Imagine you’re viewing a home for sale. You venture to the basement, check out the furnace room, and notice the water heater. Is it owned or rented? As a potential buyer, you’d want to know. 

Now imagine a property you’re viewing has a brand-new gas fireplace. Nice! Is it under warranty? Is that warranty transferrable to you if you buy the home? Again, you’d want to know. 

So, when you’re selling, it’s important to pull together all the necessary records you will need in order to answer these types of buyer questions. After all, if a particular warranty transfers to the new owner, that’s a selling point. 

Take the time to find receipts, warranty certificates, and other documents related to: 

• Renovations (such as a bathroom makeover) 

• Major repairs or replacements (such as a new air conditioner) 

• Service prepayments (such as a lawncare service paid annually) 

• Purchases of major appliances and other items 

Keep in mind that you may have purchased extended warranties or maintenance agreements at the time of purchase. Those may transfer to the new owner. 

Also note that some guarantees or service agreements transfer automatically while others require the new owner to initiate that transfer. 

These documents could potentially add a few more benefits to buying your home. So, it’s worth the time it takes to dig them out! 

If you want to sell an item quickly—say, a couch—you can post it online, stick a super-low price tag on it and, chances are, it will be gone by the end of the day. 

So it’s understandable that some people think the same thing applies when selling a home. Indeed, if you need to sell your property quickly, you might assume that setting a low listing price is the best way to make that happen. 

But that isn’t necessarily true. 

The fact is, the list price is only one of many factors that determine how quickly your home will sell—and for how much. 

For example, if your home is in high demand at the moment—given its characteristics, neighbourhood, move-in readiness, and overall desirability— then it may sell quickly at its current market value or even a little higher. 

On the other hand, if the market is more of a buyer’s market, setting a list price that will attract qualified buyers to your home, and away from comparable listings, may be important. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to low- ball the price. 

Keep in mind there are many other things that can help get your property sold quickly, such as how skillfully your listing is promoted and marketed, how well your home shows to buyers, and how flexible you are with your closing date. 

After your home has been cleaned from top to bottom, it’s natural to want it to stay that way. Don’t you wish you could just wave a magic wand and the place would clean itself? Unfortunately, even Harry Potter can’t manage that! 

However, when you’re preparing your property for sale, you really do need to keep it clean and ready for showings. There are several ways you can make doing that a bit easier. 

Try these tips:  

• The one-minute rule. If a cleaning or tidying task takes you less than a minute, consider doing it right away. For example, keeping the foyer clear of clutter. 

• One room a day. After you’ve cleaned and tidied your home, maintain it by focusing on just one room a day. That’s manageable for most people. 

• Prioritize the floors. If you can keep the floors clean, everything else will tend to fall into place. Consider a routine where you do a quick sweep or vacuum of the floors each evening. 

• Declutter as much as possible. Clutter is the enemy of cleaning! When a room is free of clutter, it’s easier to keep it clean, tidy and looking great. 

• Get extras. Buy an extra mop or broom so other household members can help with the cleaning. Also, be sure to stock up on cleaning supplies so you don’t run short just before a viewing appointment. 

• Hire a cleaning service. Having a professional cleaning service come once a week—or twice a week when you’re showing your property frequently—can take a lot off your shoulders. Think of it as an investment in selling your home. 

Keeping your home looking “guest-ready” makes your home show better and gets more buyers interested. But, the task doesn’t need to be daunting. Try these tips to make it easier! 

Like most homeowners, you probably don’t think of your property as just a building with rooms and a backyard. To you, it’s much more than that. It’s a home.

When you walk into your dining room, for example, you don’t merely see the table and chairs. You see memories. You recall laughter with family and friends. It’s emotional.

That’s what a home is all about.

However, buyers don’t want to buy your “home”. What they really want to buy is a property that has the potential to become their home.

While you see memories of family dinners, they see room dimensions and what the dining room may look like with their furniture in it.

That’s why, when you’re selling your property, you need to keep emotions at bay as much as possible.
In fact, the best mindset is to think of your property as a product. The more attractively you present that product to prospective buyers, the more likely you are to get good offers.

That’s why cleaning, depersonalizing, and staging are so important.

It’s also why setting a price that aligns with your home’s current market value is important. You may have put your heart and soul — and many weekends — into landscaping the backyard to make it a summer oasis. It may, in fact, be a strong selling point of your property. But that improvement will only add to the selling price an amount that the market, not your emotions, dictates.

