November 2016

To answer the question, should I sell my house as is or fix it up, I have another one to ask you.

If your home were to be advertised for sale tomorrow, would it be described as ‘a fixer-upper’ or ‘nothing to do here’?

If it’s the former, when the time comes to sell, the decision whether to put it on the market as it is or spend money on repairs and improvements comes down to the numbers.

Should I sell my house or stay?

There are times when the decision to sell one home to move to another is clear-cut and, therefore, relatively easy to make.

At other times for a variety of reasons you may find yourself agonising over whether to sell your home and move on or stay put for now.

To put matters into context, talk to an experienced local real estate agent for advice about the state of the market and a valuation for your current home.

Should I sell my house and invest my money?

This is a legitimate question and one that is not asked frequently enough; in fact, it wouldn’t even occur to many homeowners.

For a lot of people, the ‘great Australian dream’ of owning your own home lives on, despite alternatives existing that may be more financially viable for them, depending on their life stages.

As with all major financial decisions, I recommend that you obtain advice from an experienced financial advisor, who will examine your individual situation and present options to suit you and your lifestyle.

What must I leave when selling my house boils down to what is classified as fixtures and fittings and what has been either specified or excluded from your sale contract.

It is important to understand these principles now because selling your home and moving to another can be an incredibly busy and somewhat emotional time in your life, and the last thing you want to do is break the law or breach your contract.

While you will, no doubt, be grateful for the help of family members and friends with the sorting and packing, be sure to brief your crew thoroughly on what goes and stays, otherwise, if you don't maintain oversight of the packing, you may end up with more than you’d bargained for sealed in those many moving boxes.

To avoid that eventuality, here is a list of the things you shouldn’t be packing.