Whew this is the toughest question I have fielded in quite a
while. At this time real estate is not flying off the shelves in my market. I
sell homes in Evergreen Colorado and when I’m asked I have to do a little Intel.
To give advice some pretty huge variables must be known.

Is the subject property new or a resale? In the equation of
equity vs cash flow a new property will suffer greatly once it has a “human
footprint”. An argument has and can be made for the staging aspect but I believe
loosing that new product identity outweighs the benefits.

What is the price point?
At higher price points buyers have higher expectations. I have gone
through this process enough to know that cigarette or pet smells don’t fly over
the $400,000 price point and less than virgin new carpet does not work well
over $700,000. These can be considered subjective but I can say with some certainty
that homes need to be fresher than they used to be because of the large amount
of inventory in this competitive market.

Who is renting? You have to be careful here above all else
not to discriminate against any protected class of our community. It would be
wise to use a rental agency that could prequalify tenant’s i.e., credit, rental
history, etc. Another option would be to go with a company like www.ShowHomes.Com. They will put in a handpicked
contractor to handle maintenance, security and staging. There contractor will
also give guarantees regarding the home’s showing availability and access for possession
should the home go under contract. Much progress towards immediate cash flow
may not be realized but overall equity or investment will most probably be
superior.

Overall if you want to sell your home and don’t want to
leave it empty you have some options. You will also want to consult your home
owner Insurance regarding their policies. As the owner you have all the
liability, a huge investment and some quality of life issues to consider. And be very careful about lease options Talk
to a professional. The choices are not as easy as they appear.

Sean is a profesional……talk to him

Colorado
State Income Tax: 4.63%
State Sales Tax: 2.9% (localities can add their own)
Inheritance Tax: No
If the sheer beauty of the Rocky Mountains isn’t enough to draw you to the Centennial State, its low, flat income-tax rate of 4.63% might. Taxpayers 55 to 64 years old can exclude a total of $20,000 of Social Security and qualified retirement income from state income taxes; those 65 and older can exclude up to $24,000. The state sales-tax rate is 2.9%, but local taxes can boost the combined rate to an average of about 7%. Food and prescription drugs are exempt from sales taxes.