What You Should Know Before Turning Your Space Into a Rental Unit
June 29, 2018
Should You Use a Realtor to Sell Your Home?
July 20, 2018
Is It Time to Move On?
There are many articles floating around the internet for first time home buyers and how to prepare to make your first big purchase. What if you have already bought your first house? What if you are a first time home seller? What if you have been living in your home for some time and perhaps now your family is growing, you got a great new raise at work, or perhaps you lost your job. Life throws us lemons and when it does, sometimes this means it is time for an upgrade or downgrade. Either way, selling your first house can be just as life-changing as purchasing your first house, perhaps even more so! There are probably be many memories in your first house that you will never forget. This may have been where your baby took their first steps, it could be the home you were living in when you met your spouse or got married. Your first home holds many recollections from the past that may or may not be tough to let go of. Selling your house can be hard, and these tips are sure to help you sell it effectively and efficiently.
Comparing Apples to Apples
Your Realtor will find comparable properties in your neighbourhood that will help price your house correctly and competitively. Remember that looking at sale prices of homes in your area is a better judge of what you can sell your home for more so than list prices. Sometimes pricing your home a little lower can help bring in buyers. Many potential buyers have home searches set up that cut off on a round number (ex. $350,000) setting your price at $355k could mean that you home will not show up in these buyer searches. If you are lucky and the market is hot, you may even get into a multiple offer situation. Multiple offers can greatly increase the selling price of your home, and sometimes the offer may even come in with little to no conditions you will need to fulfill. Your agent can also properly market your home with many different advertising platforms. MLS alone brings in buyers, but an agent’s website, flyers, newsletters, Facebook and Instagram ads, magazine ads, etc. could potentially bring in a whole lot more buyers and get you top dollar for your home.
KEEP CALM AND KEEP IT CLEAN
If possible, it is best to make sure your home is “move-in ready” without any repairs that need to be made. Of course, older homes are inevitably going to come with problems and these problems are sure to come up during your home inspection. Have your Realtor come through and make sure that there aren’t any expensive surprises that are going to show up unexpectedly. Smaller things such as keeping your lawn mowed and raked or removing hand towels and cloths from your kitchen counter can make all the difference when taking your property photos or showings. Buyers want to imagine themselves in your home and it can be hard to do so when there are lots of personal belongings hanging around. For more tips on staging your home for showings and photos, contact the Susan and Moe Team and we can provide a simple checklist to help you stage your home for success!
Save the Date!
As most of you know, when the snow starts to melt, and our Canadian temperatures start to warm up, the spring market does the same. Listing your home in April, May or June is typically the best time to get your house up on the market. In 2018, the average days on market in the Ottawa area was 55 days. In other months, the average days on market can climb as to between 85-100 in the colder months of December and January. Along with the time of year, the actual day of the week that you launch your home can make a difference as well. Many people think Monday is the best day to launch. A new week, a fresh start to house hunting. Other agents avoid Mondays altogether. A lot of the time, people are still in weekend mode on Mondays and may not be interested in new houses coming on the market. Most buyers have the time to view homes on weekends and start planning their house-hunting trips closer to the weekend. Another factor that can come into play is how much notice you are asking for before showings can occur. If you require at least 24 hours notice to view your property, launching your house on Friday may pose a problem to the buyers scheduling their weekend showings.
Be Flexible with Showings
Once your home is up on the market, make sure you are ready for showings to begin. Buyers are busy people with lives just like you and sometimes it can be hard to make the time to see houses, especially when they are seeing many houses in one day. Typically, you will get the most showings the first couple of weeks that your house has been on the market. If possible, it might be best to take a mini vacation for the first week to ensure that potential buyers can come through your house without any scheduling conflicts. Remember, if you are in town when the showing commences, it is best to leave the house and let the agent bring their buyer through uninterrupted. Anything that you say about your home could be used against you, and it is better to let buyers speak freely about what they like and dislike about the house without your opinion.
These tips should help prepare you a little bit for becoming a first-time home seller. Remember that selling your home doesn’t need to be stressful and choosing the right Realtor to help you sell your home can be a huge help. The Susan and Moe Team are friendly and trustworthy and make sure that you get the best care possible. For more information on selling your home, give us a call at 613-457-5000, we would love to hear from you!
