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You drive by one day and there it is, a for sale sign, planted in the neighbors yard or, in this case, posted on their carport wall. You think this is sudden, you didn't even know they were considering moving. It really didn't just happen overnight. Successful home marketing starts months before you see the sign and is the result of planning, preparation and teamwork.

Currently I am working with a young couple in Yuba City who have made a decision to move into a larger home in preparation for starting a family. My plan is to write a series of articles and blog updates on what we encounter along the way. I would like to think this will be a smooth journey with no issues or problems but experience tells me we will encounter our share of challenges. My goal is to help prepare others for similar experiences.

Background: I originally helped Randi buy her condo several years ago when she was single and working in Sacramento. She was referred to me by Rebecca, who is a friend and client and worked with Randi. We hit it off well and did some searching around Sacramento for a small house. At the time there was not much in her price range that felt right for a young single woman. Since she had grown up in Yuba City and had friends and family there, it was an easy decision to move our search. We found a great condo/townhouse in The Grove and for the money we were able to get her a safe place to live, plenty of room and the amenities provided by the home owners association.

Today Randi is married to a great guy, has a new job in the Yuba City area and she and Tony have decided to move to a larger house in preparation for the next step in their life together. Since we kept in touch, they called me for advice and have now hired me to market their home.

The first thing we did was start the planning process. Since there were no hard dates we had the time we wanted to determine the price range of the new house, get pre-approved for a loan and understand what the costs were to make the move. Then there were a hundred other things that Randi and Tony needed to think about when making this kind of decision!

To help get the house ready I spent an afternoon with Randi and Tony at their townhouse. We went from room to room and developed a punch list of things we wanted to do to before we put the house on the market. Some of the tasks included, updating old kitchen appliances, painting, new baseboards, removing clutter and de-personalizing the house. We even decided to do some landscaping work in and around their unit. They developed a budget and started to work.

The results of their hard work really make a difference. It has gone from a comfortable townhouse to one that sparkles and makes it easy for a potential buyer to see themselves living there. With a little help from me and a great deal of work from them we have a home ready to market and one that shows very well.

Using some outside expertise, developing a plan and preparing the house to be sold has gotten us off to a great start. We have a home that shows well, is priced right and ready for a new owner to move into with little or no work. In addition we are pre-approved for a new loan and know there are some great houses in our price range. Finally, Randi and Tony have realistic expectations about the journey they are starting.

Will Randi and Tony be having a barbeque party in their new back yard this summer? Will I be invited to the party? Stay tuned, I will be posting updates and future articles here and on my website, www.jalone.com. If you want to be notified about updates, send an email to ForSale@jalone.com. If you are interested in seeing this great townhouse it can be seen here.