So keep emotions out of the selling process as much as possible. Save that energy for turning your next property into your dream home.

Want more tips on selling your property for the best price possible? Call today.

If you own a stock, you can probably go online and quickly look up its current value.

What about your home? That, too, is an important investment and probably your most valuable one. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could “look up” its current value in just a few minutes?

Well, despite all the real estate data available on the internet these days, there is no site that will calculate your home’s true market value – at least not accurately. So, if you were to put your home up for sale tomorrow, how would you determine what it would likely sell for?

Your home’s probable selling price is influenced by the following factors:

• The type and style of your home.

• The condition of your home. (Is it “move in” ready?)

• How well your home shows? (Is it staged?)

• The desirability of the neighbourhood.

• Recent selling prices of similar homes in the area.

• The current demand for a home like yours.

All these factors, especially recent solds in the area, need to be considered in order to come up with the price range within which your property will likely sell.

Why is this information important? If you plan on listing soon, the benefits of knowing the probable selling price is obvious. But even if your plans to move are far down the road, it’s still a good idea to know what your home is worth – today. That information enables you to plan ahead and make better decisions. It’s something worth thinking about.

Traditionally, the real estate market picks up in the spring and summer. Why? Because many people want to buy a home and get into it by September. So, if you’re thinking of selling this year, you might consider taking advantage of this demand. 

There are basically three steps you need in your “sell by September” game plan. 

1. Find out the current market value of your home. 
2. Prepare your home for buyer viewings.
3. Get the right professionals to help you. 

Let’s look at each step in a little more detail. 

Knowing your home’s current market value will help you determime your asking price. That value is calculated using a variety of methods, the most common being a review of what similar homes have sold for recently. Chances are, your home will sell at or near that value. That’s helpful information to know, especially if you’re also buying another home. 

Preparing your home is all about making it look great to buyers. When a buyer views your home, you want them to say “Wow”. It’s a little like a first date! So, you’ll want to clean, declutter and stage your home so it looks its best. 

Finally, it’s important to get the right professionals to work with you. Choosing the best real estate agent is crucial, of course, but you may also need a contractor, cleaning company, real estate lawyer, mortgage advisor and more. Using the best professionals will help ensure your sale goes smoothly and successfully. 

There’s another important component to your game plan: start now. If you want to sell your house and be in a new home by September, this is the ideal month to begin the process.  Need help finding professionals?  I can probably recommend reputable contractors & service providers from my network.

If you’re going to be out-of-town but need to sell your home, you might be concerned about listing your property while you’re away. After all, you won’t be around to show your property, schedule viewings, consider offers, etc.

While it’s ideal that you be close to home when you’re selling, there’s no reason why you can’t list your property, even if you’re going to be out-of-town.

When it comes to communications and document sharing, technology is a wonderful thing! While you’re away, you can utilize phone, email, file sharing apps (such as Dropbox), e-signing apps (such as DocuSign) and, online meeting apps (such as Zoom).

For viewing appointments, a secure lock box (with your key inside) can be installed so buyers can be shown your property and viewings can be confirmed right from the palm of your/our hands.

Even services such as staging, painting, repair work, and cleaning can be done while you’re away. We're here to help you arrange them.

Sure, the selling process can become a little more challenging if you’re going to be out-of-town, but certainly not impossible. In fact, we have sold homes under these circumstances more than once.

So, if you’re thinking of selling but worried about being away, give me a call. I’ll show you how we make it work.

Here are six home improvements that are not only attractive to homebuyers today but that will yield the highest return when you are ready to sell.

1. Energy Efficient Upgrades. Upgrading your insulation or replacing your doors and windows with more energy efficient equivalents are some of the most valuable renovations you can do. Not only can they add value to your home but will also decrease your monthly utility bills.

2. Kitchen / Bathroom Remodels. A beautiful kitchen and updated bathroom are on the wish list of many homebuyers. While some kitchens and bathrooms may need a complete overhaul, even minor renovations such as new countertops and taps can be enough to increase the value of your home.

3. Fresh Coat of Paint. There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to liven up a home. A fresh coat of paint in a neutral tone, both inside and outside, is the most inexpensive way to update your home and ensure you attract more buyers.

4. Exterior Improvements. Replacing an old garage door, upgrading your front door, adding low maintenance landscaping, removing old awnings or adding a deck are all high-ROI renovations in the long term.

