property profile, which tells all about the property itself. This is the information that I use to work on my comparable market analysis. I look for what is important, the area where the property is located, the square footage, the bedrooms. I’m looking to see if there are any loans on the property, if there are any liens on the property. Knowing about loan balances and liens is

Important because I do an estimated seller proceeds document based on what I think the property will sell for minus the closing cost expenses, minus any mortgages or liens.

Appointment Questionnaire

I have pre-appointment questions for the PR that I collect over the phone when I first make contact with them. These include such things as, are there liens, what condition is the house in, have there been any add-ons, etc. I collect this information, so {am familiar with the property and ready for our first meeting. I want to have the best information for you, the seller, that I can have.

Research Sales Activity

I begin researching the sales activity for comparable homes of the property. I come up with a list of properties that have sold and properties that are pending. I call the ones that are currently active the “competition” for you. That’s how I talk about it, “These are your competition.” I print out a map of those properties. I identify where your property is located, so we can be talking about how

Your property fits in. I want to show you, the PR, that I am indeed the expert in this field. I make sure I have supporting documentation to back up the things I am sharing with you.

Visit the Property

Before our first meeting I do my best to go into the active listings in the neighborhood and possibly the pending ones if they are vacant, so that I can talk with you clearly about the properties in the area. The goal here is to come to a reasonable and obtainable listing price based on the condition of your property and what’s happening in the neighborhood.

I use the information that I have researched to help guide the price. I talk with you about the other properties for sale in the area and how the estate home compares with the competition.

I do not make a sales price recommendation until I have all the facts, and I assume that you want all the facts before you make a decision like this. I will give you my best advice in an honest and open dialog.

The real property, the home, is usually the biggest asset of an estate. Before it’s sold and before the beneficiaries receive their portion of the proceeds, there are some issues that a PR needs to consider regarding taxes and the estate.

Work with a Tax Professional

A question that I’m frequently asked by the PR is, “Is there anything I need to know regarding taxes and the estate?” Because tax laws are changing all the time, I always ask the PR if they have a tax professional. A tax professional will be well-versed in current tax laws and can answer any tax associated questions for the PR.

If you, as the PR, do not have a tax professional, I recommend contacting the attorney for a referral to someone that can answer inquiries concerning the proceeds and potential tax liability. As a wise advisor, I know I can’t be all things, all the time. However, as the orchestrator, I often give

Introductions to other key players. This has proven to be quite stress reducing for the PR.

The PR should never use personal banking accounts for handling any financial assets of the estate as it can create questions from the beneficiaries about how the PR is using the estate funds.

To help achieve this, the PR may be instructed by the attorney to obtain a tax ID (EIN) for the estate. With this new tax ID, bank accounts can be opened to handle any use of funds related to the estate, including the funds from the sale of the decedent's home.

Good Communicator

Having a good communicator as your guide is critical. It’s important that you understand the market, the pricing, and the preparation. I keep you updated and informed every step through the selling process because experience shows,

Communication is important for reducing your stress. The selling process is very time sensitive, and with frequent updates you will be able to respond quickly. This ensures you don't miss any opportunities to defend and protect the price of the home, literally defending your equity.

Experience is the Key

Every probate and each home are unique. Whether the probate property is a fixer and the best scenario is to simply sell as-is, or it is determined that, with a few cost-effective repairs (e.g., fresh paint and new carpet) it can earn thousands of dollars more, you can feel comfortable when a Certified Probate Real Estate Advisor (CPREA), like me, is on your team. Experience is a key component.

It’s never too early to partner with a CPREA, an expert at helping PR’s with a home in probate. The largest asset is typically the home of the decedent. Both the home and the personal property prove to be the most time-consuming part of representing the estate. Having a guide-by-your side to

Orchestrate the probate real estate process is a relief for several reasons.

My purpose is to provide the answers to your questions, to present your options, to introduce you to people that can help with the personal property, and to guide you through the preparation, marketing and successful sale of the decedent’s home. Others, like you, have shared their relief of having someone, like me, to help them make decisions and move forward.

The Home Selling Journey

Now that you’ve glimpsed the big picture to start the home selling journey, you can see why most people start thinking about, and begin preparing weeks before they want to sell. Keep in mind that the first, and most important step, is to hire someone you can trust to guide you through the probate real estate process outlined above.

A Lifetime Resource

It is important for you to know that, in addition to orchestrating the steps through the sale of the property in the estate, I am also here for you as a lifetime resource. Feel comfortable reaching out to me with any questions you may have concerning the estate, as well as, for any real estate situation outside of the estate. Always think of me as your go-to resource when you or someone you know has questions and wants accurate answers to those questions.