The Blog
- Show all categories
- Uncategorized
- Real Estate Prices
- First home buyers
- Buying a home
- Auctions
- Opens
- Renting
- Real Estate Agents
- Selling a Home
Feb 4, 2020
Avoid these Issues that can Keep Potential Buyers from taking an Interest in your Home
Don’t put yourself into a position where you are puzzled about why no one has bought your home. You may be sabotaging it from the very start without even realising it. Here are some common factors to keep in mind so you don’t run off those that may have an interest in your home. Always include an asking price and plenty of photos for your home listing. Don’t Linger Welcome those into your home who will be looking at it. They want to feel they have freedom to look in closets, check under the sink, and even flush the toilets. They aren’t going to feel they can do this if you are home and lurking around. Trust the agents to bring in potential buyers and to let them explore. Be very selective about the agent you hire too because if they aren’t likeable it can cause potential buyers to avoid working with them. If you are selling the home on your own, be polite and let them look around without you being right there. That may be hard for you to do because it is your home. Make sure you don’t have any valuables out and let them know you will be on the porch if they need you. Dirty Home There is a difference between a dirty home and one that looks lived in. Take extra effort when your home is on the market to keep things clean and organised. A deep cleaning is essential before you put it on the market. Pick up each evening so you don’t have to panic if you get a potential buyer the next day wishing to look around. Get rid of clutter too because that is a huge turn off. Be mindful of any odours that could turn off your potential buyers. You may be oblivious to the smell of pets or smoke in your home. Yet they will be immediately noticed by those who are new to visiting your home. Take efforts to eliminate – not cover up – those odours. Comfortable Find out what the standard temperatures are for a home and set the controls that way. Keep in mind, this temperature can be different than what you are used to. If potential buyers feel too warm or too cold in your home, it can cause them to hurry with looking around and then to leave. This is a commonly overlooked area of selling a home that most owners aren’t aware of.
Jan 28, 2020
Successfully Staging the Exterior of your Home
When you are going to sell your home, you need to stage the outside too. The focus can’t be just on the inside. In fact, it is often the staging of the exterior that gets them excited enough about the home, to take a peek inside. Lawn Care A lovely green lawn is something many homeowners are interested in. Don’t ignore this when you are trying to get your home on the market. Consider adding new turf if the current condition of the lawn isn’t the best. Trees and shrubs should be well trimmed and thriving. Plants can be a nice addition along the front of the home. Some colourful flowers can also be visually appealing. Front Entry The front entrance needs to be clean and comfortable. Make sure it isn’t cluttered with items you don’t need out there. If it is open, consider some potted plants or hanging baskets of flowers for colour. You could add a simple three-piece outdoor setting to make it look welcoming. If the entry is enclosed, it should be free of clutter and well organized. The windows should be clean to offer a great view of the outdoors. Driveway and Footpaths Use a high-pressure hose to remove dirt, debris, and other materials from the driveway and the footpaths. The edging of your lawn should make sure these areas aren’t covered with growth or weeds. Add a sealant to your driveway to help protect it and give it a new look.
Jan 21, 2020
The Pros and Cons of Auction Versus Private Treaty
You may be trying to decide between auction and private treaty. Evaluating the pros and cons of each of them based on your particular situation can help you to clearly see which one would work to your advantage. Private Treaty With a private treaty, you complete a typical residential property sale. You decide how much you would like to get for your home and you work with an agent to help you generate a buyer. They can give you a counter-offer and if you decide to accept, then the documents are completed to create the sale. You have all the room you need to negotiate the terms of the sale. The buyer can also subject the overall sale to conditions such as being approved for a loan or the home passing an inspection by a professional. You can change the price of your home at any time too if it has been on the market for some time, but not selling. You also get to select the real estate agent you work with. It can take more time to sell your home with a private treaty than it will with an auction though. You may have to let several different people come into your home to inspect it and to decide if the home may be right for them. You may end up accepting less for the home than you really wanted in order to generate a sale. Auction With an auction, a set time and location is offered for the sale. Those who are interested show up and place a bid. The bidding continues and the highest bidder gets the ownership. This is an exciting way to sell a home in very little time. You can set a reserve price which means you won’t accept less than a given amount for the sale of your home. It can be more expensive though to sell your home through an auction due to the advertising involved. If the property doesn’t sell, you still have an obligation to pay for that advertising to the provider.
Jan 14, 2020
Making your Home Appealing for an Inspection
When potential buyers come to inspect your home, they want a lovely set up that is inviting. They want to feel someone lives in the home but they don’t want to see clutter. Finding the perfect balance is very important. Taking an inventory of what you can do to offer the most overall appeal, will make a difference. Start with the Entrance Your home needs to be inviting starting with the entrance. What is the impression someone will get when they drive by your home? If they aren’t going to find it to be lovely from the street, there is no reason they will make time to come inside and look at it. That first impression is something you only get one shot at. Eliminate what you don’t need A cluttered home isn’t going to be attractive to any potential buyers. Take out furniture you don’t need and your collectibles. Leave only the essentials in place. Remove clothing that is out of season to give you more empty room in the closets. Each room needs to be inviting with nice curtains or blinds and beds made. Place a nice tablecloth on the dining room table to make it more attractive. Open up the blinds or curtains to allow the sunlight in. This gives a home natural beauty. You should have good lighting in all rooms of the home too. Deep Cleaning Each room should be deep cleaned inch by inch. Remove all of the dust and clean the floors well. Windows need to sparkle and any problems need to be addressed and corrected. If the toilet isn’t flushing or there is a leak under the kitchen sink, those can turn away potential buyers. Add some fresh paint in a room that isn’t appealing and that small investment will change how they see your home. Pets Keep your pets out of the way when people are going to be inspecting your home. Take your dogs and cats to the neighbours or to a friend’s house for a few hours. If you have pets that may make someone uneasy such as reptiles or rodents, remove their cages and all signs they reside there. Make sure the home doesn’t have lingering pet odours either.