5. Finished Basement. Finished basements add useable space for things like a home gym, entertainment/bar area, game room or kids’ playroom. Be sure to use water resistant materials, test and repair any water damage while finishing your basement.

6. Home Office. With the current trend toward work-at-home schedules, converting a spare room to a functioning home office will be attractive to many homebuyers today.

For a complimentary consult on how to improve your home’s value, please reach out anytime!

If you’re thinking of selling your home this year, you might be asking yourself, “Now or later?” Here are three factors to consider that can make your choice easier:

1. Market conditions.
If the market is such that it benefits you to sell now, that’s a factor that is tough to ignore.

For instance, in a seller’s market, you can expect to sell for a good price. Keep in mind that you may also need to pay top dollar to get into your next home if your new neighbourhood is also experiencing a seller’s market. So, the advantage from the selling price and disadvantage from the purchase price may cancel each other out.

2. Certainty.
If you need to sell, and it’s just a matter of when, selling now has a big advantage: certainty. You know what the market is doing; you know what your current situation is; and, you know what you can afford.

The longer you wait, the more uncertain things become. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wait. There may be other reasons for delaying your listing, such as personal circumstances, employment changes, etc.

3. Lifestyle.
A home is more than a financial investment. It’s at the core of your lifestyle.

You may be in a situation where you’re tired of where you live and want to move. Or, you may be eyeing a neighbourhood you’d love to get into, and don’t want to wait any longer to go for it. There could be other lifestyle factors as well.

Ultimately, if you feel “ready” to move, even if you’re also feeling some trepidation (which is normal), it might make sense to list now.

If you’re thinking about selling in the spring, don’t wait until the spring to start planning. In fact, you’ll save yourself a lot of work and get ahead of the game if you start planning now.

What’s that old saying? The early bird gets the worm! In this case, by starting the process this month, you’ll be in excellent shape when you’re ready to list in the spring.

Here are just a few examples of what you can do in January to get the process started:

• Walk your property and note any maintenance issues that need attention.

• Decide which items to stow or sell to declutter your home.

• Determine what improvements you’ll need to make in order for your home to look great to buyers (i.e. painting, updating light fixtures)

• Find out approximately how much your property will likely sell for in the spring market.

• Clarify the kind of new home you’d like to move into, including ideal neighbourhoods.

• Look into your financing options, so you’ll know the price range you’ll be shopping within.

• Connect with any professionals you may need, such as contractors, a mover, and a real estate lawyer.

As you can see, the more prepared you are this month, the more stress-free and successful the home selling process will be for you in the spring.

And one more tip: contact me to get the conversation started about selling your home in the spring. It’s coming fast!

There’s no doubt about it. The more “move in” ready your property is, the more attractive it will be to buyers. That’s because buyers will be able to imagine living in the home without having to make any major repairs or improvements — at least for the short term.

But, does that mean you need to get every big issue dealt with before you sell? Not necessarily.

Say, for example, your flooring needs replacing soon. Some will say sure, that may influence the interest-level some buyers have in your property, yet, homes sell every day with these kinds of issues.

What it comes down to is cost-versus-benefit. Painting, for example, costs little (compared to other types of improvements), yet can make a big difference in how your home appears. So, the benefit is high compared to the cost.

On the other hand, redoing your kitchen is an expensive undertaking. Although you’re likely to add value to your home as a result of the renovation, you might not get your entire investment back when you sell.

So, consider each improvement your thinking of making based on its cost, how much more you’ll get for your home, and how much more quickly you anticipate your property will sell.

If you’re thinking of selling your house, you probably have a lot of questions that need answers. In fact, asking the right questions is key to selling your home successfully and for the best price.

Here are some of the most important questions to ask:

• “How much is our house likely to sell for on today’s market?” “What should the listing price be?” “What are the selling costs?”

• “How long will it take to sell?” “What happens if our house takes longer than expected to sell?”

• “How do we prepare our house for the sale?” “Will we need to make any major improvements?” “Will we need to hire a contractor?”

• “What’s ‘home staging’?” “Will we need to hire a professional stager?” “Can we do some of that staging work ourselves?”

• “What happens when we get an offer?” “What if the offer price is lower than we can accept?” “How does the negotiation process work?”

• “What happens after an offer is accepted?” “What happens on closing day?”

