If your home is well cared for, well presented, and well priced it is always a good time to sell. Right now, our area has a great balanced market for the right product. We live in one of the most desirable areas in Canada and I am constantly reminded that I am privileged to live and work full time in an area where many people only come once a year for a vacation.
Here are some tips to make sure you maximize your value and have a smooth process if you are selling your home:
1. First Impressions: By investing in some relatively inexpensive fixes the outside of your home can entice buyers to come in. A freshly painted front door, pots with colourful flowers, tidy garden beds and clean windows are essential.
2. Decluttering: This is a word we hear often in terms of staging a home. Buyers need to see past your personal possessions to imagine themselves living there, they also need to see how much storage there is and if all your closets and drawers are overflowing it gives the impression that there isn’t enough space. Start to pack non essential items and put them in boxes in the garage, donate what you don’t want to keep. Have a garage sale. Many moving companies will deliver free boxes to you if you are going to use them for the move.
3. Maintenance: Clean or repaint walls/baseboards in a neutral colour. Make sure all lightbulbs are working, fix any small damages. Buyers are always impressed with a home that is well maintained.
4. Clean out your crawlspace and have someone look in your attic to make sure there is no water/ pest ingress. You can remedy these things If you find them so they don’t cause issues at building inspection.
5. Conduct a smell test: Smells can be very off putting to buyers, pets, drains, damp/musty crawl space or cooking smells may not be obvious to you but will stand out to a buyer entering the home for the first time. A deep cleaning will usually sort these out.
6. Neat and Tidy: When selling your home, it’s important to keep everything tidy for buyers, and you never know when a buyer is going to want to schedule a last-minute tour. Remember to take special care with the Kitchen and bathroom, making sure the tile, counters, shower, and floors shine and are clear of personal items.
7. Security: It is very important not to leave sensitive materials (bank or investment statements) out for people to see. Likewise switch off your computer or laptop so it can’t come to life if someone bumps it. Even though the Buyers Realtor is with them when the home is being viewed your personal information should be carefully put away. Likewise Jewelry and other valuables should be stored where they are not accessible.
I am grateful for this wonderful community and the amazing nature we are surrounded by. Clean air, Clean Water, Local farms to feed us. This truly is a place where most people ‘Come for a Visit and Stay for a lifetime’