Jan 7, 2020
The Pros and Cons of Open Versus Closed Inspections of your Home
You have the choice of either an open or a closed inspection for your home. You want potential buyers to feel very comfortable, so it’s best to talk to your real estate agent to find out what they recommend. You should also voice your preferences and your concerns. Open Inspections With open inspections, a time and date is set up for people to come in and walk through the property. This is also referred to as an ‘open house’. You can get the home ready and people can come and go for that day. There should be a host in place to greet them and to answer any questions they may have. Potential buyers often like this because they don’t feel put on the spot when they are the only ones looking at the home. The downside to this though is you may have too many people in your home at one time for your comfort level. You may be worried about security issues too, so keep all valuables securely locked up any time the home is being shown. There may be very little time for interested buyers to chat one on one with your agent. Private Inspections With private inspections, a time is scheduled for that person to come look at the home. They will typically come with your real estate agent. You will need to make sure your home is always ready for each schedule appointment. You also want to arrange your schedule so you aren’t home at the time they arrive. It can be tough to maintain the upkeep of the home day after day. It can also be frustrating when you have plenty of private inspections taking place but no one making an offer on the home yet. Some sellers go with both methods to increase their odds of selling the home in less time.
Dec 23, 2019
What if my Property doesn’t Sell Quickly?
Ideally, you want your property to sell quickly, soon after you put it on the market. The reality though is it may not happen that way. Before you get upset or frustrated, think about what you can do in order to change things in your favour. Revamp Advertising Add some fresh pictures and expand your marketing efforts. If you didn’t go with professional photos of the property, now is the time to do so. The right angles, lighting, and time of day or night can make your property far more appealing than the previous images you shared. Consider paying to advertise at premier online sites too, which specifically handle property for sale. Many qualified and serious buyers are viewing such sights on a daily basis. They want to find the best property out there for their needs. They don’t want to waste time so they go to the resources they know they can trust. When your property is listed there, it gets more views from those with the means to buy. Price Modification Your price may be unrealistic for your quality of home and the location. It may be priced too high based on the current economy. If you didn’t have a professional to help you set the price, you need their expertise now. If they did, talk to them about possible price modification. Don’t reduce your price too much though as it gives potential buyers the impression you are desperate to sell. Explore your Competition Take a look around at similar homes on the market in your area that have recently sold. What did they offer, your home didn’t? Was it the pricing or the amount of space? Based on the data, are there changes you can make to your home that would make it more appealing to potential buyers? Wrong Agent or No Agent If you don’t have a real estate agent, you need to get one fast! This is a common mistake that can prevent your property from selling quickly. They have the right expertise to set things in motion and to get results. They know what the market of buyers are looking for. Perhaps you have the wrong agent for your needs and it is time to find someone else to work with.
Dec 17, 2019
Staging your Home for Sale is too Important to Ignore
Some home sellers think staging the home is a waste of time and money. However, this is not the case. In fact, studies continue to show staging a home offers overall value to the seller. It can seem counter-productive at first, but putting a little time and effort into staging your home can produce brilliant results! Get the Attention of Potential Buyers Once your home is staged, you can take photos of the inside and the outside. You can also create videos if you like. More than 90% of potential buyers look online for homes that fit what they are looking for. They search there first, then make plans to drive by and finally to go into homes that entice them. You can get the attention of potential buyers as soon as you put your home on the market, if you have successfully staged it. Sell in Less Time Your home is going to be appealing when it is well staged, and that means it will sell in less time. No matter what the economy looks like, there are always people trying to buy a home. The goal is to make sure yours is the one they will love! You don’t want your home to be on the market month after month, creating stress for yourself in the process. Get a Better Offer When a home sits on the market for a period of time, the seller often feels they need to drop the price to get an offer. This can reduce the profit they make from the transaction. Potential buyers become wary too of a home that has been on the market for a long time. They wonder what is wrong with it and why other people haven’t purchased it. This can prevent them from even looking at your home. A well-staged home however, can get you a better offer early on. Pays for Itself Since you can sell your home in less time and get more money for it, staging will actually pay for itself! The investment financially doesn’t have to be expensive, as the biggest element is your time. Either way, consider it as an investment and not an additional expense.
Dec 10, 2019
Removing Clutter from the Home before you try to Sell it
It is a vital step in the process to remove clutter from your home before you attempt to sell it. Nothing will turn potential buyers away faster than a home with too much stuff in it. This doesn’t mean your items don’t have value to you or a place in your family. It just means you need to remove what you aren’t currently using and store it away as you show your home. Be Realistic As you go through the items, be realistic. Are you holding on to items you haven’t used in years? If so, now is the time to remove them. You can sell them, donate them, or toss them out. Get them out of your current home and don’t pack them to take with you to your next home. Once you have gone through all of the rooms, tables, cupboards, and closets, you can start getting to the deep cleaning part of the process. You may have drawers you just throw items into but you don’t want a potential buyer to open it and be appalled. Put things where they go and get organised! Containers and Dividers Help Create more room where you need it without any problems. Simply adding containers and dividers creates more space in drawers and cabinets. They look classy and help you to keep everything well organised. Plan of Action Ideally, you need to carve out one full day per room. You can also decide to remove the clutter on your own or hire professionals to come in and do the actual cleaning for you. Most of them can do an outstanding job for a very reasonable price.