• “How do we find a new home while selling our current one?”

• “Besides a good real estate agent, what other professionals do we need?” “How do we find them?”

• “What can we do to make the selling process easier and less stressful?”

Once you have answers to those questions, you’ll find you’ll be able to go into the selling process with a lot more confidence.

So, if you’re thinking of selling this year, get the answers you need. Then, get the process started!

Let's face it. Planning events, even exciting ones like an overseas vacation, can be stressful. So, it's not surprising that some homeowners — even those thrilled about moving — can slip into "worry mode" when putting their property up for sale.

Unfortunately, this anxiety can make the process of selling an unpleasant experience. Who wants that? So here are some things you can do to reduce selling stress and enjoy the adventure.

• Understand the selling process. The more you know about the steps involved in selling your home, the less mysterious — and, therefore, less stressful — it will be.

• Give yourself the time you need. Feeling rushed and stressed comes from trying to do too much in too little time. Even if you're selling quickly, it's important to block off sufficient time in your calendar for the things you need to do.

• Take care of yourself. As television psychologist Dr. Phil often points out, you can't give what you don't have. When it comes to selling your home, that means you need to eat well and stay healthy, so you have the energy you need throughout the process.

• Make your home attractive to buyers. That not only means tidying up and doing a little home staging, it also means setting the right listing price. Nothing eliminates the stress of selling more than having flocks of qualified buyers interested in your home.

• Get the help you need. You don't have to do everything on your own. That's why working with me is so advantageous. I take care of the many details for my clients so that they can enjoy the journey.

Sure, there are going to be a few stressful moments. However, the process of listing and selling your property, while looking for your next dream home, can be an exciting experience.

Let me help you. Call today.

If you're thinking of listing your property, one thing that might be holding you back is concern about preparing your home for sale. You may be wondering how much work there will be. Is it going to take a couple of months? A couple of weeks? A few days?
That, of course, depends on the state of your property.

However, regardless of how close your home is to “show time” ready, there is plenty you can do to reduce how long that preparation takes. Consider these ideas:

• Sell stuff online. The less cluttered your home seems to buyers, the better it will show. So, make a list of items you want to sell, and then list them on one of the many local online market websites. Price items fairly and, chances are, you'll get rid of everything in a day or two.

• Have a repair day. Go through your home and make a list of everything that needs to be fixed. Then, schedule repair people to all come on the same day. Voila! In one day, all needed repairs (or, at least, most of them) are done.

• Get staging advice. Instead of guessing at what changes you need to make around your home to make it look its best, get expert staging advice. You’ll find out exactly what the experts suggest you do, and you'll save a lot of time and money. (By the way, I can provide you with that advice too.)

• Ask before making big improvements. Are you planning to convert a wood burning fireplace into a gas unit to help sell your home? Before doing any big improvements or renovations like that, talk to me. You don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on an unnecessary project.

• Hire help. You don't have to do everything on your own. Get the help you need. For example, hire a painter, a cleaner, and/or a junk removal service. Those will significantly shorten the time it takes to prepare your home for sale and save you a lot of work. Also, the costs of those professionals may be off-set by the increase in the sale price of your home.

Bottomline: Preparing your home doesn't need to be overwhelming and time- consuming. Contact me for more ideas to help get your home ready for sale.

I hope this message finds you and your family well!  Finances, health, job change, divorce, estate sale are only a few of the reasons someone might have to sell or buy a home. Our goal, during this crucial time, is to provide you with the tools you need to limit your exposure, and to continue to provide the 5-star service we are known to give. Here is how we do it:
 
Virtual Home Consultation
We communicate via video conference & screen sharing to answer all of your home sale questions
 
Virtual Staging
We integrate highly realistic furniture, decor and accent pieces into an image of a vacant room.
 
Virtual Reality Home Tour
Using advanced 3D cameras & pre-recorded video tours, we provide buyers with an interactive way of viewing your home online.
 
Digital Marketing Material
We provide digital feature sheets & floor plans.
 
Showing Precautions
Instructing agents to wear gloves and buyers to keep their hands in their pockets, having everyone fill out a COVID-19 pre-showing questionnaire.
 
Electronic Signatures
Using a highly secure & user-friendly application that allows you to sign agreements from wherever you are and with any of your electronic devices.

Our top priotiry is your safety. I'm happy to go over our process in more details. Call to find out more.