Has a prospective seller ever asked you for help getting their home ready for the market? Sure they have! It's a large part of what real estate professionals do. Updates, changes, and repairs are essential to selling a house. When done properly, it can mean possibly thousands more for the list price of a home—and ultimately add thousands to the sale.
Many times the home is loaded with too much stuff and the owner needs to get rid of some items, but you aren't sure where to tell your clients to take them. Well, Goodwill is the place to turn. As a real estate agent, I make an effort to offer the best resources of businesses that specialize in all areas of the home to help my clients. Every once in a while a company comes along that really impresses me. Recently I had the pleasure of learning more about Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee and just how much they cater to homeowners. I had no idea that they offered so many services to make donating easy. My socks were blown clear off!
Here are 3 reasons Realtors® should love Goodwill:​
HOME PICK-UP
The Real Estate Services Donations Program was created in February 2015 and offers home pick-up services. If your client has items in their home that they'd like to donate, they can now call or go online to arrange for Goodwill to come to them. This is an especially great service when they are in the decluttering stage. It's also handy when a clients' home has sold and they need to get rid of some furniture, clothing, tools, etc., either because of downsizing or because they are cleaning things out. Goodwill lightens the load and makes it convenient by picking up the items, saving your clients a trip to a donation location. Tip: By having you, their real estate agent, call to book their appointment, they will get quicker scheduling because Goodwill gives Realtors priority. And yes, your seller still gets a receipt for the items donated for tax purposes.
ONSITE DONATION BINS
The Community Services Donations Program was created in February 2015 and focuses on onsite donation bins. These aren't your typical run-of-the-mill ugly square boxes we usually see around town. These are strategically located and are designed to meet the community's needs. One of their most successful locations around the Nashville area is at the Twelve-Twelve building near the community's recycling area. Currently, they are filling one to two bins every week, which means Goodwill Industries can hire more employees and thus fulfill a main mission of Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee—putting individuals to work who have disabilities or with other various barriers to employment.
COMMUNITY DONATION DRIVES
These drives typically occur in conjunction with a community cleaning or recycling event or after community yard sales. A truck and two attendants are sent to a centralized location within a neighborhood or subdivision, and home owners are then able to bring and load items onto the truck with the help of the attendants. Receipts are issued for tax purposes on the spot!
I'm not easily impressed, but I think it's easy to see why I love Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee. Their efforts create jobs for members of our community and do good throughout the world, all while making it easier for everyone in the Middle Tennessee area to donate their no-longer-wanted items and support this amazing organization.
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