March 22, 2019
  1. Gather All Home Documents

This should be your first step, and one that most sellers overlook. It is important to understand your mortgage payable, taxes, monthly rental fees, pool equipment papers, warranties on appliances and other key documents. Potential buyers will be interested in this information and providing these to your agent will help them better market your property and create an easy closing down the line.

  1. Interview Agents

Finding the right real estate agent/team will make a huge difference in your comfort level throughout the transaction, the price you receive on your home and the terms for your transaction. Choose an experienced, knowledgeable agent on a team with great negotiation skills and professional marketing. We can certainly help with that!

  1. Think about Curb Appeal

First impressions are from the “curb” or front of your home. Some buyers will refuse to even walk into a home if they don’t like what they see on the outside. Keep this in mind by adding some easy touches like flowers & shrubs in bright colours, and keeping the yard & porch clean and clear.

  1. Declutter

Prospective buyers should be able to walk freely through your home with ease so they can focus on the layout and features. Storage boxes will become your best friend. If possible, rent a storage unit while your home is on the market instead of putting the boxes in the basement or garage as sellers are interested in seeing these spaces too!

  1. Depersonalize

You love your family, and your trip to the cottage you’ll never forget. We get it. But just put those personal photos away until after your home has sold. Buyers want to be able to picture their family living in the home, not yours.

  1. Painting & Touch Ups

Your home doesn’t need to be perfect to go on the market, but some touch up paint and quick fixes certainly don’t hurt. Those holes in the wall from that picture you hung but then got rid of five years ago? Time to patch up and paint over. Loose bathroom faucet? Repair! Buyers going into homes look at every inch of a place, and if something in plain sight is broken, they will start to think about what could be wrong that “they can’t see.”

  1. Clean

Everyone loves a clean home. It also allows for your features and upgrades to shine through and make your photography look more crisp and show-worthy. Another good idea is the smell test. Leave your home for a few hours and come back in. Your home should be smell-free. Beware: too much air fresheners mean buyers will think you’re trying to mask something.

  1. Consider a go-to to get-away

Showings generally occur between 9am and 9pm 7 days a week. That is a lot of potential time to be away from the home. Not to mention having to clean up and make your home presentable before each showing. Some sellers have found success by staying with family for a week or two, or even scheduling a family vacation during the showing period. A nice surprise? Coming back from vacation to multiple offers on your home.

  1. Update Fixtures

Consider upgrading a few affordable fixtures throughout your home to provide an upgraded look and make your home more memorable to the buyer. Simple changes to faucets, lighting and door handles are an affordable and quick weekend project that can really help your sale price.

  1. Walk Through Test

After completing the steps above, do a walk-through of your own home as if you were a buyer coming in for the first time. Start outside and make your way through all the rooms and ensure everything is up to showing standards. Buyers appreciate clean, well-presented houses, will stay longer in your home and will be much more likely to submit an offer!

 

Are you ready to list? We can help you get started.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.