Let's get Market Ready!

The real estate market is competitive all year round - and every seller wants the same thing - to sell their home for the most money and in the shortest period of time. 

In every market (hot or not) an 'as-is' home will always sell for less than it should.  Why? Because the condition of the home will be reflected in the offer, either the offers will be much lower than asking (due to the condition of the home) or the offer will be low (because an 'as-is' home sits longer on the market) or the seller/agent has had to reduce the asking price (and sometimes drastically reduce the price) to generate interest.


Preparing your home for market doesn't have to be costly but if you know you are thinking of selling in the near future, it's a good time to start getting ready to sell by following these simple suggestions.

De-Clutter : after years of living in the family home, we accumulate so much stuff.  Start purging and tossing.  If you are downsizing, you'll need to do this anyway.  Clutter makes any and every room feel small (buyers are never looking for something that feels or looks small - even if they are downsizing themselves).  Even your precious collectibles will look like 'junk' to a buyer.  Clutter can actually leave a person with a feeling of stress.  Get rid of the personal items like photographs and collections - make the home feel neutral so that nay buyer can mentally move in.



Cleaning : Inside and Outside.  This includes trimming the hedges, cutting the grass, removing cobwebs, sweeping the walkways and porch, dust, mop and scrub those floors, if you have carpet - a professional steam clean is a good idea, pay close attention to giving the kitchen and bathrooms a thorough cleaning.

Repairs: Pay attention to leaks, cracked tiles etc...also get your heating and cooling serviced and if you have a hot tub or pool get that serviced as well.  If the buyers sees that these minor repairs have not be taken care of, they will wonder what other repairs are needed. 

Staging: Now that the house has been de-cluttered, cleaned and repaired it is time to dress it up.  staging involved moving around existing furniture (and possibly tucking some of it away), could involve re-painting in a neutral tone, ad adding some current elements like mirrors or art.  We want to set the stage for potential buyers to visualize themselves in the space. 



Listen : to your realtor.  Follow their suggestions and advice when it comes to presenting your home and marketing your home.  they are up on the current market trends and are also working with buyers so they know first hand what buyers are looking for.  your realtor can also keep you informed on what the comparables are in the neighbourhood are and what is happening in your city.